The Women In Our lives

Josephine Cochran - Inventor of the Dishwasher

Imagine a world without modern bras, disposable diapers or dishwashers. Now, imagine a world without radiation therapy that kills cancer cells or medication that treats leukaemia. Sometimes we do not need to look any further than within our own circle to be inspired. At other times, we are inspired by those we know only in name.  

Lately, I have been suffering from insomnia, and therefore I have had a lot of time on my hands to think and reflect on my life. I am now in my late 20s, and I have a list of things that I would like to accomplish before my joints hurt too much to do any daft moves. Then last night it occurred to me that I am incredibly fortunate to even be in a position to choose the life I live, and do the things I do everyday. In the past women were not fortunate enough to indulge in these thoughts. Their lives were set and they had very specific roles to play. Against all odds, some free-thinking women who dreamed to inspire others and better lives,set out to make a difference. In a day and age when most women seemed to be biding their time, waiting to find the right man to marry, they set out to influence the next generation of women They suffered trials, shattering barriers, all acted to increase our liberty, safety, and widen the scope of little girls' 

dreams.

Isadora Duncan

Imagine if you were not allowed to dance like no one’s watching. Do we ever think how lucky we are to dance they way we do(well some of us, anyway) on a night out? Well if it was not for Isadora Duncan 1877 – 1927, the mother of modern dance, something as simple as dancing with your hands in the air would be unthinkable. Thanks to her, the rigid restrictions of classical forms were replaced with free, expressive movement and influenced a generation of dancers.  

Those who know me, may find it very hard to believe that I was actually very quiet as a child. In fact I did not say my first words until I was 3 years old. When I was 7 years of age, my teacher told my parents that I was suffering from a condition called dyslexia. Needless to say, my parents had very little idea of what dyslexia was or what it meant to have a child whose brain has a slightly different structure. First they questioned my social conditioning, then they deliberated that it may be down to bad parenting, and finally they decided I must have a psychological condition, when really all it is, my brain is wired differently. Either way it was the end of the world for my parents. I, on the other hand, have always felt it was a blessing in disguise.

Painting By Georgia O'Keeff

I guess, Georgia O'Keeffe, Artist  1887 – 1986, felt the same when she said "I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me," Besides my disability seem very insignificant compared to Helen Keller, Writer, Lecturer, Human Rights Campaigner 1880 – 1968. She was rendered blind and deaf by a childhood illness. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree, and most importantly changed forever our ideas about what disabled people could accomplish.

Madame Marie Curie

Life for some of us would not be the same, had it not been for Gertrude Belle Elion, Virginia Apgar and Marie Curie. These women's, ground breaking work continues to save lives and give hope to our generation. So is it not our responcibility, that we in turn, become an inspiration to the future generation?