I've always said that if women ran the world, there would be no wars. Women seek peace. We are natural nurturers. We look to get along, always focusing on what we have in common, not what tears us apart. Our sensitivity is our greatest strength. Unfortunately, it can also be our greatest weakness, as it can deplete us during times of emotional and physical stress.
So how does a woman veteran -- the most stressed of any of us -- resettle into society when she returns? She's either shut off or exhausted her sensitivity in order to serve and survive. Beyond that, she's put her life on hold and has seen so much that the rest of us can't even imagine. She's not the same person she was before serving. She can't be.
While I can't pretend to fully understand her psyche, I would think she needs to return to what made her strong in the first place -- her womanhood. She needs to re-engage the feminine. Dress like a woman, feel like a woman, express herself as a woman. Embrace her family and loved ones. Most importantly, she has to reopen her heart, mind, body and spirit. The more open your heart, the more you can find and accept support. Women are the first to sacrifice their own well-being in pursuit of caring for others. If ever there was a time to take care of yourself, it's coming back from a war. For me, yoga and meditation is the best way to find calm in the chaos. It centers and grounds you. It reminds you who you are. It re-sensitizes you, so you can reclaim your strength.
We can show our gratitude to these brave women by supporting Fatigues to Fabulous, a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness to the unique issues facing the nearly 2 million women veterans in America today. Benefiting The Society for Women's Health Research and Give An Hour, F2F will have its inaugural event during Fashion Week on Thursday, September 8th at 12:00pm in Lincoln Center's Courtyard.
For our part, DKNYC has designed a commemorative watch for $59.95 that is available for sale now on HSN.com and will be sold on HSN on September 8th. Ten dollars from every watch will go to help these amazing service women in their journey back to their normal lives. It's not enough to just admire them; we need to support them too.