What woman do you most admire?
While on the trails, 3 women in conversation jogged passed me. One of them said that during her job interview today, the interviewer asked her a question. “What woman do you most admire?” When her friends asked her response, she was quick to reply ‘Oprah’, as though a no-brainer. “But,” she said, “That is a controversial answer. Half the people don’t like Oprah.”
When and why did that happen? I don’t know about half, but I do remember the first time I heard someone say something about Oprah that was less than favorable. I was surprised, and noted that the reason behind the judgment was weak. Why would anyone waste his or her time not liking Oprah? Or anyone else you don’t know and will probably never meet.
Anyway, I think Oprah is an okay choice for the most admired woman. As I walked along losing sight of them, I thought about whom I would have picked. Maybe with more thought I would come up with other names. Hillary’s picture kept going through my mind, but I settled on Amma because of her hands-on humanitarian efforts. Another name came to mind, and surprised me a little. Shirley MacLaine, because of her courage. She opened herself to an experience and told her truth about it without backing down.
Jane Glendinning, posted June 29, 2010
