To the Women in My World

On this International Women’s Day, I am struck by the many women in my life who have been part of my journey. From my birth mother, who I will never know but who gave me life, my foster mother, who gave me shelter and love in my first few months, and my mom who, for a time, was a single parent raising an Asian baby in the 1970s in the Midwest.

I think of my close female friends, who have always been there for one another pre-pandemic, but for whom being “friends” took on new meanings, as we called one another on bad days, really bad days, and took “being our authentic selves” to a whole new level with one another this past year.

I think of the many female colleagues I have had the honor to work with over my career, who nurtured, believed in, supported, and pushed me to be the very best I could be in my job and in my profession. I think of the female role models I have had in my career who taught me to stop trying to find balance, but to prioritize my time based on what is best for me- my family and especially my daughter (who “they say” will be grown and out of the house in a blink of an eye) but to also be proud of and relentless toward my hopes, dreams, and goals in my career.

I reflect on the many women I get to work with on a daily basis who inspire me daily not because they “work hard” but because they have an internal fire to carry out their work. They believe in what they are doing and they go after it with passion and joy!
Finally, I reflect on the many women who came before me, who paved the way as mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, activists, healers, unifiers, and leaders.

Today, on International Women’s Day, I observe the totality of the female influence on me and am humbled. I am a product of not only direct investment by women in me, but indirect actions and service that led to my ability to advance in our culture and in my profession. I can only hope that my daughter will have ten-fold the opportunities I have had and I commit to working hard to advance women’s rights and opportunity into the future.

Noel Harmon
March 8, 2021