Mother's Day Reflection
I love Mother’s Day. My role as a mother to my son and daughter is the most rewarding of the many roles I play; and it is the reason I changed careers from corporate finance to nutritional counseling. My role as a daughter is also important. My mom, whose name is also Tere, is a Cuban refugee. She taught me to always be the solution and to avoid the victimhood mindset. Her “can do” approach to life helped me muster the resources I needed to help my children and to continue innovating ways to support clients in my integrative practice. My mom taught both my daughter and me to navigate through life with courage and optimism.
I love this photo of my mom, my daughter and me. It represents the bonds of family. It shows the power of motherhood. It is a picture of what joy and love look like. The three of us are a small example of a community of women and this Mother’s Day I want to focus on the collective power that arises when women collaborate.
Mother’s day is part of the season of celebrating women – to me it starts on March 8th with the International Women’s Day and will continues through Labor Day when I celebrate the often unacknowledged work of motherhood. I celebrate women by exposing my clients and followers to as many leading and impactful women as I can. Just recently, I was honored to participate in the Shift Network’s Inspiring Women With Soul Summit – an online event designed to shift how women live their lives. I had important conversations with many leading female thinkers – such as Dr. Joan Rosenberg, Dr. Jill Carnahan,Sharon Melnick, PhD and Shanna Lee. Women who play in many different sandboxes of life – whether physical, psychological, emotional or spiritual. Those who help raise humanity, and women especially, into living healthier and more impactful lives.
I truly believe that women are the glue that holds the fabric of society together. Without us, humanity would not be able to sustain itself. Without us, many of the traditions and wisdom of past generations would be lost. Without us, the spirit of collaboration would be less powerful. Because we carry, birth and raise babies, we know that we can not do it alone. We seek out help when we need it and offer help to others when they do. We know that it truly “takes a village” to turn a baby into a functioning member of society and we make an effort to build such villages throughout our lives.
It's difficult to watch what the modern lifestyle is doing to us as women. Did you know that 1 out of 6 American women of childbearing age is on a psychotropic medication? How about the epidemic of autoimmunity that disproportionately affects women over men? And what about those of us whose children are suffering? Rising rates of autism, mental health problems and other chronic diseases in our children are straining our mental, physical and emotional resources and threaten to unravel the tapestry of family as we know it.
So this Mother’s Day, I am asking you to show your appreciation to all the mothers out there. Thank them for their commitment to continue humanity and bring forth new life. Help them build communities so that all of us can benefit. Express gratitude through personalized and meaningful gifts which can help them lead healthier lives. Check out my book, The Wildatarian Diet – Living as Nature Intended, my monthly Wild Box – a membership subscription service, or Teri’s Touchstones – a list of easy and useful gift ideas. Or find an old photo of women who have played a positive role in your own life – whether your mother or not – and gift it to them with a short note explaining the impact they have had on you.
Mother’s day is more than a celebration of those who gave us life – it is a holiday about womanhood and the power of the collective wisdom we offer to the wider world. It is a holiday of community and the bonds that tie us to family – whether our birth family or the overall human family we are all part of.
To The Tru Of You,
Teri Cochrane