Jack Canfield - A Taste of Chicken Soup to Inspire a Womans Soul

A TASTE OF
CHICKEN SOUP
TO INSPIRE
A WOMAN'S SOUL

Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Stephanie Marston

Backlist, LLC, a unit of

Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

Cos Cob, CT

www.chickensoup.com

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

Paper Suits Me. Reprinted by permission of Mary Clare Lockman. 1998 Mary Clare Lockman.

The Piranha. Reprinted by permission of Hope Faith. 2003 Hope Faith.

Key Words to Survival. Reprinted by permission of Peg Sherry. 1997 Peg Sherry.

Youthful Promises. Reprinted by permission of Denise Fleming. 2003 Denise Fleming.

Freedom. Reprinted by permission of Bonnie West. 1999 Bonnie West. Originally appeared in Womans Day, Issue: September, 2000.

Scenes from a Marriage. Reprinted by permission of Sally Friedman. 2001 Sally Friedman.

What Mothers Teach. Reprinted by permission of Ferna Lary Mills. 2002 Ferna Lary Mills.

Who Called the Sheriff? Reprinted by permission of Nancy B. Gibbs. 2002 Nancy B. Gibbs.

What Do You Have to Say for Yourself? Reprinted by permission of Kate Rowinski. 2001 Kate Rowinski.

A Mother Sings. Reprinted by permission of Peggy Vincent. 2001 Peggy Vincent.

In One Split Second. Reprinted by permission of Cecelia Albanese. 2001 Cecelia Albanese.

Rules for Paging, Rules for Aging. Reprinted by permission of Jane Mozena, Ginny Foster and Peggy Bird. 2002 Jane Mozena, Ginny Foster and Peggy Bird.

copyright 2012 Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

ISBN: 978-1-4532-8055-3 (ePub)

Cover design by Andrea C. Uva

This book is dedicated to the millions of midlife women
who dare to take time to nurture their souls
and open their hearts fully to life.

Contents

Meiji Stewart

Mary Clare Lockman

Hope Faith

Peg Sherry

Denise Fleming

Bonnie West

Sally Friedman

Ferna Lary Mills

Nancy B. Gibbs

Kate Rowinski

Peggy Vincent

Cecelia Albanese

Jane Mozena, Ginny Foster, and Peggy Bird

Meiji Stewart

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This book is a gift to you, the midlife women of the world. Women in our culture often struggle to focus on themselves, their needs and their dreams. Lets face it, much of womens value comes from the ability to know what other peoples needs are and to fulfill them. Yet, deep within, each woman longs to reinstate herself at the center of her own life.

Dont panic: Were not suggesting that you abandon your family, career or loved ones. Were simply suggesting that you bring yourself back into the equation, that you make your needs part of the overall picture.

Let us let you in on a little secret: If you use this time to reevaluate your lifeto question anything youve been doing on autopilot for a long time, be it in your career, family or relationshipsthen you can begin to unearth the secret wishes that will take you back to a more authentic sense of yourself.

Nows the time to take your neglected dreams off of the back burner. Whatever youve been longing to do, whatever youve been yearning to reclaim, nows the time.

The stories you are about to enjoy were originally published in Chicken Soup to Inspire a Womans Soul. As you immerse yourself in these stories, we hope that you will explore your own quest for greater satisfaction and fulfillment.

The question remains: How can you make this time of your life rich in self

discovery, growth and transformation? To start, you can honor where you have been and what youve done; you can acknowledge the challenges you have endured, the strengths you have accumulated, and the knowledge you have extracted from your experiences. In other words, you can celebrate all that you are and all that you are becoming.

May you experience the inspiration, support and encouragement you need to discover greater passion, joy and fulfillment, and to make this time one of the best times of your life.

Ask for what you want.

Believe in yourself.

Change your mind.

Do what you love.

Enjoy each and every day.

Follow your hearts desire.

Give more than you receive.

Have a sense of humor.

Insist on being yourself.

Join in more.

Kiss and make up.

Love and be loved.

Make new friends.

Nurture your spirit.

Overcome adversity.

Play more.

Question conformity.

Reach for the stars.

Speak your truth.

Take personal responsibility.

Understand more, judge less.

Volunteer your time.

Walk through fear.

Xperience the moment.

Yearn for grace.

be Zany.

Meiji Stewart

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.

Joseph Campbell

During the sweltering summer of 1990, my husband, Paul, booked a hotel in Thunder Bay, Canada, that had a giant waterslide in the pool area.

Our four children screamed when they saw it. They got on their swimming suits, walked around the waterslide, and counted the ten twists and turns. I sat happily at a table with four-year-old Colleen on my lap.

Can Colleen go down the slide with me? Anne, our oldest at twelve, asked me.

How can she?

On my lap. Ill hang on to her.

Anne took her hand as they headed for the stairs. Clare and Erin, our middle two, followed right behind.

Be careful, I yelled.

Anne and Colleen had just finished the slide. Anne landed standing up as she lifted her sister into the air. Since there was no splash, not even a drop of water fell onto our youngest daughters hair.

I was beginning to wish I hadnt forgotten my swimming suit. It just looked like so much fun. Like Colleen, I had never gone down a waterslide. But unlike the rest of my family, I was afraid of the water.

Why didnt I bring my swimming suit? I asked my husband.

Are you thinking about going down the slide?

Maybe.

Go to the front desk and see if they sell any, Paul said.

I couldnt wonder any longer. I went to the front desk.

Maam, um, this might sound like a weird question, but do you sell any swimming suits?

Sure do. Theyre ten dollars, the woman behind the desk said.

Great. I couldnt believe my luck.

One piece or two, Hon?

One is fine. My bikini days had gone by the wayside after four pregnancies, stretch marks, and permanent weight gain. What material are they made of?

Paper, the woman said.

Paper? The image I had of myself catapulting down the slide as my suit disintegrated was frightening to say the least. Thats okay, I said as I started walking away from the desk.

Theyre very strong, Maam.

Strong enough for a waterslide?

Yes. Look. She took the suit and pulled at the seams. The stitches didnt budge.

Okay, I guess Ill try it, I said, as I handed over a ten-dollar bill.

I went back to the room and changed into my paper suit. I inspected the texture again. It seemed strong, more like a heavy linen than paper. Just in case of any rupture, though, I wore a T-shirt over it.

Im ready, I said when I arrived at the pool.