Inspiring International Women’s Day event held at the Friendship Centre

Approximately 200 guests took part in the International Women’s Day program at the St. Marys Friendship Centre March 9.

By Wendy Lamond

On March 9, approximately 200 guests gathered at the Friendship Centre to take part in a very inspiring International Women’s Day program put on by Eliza Reid and other staff members of the centre.

The day started with a fun Jeopardy game with subject categories including film, history, literature, music and The Friendship Centre, with all answers being a Canadian woman who had a hand in advancing women’s rights and encouraging other women to do the same.

Next up was a TedxGreenhouse Road video by Dr. Jaime Seeman, who spoke about the importance of women staying strong and healthy, dispelling the myth that only men can strength train, and that it will not lead to being big and bulky. By keeping strong and building muscle, Seeman that will offset age-related decline in muscle mass and other aging issues.

The main guest speaker, Rosita Hall, spent the first three minutes answering questions from the crowd about herself and her history. Hall is a former social worker who has spent the last 30 years speaking publicly, training and consulting. She is from a small town near Windsor and has eight brothers and five sisters. She absolutely loves public speaking and encourages people to live their lives in their own truths, which opens doors mentally, spiritually and emotionally.

Hall has written two books and is working on a third. Her purpose to motivate is to help people find joy, laughter and happiness, and bring that into their daily lives.

Hall shared with the group the importance of finding out why we are addicted to living and what we as women prioritize. She said it is about remembering that every single person has a story, and everyone could be in a different chapter.

Whether it is a happy time, grieving, fighting for health, separation or divorce, no one is without a story, and once we are all aware of that, it is about finding the steps on how to stay resilient and knowing when to stop and take a break.

Hall talked about self-care. Everyone carries an invisible backpack called life. In this backpack, there could be regret, resentment, fatigue, anger, frustration – all of the heavy things. Knowing when to set down this backpack and recover for a while is necessary for our physical and mental health.

Women need this state of recovery as many times, we don’t know how to stop, and when we do, there is often guilt on shirking responsibilities. Little do we know, stopping and taking a break will lead to self-improvement and more happiness. The last self-care tip that Hall shared was learning the joy of laughter and how a deep giggle can change the way we feel about a situation.

Hall is a firm believer in always finding a way to challenge oneself and improve. It is about being ok with saying no, whether it be to plans, social media or the news, and it’s about identifying how we feel so it doesn’t impact ourselves or others in a negative way.

Hall’s speech left the crowd feeling emotional and inspired, resulting in a standing ovation.