Girl Power.

I have always been a girl’s girl. I liked to dress up when I was younger, play house, and use my imagination. My girlfriends and I envisioned our dream lives. We acted out plays and made fake music videos on a VHS recorder (Avril Lavigne was our favorite). Maybe... we did a few prank phone calls. (I never said I was perfect!)

As I got older, my relationships with these girls turned into a wonderful support system. We tried to be there for a call, text, or sometimes a much needed card. You see, when women support women it creates a beautiful cycle of love no one can break apart. That’s Girl Power.

Most of my close friends are really nothing like me. I love my introverts and extroverts. I have both kinds of personalities in my friend group. There are also some mixes of both… and all of the stuff in between (I’m a mix of both). 

Some of my friendships developed later in life: in college, when I moved to NYC and when I started my professional career. 

The first time I moved to New York City I was very scared. I didn’t really know anyone in the city and hadn’t had much exposure to big city life. I grew up in a small farming town. We had “bring your tractor to school day,” for crying out loud! (Haha, true story.)

I lived in an apartment right in the heart of midtown with two roommates. They both knew each other from school. I was so scared they wouldn’t like me. We ended up getting along so well. We’d go to parties together, binge watch shows on the couch and spent many a night talking. 

These girls were some of my favorite roommates. It felt amazing to have their support in such a huge crazy city. It was comforting to know I had a friend to talk to after a hard day at the office. 

All these relationships, from childhood to adulthood, speak to Girl Power. If we choose to use our power for love, I believe we can truly move mountains as women. As little girlfriends, we could have just drifted apart, but we didn’t. In my NYC apartment we could have chosen to simply be people sharing an apartment, but we all linked together: powerful stuff. 

I no longer live in the same state as all my girlfriends, but we love to keep in touch. 

Sadly, just last week I lost a girlfriend to cancer. This hit very hard. She was there for me when I needed a friend. She helped me see the power in being yourself. 

She taught me “being yourself” doesn’t mean you always have to party. Sometimes it means staying in. She marched to the beat of her own drum. 

She showed me how to be supportive by supporting me through hard times. I miss her so much, but I remember her powerful lessons. She taught me to be myself and to support my girlfriends so they can shine through even the tough times. 

Girls never letting go, girls supporting, girls inspiring, girls shining through tough times: that’s what girl power means to me.