And the Universe Answers

Just in case you wondered, very often you ask a question and if you listen carefully, the Universe answers you, quite directly in fact.

 For the past few weeks, I have been contemplating a request by the Israel Chiropractic Society (ICS), to become the new Vice President on the Executive Board.  Normally, when I cannot immediately answer "Yes" or "No," it means "No" and I am simply not ready to commit out loud; that has been the case here, and with the semi-annual meeting of the ICS in only two days, I must let the elections board know my final decision.

I carried these thoughts with me this evening, when I attended a gathering of the Israel Barnard College alumnae, in a beautiful hall overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.  The featured speaker happened to be one of my former Political Science professors, Flora Davidson, who spoke about the (slowly) rising role of women in US politics, on all levels of legislation.  Davidson quoted research which discussed the "ambition factor" ie that men tend to posses more of the self-starter characteristics, whereas women wait to be invited into the system.  And if that woman happens to be unmarried, or past her sexual prime, her entry into elected office will be much smoother than a woman at the height of her profession, a relatively younger woman juggling family responsibilities and career.

After the lecture itself, I was able to speak privately to Professor Davidson and Dean Dorothy Denburg, also in attendance;  I joked that this intellectual input came at the perfect time, as I was engineering my own political insteps within the Israeli Chiropractic community.  I laid out my issues and concerns to my former teachers, and without fuss they agreed that as a single parent of a toddler and as a working mother, "this is not the time" to spread myself even thinner, by taking on the responsibility of growing my profession in the Middle East.

In fact, I was pleased to hear it, because the message of Barnard College that I received as a student was that women can achieve anything they wish, and that family or personal life will not suffer if a woman chooses to pursue her success in the outside world.  I say it now, it's not true, no one can get everything they want without some element of their life falling short, and it's high time that we debunk this aspect of the feminist agenda.

Ambition or confidence is most definitely not the issue here, I know for a fact that I am the best candidate for  VP and that I would contribute in a substantial way;  when I commit to a cause, I commit 1000%.  Realistically speaking, however, I don't know that I would be able to properly fulfill my duties and attend meetings regularly, as I would want to and as my colleagues deserve;  I barely left the house tonight because of a baby sitter snafu, and last I checked, the day contains only 24 hours.

My time will come, and meanwhile I have pledged to take on ICS "Special Projects," without the official title as a member of the Board.

Until four years ago, my Chiropractic career and clinical practice sat at the center of the focus of my life.  The moment after her birth I held Raphaela for the first time, and I thought to myself, "Right now, nothing else matters."  Even though being a first-time Mom made me feel frustrated and stupid and happy and tired all at the same time, I am content to wait a while to conquer the world, and watch my child grow.