Thirty Voices

I’ve said goodbye so many times in the past several weeks that I just simply don’t want to say it anymore. How do you say goodbye to something that you’ve enjoyed so much?

I think I’d rather say what a pleasure it’s been being a part of this project and getting to know you all. This has been an amazing experience for me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned to this blogsite for comfort in the past few months.  When Ruth suggested I join this project I never thought it would be so rewarding.  Thank you Clare and Stacy Jill for allowing me to be a “Voice”.

I am thrilled to have developed an on-line circle of friends and hope that circle continues to grow. You will find me at Learning to Walk in Stilettos.

Jenn, 38, Belarus (at least for a few more days)

I know that I came here later than most of you, but I am happy that I did.  Thirty Voices provided me with a connection to other women in my age bracket at a time when I was feeling isolated and out of sync with everyone else.  Being home with two small children seemed to exclude me from so much, but somehow, when reading everyone’s posts, i began to feel that I could do more.

I opened up an online business selling my handmade crafts, I began writing a novel, I made new friends, and I realized that I can do more than I ever realized.  I wish I had contributed more, but I have been very waylaid by the fact that I am facing having another surgery soon, as the treatment after my first surgery (in November) didn’t take. It makes me all the more grateful that I was a part of this because now, even though I have more physical limitations than I have ever had, I am still managing to find good in all the little things in life.

(more…)

First, the really great news. We are going home to Germany TODAY!! Goodbye Taiwan. Goodbye hotel room. Goodbye eating every meal in a restaurant. (Trust me, it does get old.) And goodbye Thirty Voices?

They say that all good things must come to an end, and I suppose it’s true. After all, we all grow and change, things are always in a constant state of flux making it impossible to realistically remain the same for always and forever. But I like to think that because of this perpetual forward motion that things simply grow into other things. (more…)

i came to thirty voices in september – 1/2 way through.  and it has been a wonderful experience.  thirty voices is where i discovered friendships with women i’ve never met and most likely left to my own never would have.  in the past 6 months i have picked up and hauled my family 1/2 way around the world and here i’ve been able to share some fears and insecurities.  for that i am most grateful.  i have loved the support and experience you gals have been able to provide, many of you have gone through this process and just knowing you have lived to tell the tale has been comforting.  so women of thirty voices, thank you.

monica, 37, chiang mai, thailand – my other blog is here at transplanting me.

So instead I’m saying, until.

I’ve adored this community and the diverse backgrounds and aspirations and viewpoints of the women in it. Clare and Stacy, kudos to you both for providing the needle and thread that stitched us together.

My most significant takeaway from this experience was that I was inspired to be less guarded in what I put out there. I savored the gorgeous writing done by so many bright, funny, sweet, brazen women, and it spurred me to be bolder. As much of an opinionated little crank as I can be, sometimes all that brass is just in my head or what I share behind closed doors with a chosen few. But in this case, I didn’t worry about what potential clients might think. What strangers would think. What other readers of any other sort would think. I wrote what my heart compelled and it was incredibly gratifying and fulfilling.

I’m also curious (some call it nosy) by nature, so I loved the way everyone so eagerly added slices of their lives to a communal pie. And it was a pie we could eat with our hands. No formalities. No need for polished cutlery or dainty plates.

In 4.5 weeks I’ll be on a plane for Barcelona. We’ll rest up there for a couple days and then head to the French village of Roquebrun, my home for at least the next year. One of the things that keeps my fears about this move from giving me a brain wedgie is that so many of you have transplanted yourselves, have left the familiar to wend your way through the unfamiliar. Sure, your reasons for doing so may be different from mine, but it shores me up to know you’re out there and are thriving.

Warm wishes to you all. I’m still not saying good-bye, dammit.

À la tienne!

Melissa, 39, Atlanta, USA My blogs: Hatchlings & The Other 334 Days

As the curtain falls on this project/experiment/challenge/call to action, I am looking back at Thirty Voices with immeasurable gratitude; to everyone who contributed and especially to Clare and Stacy who made it happen and stuck with it.

Thank You.

Because of this project I took the time to really think about my writing… what inspired me, tired me, wired me. I got motivated to finally put all of my disparate ramblings together and actually put a blog out there that I feel proud of and compelled to continue.

Because of this project I have new people in my life that I think about on a very regular basis and feel connected to in very real ways regardless of distance, difference, diffidence.

One year down the road I have seen a lot of changes and made a lot of changes and feel just that much more ready to take on whatever comes my way. I am not sure how much of that has to do with any one thing in particular, but I am sure that somehow the convergence of events in my life that has included Thirty Voices undoubtedly contributed to this sense of well being. Older? You bet. Better? Uh-huh. Wiser? I guess we will see…

I would like to be able to echo the sentiments of all the writers who answered this post before me and so to avoid redundancy I will say, ‘I second that emotion…’ and sign off.

ell-oh-vee-ee

Amanda, still blogging here in Hong Kong

I just wanted to say a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed to this project. It was definitely one of our many online chats that Clare and I came up with the idea. It was mainly born out of frustration of giving in to our analytical sides and not being as creative as we hoped to be. I think, well, I know that isn’t really the case anymore for either of us.

So what did I learn in the last year? I learned that I am a great idea person, but I need to work on sticking with stuff instead of letting my ADD-riddled self go off the deep end. Honestly folks, if Clare hadn’t picked up the ball many moons ago, this may not have grown into an amazing, honest portrayal of womens’ lives across the globe. Of course an idea without any substance is just a poof of air, and this is where our great contributors come in. I have learned so much from you all. I know I have been quiet on the comments, but it’s mainly because my brain has been squished into a million pieces. You all are amazing individuals and I hope that my Google Blog Reader will stay in existence so I can continue following everyones’ lives.

What this site has given me is the opportunity to spread the creative wings and become bolder about my creative choices. I have stopped waiting in the sidelines for someone else to write about their life, I have jumped in full force and started working on the book I have been wanting to write. I have also jumped head first into the performing space and not only have I finally mustered enough courage to read my stories in front of people, I am also co-producing an open mic and a burlesque show now! This is all from finding the courage and the ability.

I encourage each and every one of you to continue on your creative journeys. You will, like me, be continually amazed at where it can take you.

Thank you again, and Good Night!

- Stacy Jill- My Blog

Sometimes I get so caught up in my own little middle-class world that I forget how amazing and diverse life is. Let’s face it. Here in suburban Chicagoland, I tend to hang out with people like myself. Usually with a couple of kids in tow and a minivan parked in the driveway, who watch TV in the evenings for fun. Life seemed like an endless procession of playdates, child sleep issues, bills and trips to Target. It seems a long time since I started a conversation without saying, “How old are your kids?” It seems a long time since I could imagine a life different than the one I’m living.

So what Thirty Voices has given me is a reminder that life doesn’t look or feel the same for everyone, yet we all have commonalities that bring us together. It’s been a very long time since I was part of a community of women who were all so overtly interesting and creative. It has also been a chance for me to reconnect with the interesting parts of me, before I was “mom” and that’s all. I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s stories and sharing in them. It feels like I’ve gotten to know a whole new group of friends, and I’m grateful to you all.

http://sleeplessmommy-nukegirl.blogspot.com/

Helen, 35, Glenview, Illinois, USA

I can’t remember exactly how the idea for Thirty Voices came up – I can only recall it was during one of the many online chats I was having with Stacy.

Thirty Voices not only gave me the chance to connect on a regular basis with women in my age group around the world, but it also gave me a chance to grow a bit as a person. Having to commit and be responsible for something on a regular basis without being able to slack off or give up enabled me to prove to myself I could do it. Thinking up challenges, writing posts made me use my brain for something creative – when my everyday job forces me to be the opposite to think laterally and technically.

The biggest thing though I think is the friends I have made through this site. It’s hard to think that a year ago, the blogging friends I have made through the site weren’t part of my life. I can’t imagine not going through my list of blogs I read (not every day sadly but at least once a week) and finding what is going on in Hong Kong, Colorado Springs, Thailand, Chicago, Belarus, Santa Monica etc. And that would have never happened if it hadn’t been for Thirty Voices.

I can not express how grateful I am to every single person who has contributed to the site in the past year – thank you for being part of something that started off as a little idea and became so much more. I really will miss you all.

Not Goth, 34, Redondo Beach, USA.

My personal blog is http://notgoth.wordpress.com

You know, I can’t even remember exactly how I first heard about the Thirty Voices Project.  But I recall thinking what a great concept it would be – to see the reflections of women in their thirties – of women like me perhaps.

When you ask me what I’ve gained from this experience the answer is simple: I feel less alone.  Here’s how it worked with me: I made my first post, and within five hours a young woman from California responded back saying that she also was post hysterectomy from reproductive cancer.  I was amazed.  I mean, up until this point the only other women I’d known this disease…well they were from support groups or they were progressed in their illness so far as to have almost no hope and most importantly – they were almost always older than me.  I craved to know someone my own age who was surviving.

Life can be very difficult and often it’s easy to forget to hope, to dream, and to be the ray of sunshine you see yourself to be in your mind.  One year ago I was at a point in my life when I needed to be reminded, and assured, that I was not going solo through these experiences.  Thirty Voices has generously provided me with a textual reminder that I’m not alone in my fears, in my goals, and in my hot flashes.  For this I will be forever grateful.

Thank you for all the kind comments on my posts, suggestions for different ways to look at life, and general good cheer whenever I stopped by the site.  As requested, should you want to catch a view of the newest Red Rum color, spy into my travel adventures, or simply need a good dose of laughter, you can always find me at http://sagespot.googlepages.com.

So, this is your ever hair-dyed-famously-red friend Sage, 31, signing off from the Midwestern cornfields of Iowa