Women. Supporting.Women.

Though I’m loathe to admit it, the @cookforiran BBQ at
@mammothtaproom was not a smashing success. The rain poured down. The wind roared. It was cold. It was a July day in the UK. It was…not a great day for a bbq. But we did it, and people enjoyed the food, and we raised money for @mindbodymed and it was fun. But I don’t have great pictures really.

What I do have is this pic of me and Meghanne, a college friend of 20+ years, a fellow American, mom, wife, badass, and neighbor in our lovely East London ‘hood. Meghanne has consistently volunteered and helped me with these events. I didn’t even ask her. She just offered. She just keeps offering. It’s amazing. She’s amazing.

We are freezing, wrapped in tablecloths and fleece blankets, huddled together for warmth, keeping dry under a nylon gazebo— which, incidentally, we literally had to hold on to a few times so the wind wouldn’t steal it away.

As the wind and rain beat down on us, our teeth chattered and we chatted. About motherhood, about feminism, about toxic masculinity, about women supporting women, and about women putting women down. We talked about Barbie and boyfriends and @barnardcollege , our alma mater— the alma mater that told us to be strong, bold, independent, beautiful women. And 20 years post-graduation, there we were, all of the above.

And today I thought about how Priscilla met me in Iceland, and Becky and Caroline and Val in Amsterdam, and how Kira’s Phoebe just turned three, and how Katie is awake from her nap, and how Ashley had a baby, and Nandini is killing it, and Brigid is in the Groundlings, and Rosie is doing what she always wanted, and Rachel’s art show, and Allie and Alex are both college professors, and Karen is a power broker, and Liz is saving the world, and Anne sings me happy birthday every year, and Vic made me friendship bracelets, and Ang is teaching the next generation. Women. Women supporting women. Strong. Bold. Independent. Beautiful women.

And aren’t we lucky that, while we have a lot to fight for and lot to protect, it’s really nothing compared to what the women in Iran (and, sadly, in so many countries) have to fight for and protect?

Women. Life. Freedom.

And some food too.