Madsen Taught Me

I learned from Madsen's book that no matter what our background and circumstance we can all prosper. I didn't come from a background with many advantages but everyone has at least one advantage whether it is materialistic or within themselves that they can use to their advantage. All of these women came from different backgrounds whether they were from a single parent home, had siblings, or a role model in their house that they could look up to, they all succeeded. I'm always telling people that they can do anything no matter what and I just seem like the crazy overly-idealistic little black girl. That may be the case but I always thought higher than what I needed to. This thinking got me into a performing arts middle and high school, it got me the title National Achiever, got me into college and many other things that I am so glad I have been apart of. Life is difficult enough as a woman so why make it harder? Make it a path that you want to remember and something that is worthy to look back on and share with others. It is not a question of difficulty its a question of where you want your place in life to be. These women chose that they wanted a great place in life and I admire them so much for this.

I feel like my friends and I can be related to these women in the way that they never let obstacles get in their way. My friends and I always try to embrace what difficulties life brings to us. There are always going to be set backs in life but we can't let that hinder our attitude. By telling ourselves that if we get through it we will be stronger we seem to be able to overcome anything.

One of my friends come from a family with a lot of problems. Her father is an alcoholic who she just let back in her life not too long ago. I sometimes think that she treats her father not very well and then I remember how much she loves him and the fact that he has let her down so much and know why she acts this way. By staying strong and not just letting him slide with everything she shows him that she will not tolerate it when he is drunk. She will not deal with it, and yet she is doing better with him than any of her other four siblings are. She is the one in charge of his will, pulling the plug if he is on life support, and she spends the most time with him. To me, that is so much stronger than she could be. I know how it is, I have issues with my father as well. She is doing better than I am.

My other friend comes from a family who is not rich, but she is well off. Money really does not equal happiness. She has struggled with depression a lot in her life. Her family may seem perfect but they have many issues. She is unhappy a lot of the time and used to be on depression medication at some point. The thing I admire most about her is her willingness to let go. She needed that medication once upon a time but realized when she needed to get off of it, instead of continuing to use it, to numb the pain. That was tough, she had to physically withdrawal from her medication, but she still got through it. She knows when to let go and move on, which helps her to make decisions in her life that will be better for her future, no matter how difficult they may be.

These are strong women that I surround myself with. I learn from them everyday. They think that I am doing well and they tell me how much they look up to me but they don't know that they are the ones who influence me to wake up in the morning, to go run my erronds, and to know that sometimes you have to skip a nap. They keep me grounded and also keep me from drowning. My friends bring honesty to me and I need so much of that in my daily decisions. I love the strength that they give me. :)