Today . . . I am thinking about Sir Edmund Hillary. Who was Sir Edmund Hillary? The first person to climb Mount Everest. He died last week, at the age of 88. Though in 1953, probably before most of us reading this blog post were born, he became the first man to stand atop the world's highest mountain, with his Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay the second.
What an amazing success. However, not a signgular success. Sir Hillary was not alone in his success, neither was he alone in his assent. He had people around him who supported him and shared his vision. He knew trust. He knew risk. He knew failure, yet, most of all, he knew connection.
David Zinger over at Slacker Manager blog writes about Sir Hillary and The Brotherhood of the Rope.
The Brotherhood of the Rope refers to the psychological, social, and spiritual connection that mountain climbers share . . . I encourage you to think about the ropes in your life - your accomplishments, summits, and relationships.
As I encourage you to think about the sisterhood of your rope. We all connected to significant women in our lives. Women who support us, care for us, and hold our vision for us along out journey. Who is on your rope? Who can you depend upon to scale the heights of success with you. Who'se your sherpa?
Susan,
Well said about connection. I have had many sisters who have help to pull me up to personal summits and to keep me tied in when I was at risk. Thank you Valerie, Genevieve, Susan, Rose, Katharine, Kathy, Lori, Debbie, Marilyn, Susan, Judy, Valerie...
David
Posted by: David Zinger | January 16, 2008 at 09:23 AM
That is such a greap concept. It made me pause. What a greaat feeling when you actually contemplate your Sisterhood of the Rope! I think of all the wonderful women on my bloglist(incl you), the support at Womenforhire, the women in my personal life! Excellent! These are all of the women who lift me up! Thanks Susan, you gave me a well-needed boost!
Posted by: Houseonahill.org | January 16, 2008 at 09:51 AM
Indeed, David, it is a terrific feeling when we contemplate our connections. Those people who share our journey with us, inspire us to greater heights and console us in our depths. The sharing of the journey is what it's all about for me. The richness of connection along our rope is one of our greatest resources and strengths.
Posted by: The original Accidental Pren-her | January 16, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Blogging is an excellent example of connection. A place where we can have a voice and say about who and what we support. A place where connections are realized and relationships are formed. A place where one time we are the leader and another the sherpa -- like geese flying in V-formation: unified in destination though diversified in leadership.
Hmmm . . . wouldn't that be great if that's the way our Presidential election turned out?
Posted by: The original Accidental Pren-her | January 16, 2008 at 10:29 AM