Visible and Vibrant Women of the World

By Susan “Honey” Good

This morning as I stood making freshly brewed coffee, two pictures flashed through my mind. For a split second, I was in Seim Reap, Cambodia with my husband, Sheldon Good. I remember the day that we stood in front of one of the five temples of Angkor Wat with its beautiful massive faces of women.  And the next minute, I was in Chicago thinking about my Barry Kisselstein jewelry and eight visible, vibrant and diverse women who entered my life during the week.

Aren’t you curious what the common denominator between Angkor Wat, Barry Kisselstien and eight vibrant and visible women?

HERE IS A PAGE OUT OF MY HONEY DIARY

I began collecting, Barry Kisselstein jewelry many years ago. I was taken by the artist’s creativity and his themed named pieces that reflected a man with a soul. I believe his love for nature induced him to create a green cast to his gold jewelry and his broad view of a woman’s needs did not limit him to bracelets and necklaces. He put his designs on eyeglasses, belt buckles and handbags. My favorite design: the face of a universal woman on bracelets, broaches necklaces and rings. He called this model: Women of the World

Several years passed and I found myself standing with my husband in front of the Angkor Wat Temples in Cambodia. I was in awe and wonderment of the temples towering beauty, a mix of magnificent architecture and nature. As we approached one of the temples chills ran down my arms as I looked up and saw the universal face that reminded me of my jewelry. I remember turning to my husband and saying, “This is where Barry Kisselstein got his image for his global woman.”

Meeting up with eight vibrant and visible women brought back my memories of Angkor Wat and Barry Kisselstien.

The Women
We all know women need each other. Now empty nesters let’s welcome in the opportunity to take the time to reassess our lifestyle adding a little here and subtracting a bit too. I challenge you to take the risk and add some spice to the recipe of your life, and that includes having several friendships.

To be honest I, too, am reassessing a few of my relationships.

It is enlightening, enjoyable and relevant to open yourself to new relationships because needs change as we continue to improve. This is emotionally healthy.

New meetings are refreshing! As the song goes “Make new friends but keep the old.” This is exactly what happened to me during the past week as I met old friends and made new friends, all living productive and satisfying lifestyles and all with a commonality of interests that mirrored mine or piqued my fancy, as I like to say.

I had lunch with a college girlfriend, took about a three-mile walk with a new friend and a close friend and the three of us decided we would walk weekly. I met an attractive woman in a dress shop because of a top I was wearing and we are going to have lunch next week at the Arts Club. I ran into a dear friend on Michigan Ave. and we made a dinner date. A longtime girlfriend from New York moved in with us while on business in Chicago! I dropped off a birthday gift to a dear friend and felt happy. A close girlfriend asked me about Orchid, told me she would help me further and the next morning in my inbox was the help I needed.

I have written in my musings that I categorize my relationship with women.

1.    Girlfriends
   2.    Friends
   3.    Acquaintances

My longtime friends are my girlfriends.  I love and respect their lifestyle, their vibrancy, their loyalty, their warmth, their intellect and their values. I was with six  of them this past week.

My new acquaintances: Two women I do not know but want to know entered my life this week. I am assuming they are vibrant women who will never ‘just be’ but will continue to look forward. I feel we have a commonality. Time will tell; who knows they may become girlfriends.

A week with these visible and vibrant women was the cat’s meow. I am filled with warmth and stimulation. Life is “good.”

Susan “Honey” Good is the founder of HoneyGood.com where this blog originally appeared. The site is a collection of lessons learned, life advice and insights from not only her, but from a fantastic group of contributing writers, each adding their own spice to the recipe. Honey Good.com representing “a family tree of women” — wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins and girlfriends — coming together to talk about what makes them tick as well as what they have in common. Honey Good discusses life experiences with wisdom, humor and intellect, enabling all to attain a “Honey Good Style of Life.”