Tough Cookies...

Amazon.com

As her birthday present this year, I purchased this book for my SisterWhoChoseMyBrother, the consummate Girl Scout...in fact, I will use her GS Camp name for her from now on--Packer. Packer told me at Thanksgiving that she read it in a week and wanted me to read it too. Packer said, "It helped me understand why we did what we did." I finally started it last night, and only one chapter in, I am moved.

Background: When the Girl Scouts reorganized a few years ago, there were a lot of hurt feelings and deep concerns about what it meant for girl scouting in the US. Packer and I were among those who worried over our girls (at that time a troop of 23 Brownies). With life changes, I unfortunately left Packer to muster on without me, and it's one of the only regrets I have in life and wish were different. Nevertheless, Packer always makes the best lemonade out of lemons...always has, always will. She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her. I'll get back to my point...

I am moved to encourage everyone to read Tough Cookies. It is written by the CEO of Girl Scouts of the US, and the point that she hit home with me was this: our nation is split evenly between men and women, 50/50. Why then is the female CEO position only sitting at 3%? Why is our federal legislature only 17% female. This is not a manifesto of how the women should rule the world. Simply put, and anyone who is blessed to be in an equal partnership at home knows, men and women should work together equally to change our nation.

For a country that was founded in the throws of equal representation, I am a little concerned that it's taken this long to figure out that times may be different from the 1950's, but we are still not equally represented. I don't think that quotas are called for. I really don't know what we should be doing. It's like I woke up from a really inspirational dream this morning and am set to find a way to make a difference. First step! Encourage everyone to read this book, make your own plan and change the world.