"Calling Invisible Women"

Have you ever read a book that brought immediate clarity to your life? That happened to me over the holidays. A friend loaned me a book that she had really enjoyed and thought that I might like it too. "Calling Invisible Women" by Jeanne Ray isn't a thick book, nor is it intellectually stimulating, but it sure hit home. The opening scene is a mom of two kids (one who is off at college and the other who has moved home post college) as she is looking in the mirror first thing in the morning. She suddenly realizes that she is invisible! She can still brush her teeth, feel the dog licking her hand, and the outline of her body is apparent due to the robe that she is wearing. But she can't see her body.

The kicker? NO ONE in her family realizes that she is invisible. She cooks for them. She talks to them and not even her husband realizes that he can't see her. Everyone goes about their lives like it's normal.

Turns out that it's a unique combination of taking an anti depressant, a bone density supplement and a shot of Botox every now and then that is causing this phenomena. Women across the nation are disappearing but no one knows what the cause is until a bunch of them stripped down and held their invisible support group meetings at a local hotel conference room (that they didn't have to pay for since no one could see them). Here they debate and share and come up with the reason they are disappearing and create a strategy to get the pharmaceutical company to admit that they know they are doing this and yank the drugs from the shelves. There are great scenes as women start using their invisibleness to their advantage by creating good in the world. One goes to a high school and stops kids from bullying, one stops a bank robbery, another goes and observes her husband at his busy medical office and has a new respect for how exhausted he is when he comes home every day. The possibilities really are endless!

Those of you moms in this mid life phase will get a kick out of this book too I think. It resonated for me and gave me that AHA moment of clarity that I too feel invisible (without that particular combination of meds. My wrinkles still exist). As the kids are older, they push us away and don't need us as overtly as they did before. Suddenly, I don't know who I am and what my purpose is now. After 20 years of being a massage therapist and helping others to feel good, I let my license expire and don't have that validation in my daily life. Cooking and cleaning and keeping our family life on track just isn't that fulfilling for me. I wish that it was but I need a sense of accomplishment and a sense of giving back to the world to feel successful.

So I'm taking action and I committed to it via our annual holiday video card. We started this years ago after Brooke had lost his job and we couldn't afford to send cards. Creating a video and emailing it was free.....and the tradition has continued.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Zn2W4NWTI&feature=em-share_video_user

You have encouraged me for years now to publish chapters from this blog. So I am officially taking the steps to make that happen. I don't personally know a publisher but maybe you do? I'll also research self publishing as I know that is an option too in this modern day and age.

As I look at the stats from which posts were most interesting to you, it is clear that Molly's dating life with Spencer draws you in. So those chapters will certainly be included. Is there anything else that you are curious about that I can address? I am open to suggestions!

Happy New Year friends and Cheers to becoming visible in 2016!