The Essence of a Woman

This post was written as an entry to FitFlop Philippines' "Essence of a Woman" contest, in commemoration of Women's Month. Please help by liking my entry here. Thanks!

Some say it is the ability to bear kids, some say it is the ability to love. Some say it is tolerance for pain. But my momma would always tell me that the one thing that drives a woman's spirit is INSTINCT.

See, most women do have the ability to have children, to love, to deal with pain, and yet, some do not. But if there is one thing every woman in this world has, it is INSTINCT - instinct to care for children that aren't theirs, instinct to love the unlovable, instinct to bear pain that isn't tolerable. When a woman is unable to bear children or to become natural mothers, that doesn't make them any less a woman.

My cousins and I grew up with nannies. Our mothers were full-time working moms. Although they were there for us at night, we clung to women who weren't the ones who gave us life. Our nannies were the ones who took care of us day in and day out. They were our second moms. And although we weren't blood-related, we were loved like we were their own. We were put first. They wiped our tears, held our hands, and had the instinct to protect and nurture us.

They also had the instinct to fight for us. To shield us from pain. My nanny cried with me the first time a boy made me cry. She was the first one to hug me and assure me that everything will be alright. It is the same for my cousin when her mom left for the States to work. It was her nanny that took over.

When my husband and I separated, my daughter clung to her nanny for balance. She became my little girl's shock absorber (as I work full time) -- her beam of strength and support.

You don't have to be a mother to be a real woman. It is the INSTINCT within each woman that defines her as woman. These nannies were never mothers. But they were more than mothers to us. They were women of essence.

(Photo shows my cousin Ayesha*, with her 70+ year old nanny, Yaya Julie.)

Incidentally, the Microwobbleboard technology applied to FitFlop sandals is comparable to the essence of every woman since like it, FitFlop sandals have the ability to absorb more shock than normal, and equip women with needed support and balance.

According to the Official FitFlop website, "FitFlop footwear is biomechanically engineered to help tone and tighten your leg muscles while you walk in them. Studies at the Centre for Human Performance at London South Bank University (LSBU) show that normal walking in FitFlop sandals can help:

- help increase leg and bottom muscle activity (up to 30%; so you feel less ache in your hips and knees),
- absorb more shock than a normal shoe (up to 22%),
- help realign ground force reaction closer to your joints, and
- reduce foot pressure."

Truly a great shoe for the great woman.

FitFlop. Get a workout while you walk™

Wanna know more about FitFlop? Check out their website here. Be a FitFlopper! Like the FitFlop Philippines page on Facebook here.

* My cousin Ayesha was a Director and Business Team Leader at BNP Paribas. In 2009, she retired from banking to fully concentrate on her work for ARK, Advancement for Rural Kids, a New York-based, non-government organization she co-founded. ARK's mission is focused on improving education and health of school age children living in impoverished rural communities in the Philippines. To know more about ARK, their projects, and how to help, visit www.ruralkids.org