Rumour has it that my maternal grandmother was the first woman in Winnipeg, Manitoba to drive a car. My mother worked full-time starting in the 1960s, long before this was the norm. I didn’t even run into the idea that women were second class citizens until I went to university. These amazing role models definitely shaped the woman I have become. Mrs. McLeod, my grade 3 teacher, Sister Catherine Cecilia who taught me 9th grade Math, and Anne of Green Gables were also role models who shaped my character, but none quite as powerfully as family members.
As a teacher and a high school principal without children of my own, I loved the role that I played for my students modelling choices that were different from some of the others in their lives. In helping hundreds of young people figure out what kind of adults they hoped to become, I came to believe that a diversity of role models was one of the most wonderful influences a young person could have in determining their adult personas. Recognizing a wide array of options absolutely affects the decision-making process, both consciously and unconsciously.
Since moving to Victoria two years ago, I have been cycling with an incredible group of women from Victoria Grandmothers For Africa. They train for one of two cycle tours held annually as the main fundraiser for this group, supporting the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. From September 7th to 9th, 2018, about 30 women over 55 will cycle 275 km, from Campbell River to Victoria. On the final day, another group of about 30 women will do a 50 km ride in Saanich. The two groups will meet up for lunch and ride to the Victoria Legislature together for their 12th annual celebration. The dozens of women I have met in this cycling group are nothing short of inspirational. Rose Mary, Christine, Kay and Lisbie are all in their 70s; Jocelyn and Kathe in their 60s. Rose Mary, 70, is one of the fastest and strongest going uphill, passing me and almost everyone else in the group regularly on hills. Christine has done the 275 km ride 10 out of the past 11 years. Kay wears shorts almost all the time except for a couple of months in the winter! Lisbie rushes home from cycle training to work with a refugee family and participate in the local theatre scene. Jocelyn has helped me understand how important is our solidarity with the African grandmothers in what we do. And Kathe is the strongest cyclist of us all, thoroughly and definitely “back” after having a serious accident alone on her bike last fall. We encourage each other to embrace the hills, and support each other through illness and injury, of selves and family members. Victoria Grandmothers For Africa have raised over $1 million since they began in 2007.
With Mother’s Day approaching, I think often recently about the example these women are setting for their daughters and granddaughters. Life should be lived fully, actively, and generously, with lots of fresh air and warm relationships. I have shared a rental home with my niece for the last two years. When we talked about moving in together, I worried that we had very little in common. However, we have discovered that we both have a passion for fitness, her main focus being strength and mine being cardio. We encourage and support one another in this area and that has provided a great foundation for our new relationship.
Instead of expensive cards and gifts, or possibly in addition to, why not thank some of your female role models this mother’s day – mothers, grandmothers, aunts, teachers, friends and work mentors? Their influence on your character and life choices is probably even greater than you know, and they would be thrilled to see that you recognize this and are grateful for it. Happy Mother’s Day and thank you to my beautiful mom who is still active and feisty and full of ideas and advice. This year, as in the year of my birth, my birthday is on Mother’s Day. Though they are not here with us, I also feel the presence and the influence of my grandmothers, and more faintly, their mothers and grandmothers, with gratitude and awe.
Learn more about Victoria Grandmothers for Africa here: www.victoriagrandmothersforafrica.ca
See Laurie’s last article here: seniorlivingmag.com/cycling-for-strength/
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Beautiful Laurie…. here’s to all the strong women in our lives!