GirlBoss

Hally Berry as NSA Agent Jinx Johnson

I have this fantasy. To be a Bond girl coming out of the water, like Halle Berry as NSA agent Jinx Johnson, in Die Another Day. “I wish I could be like that!” was my thought when I watched her walk towards me on the screen. Most of my life, I didn't know I had any power. But like Dorothy, I have had it all along. It lies in my words, thoughts, deeds, stillness, mind, body and soul. You have it too. Maybe you know it, but if not, trust me, it’s there. I found my power as a little girl. Through my eyes and my words and my art. I lost it along the way. To grief over the death of my father at age 7, struggles with alcoholism and anorexia and the end of my twentyfour-year marriage. I found it again. Even after breast cancer and a lifelong suicidal depression tried to take me out. "When I stop struggling, I float. It is the law." This is from my favorite meme, because it shows a satisfied looking woman floating on her back, in beautiful, tropical waters. I knew Jim Clark was an over-the-top talented photographer, so I asked him, "Would you be willing to shoot pictures of me to recreate this meme?" He said yes. The Bond girl photos came right at the end, when I confessed to Jim my fantasy. Twenty years and sixty pounds later, I feel like I am that badass Bond girl coming out of the water, owning my power as my legs cut through the waves. Today, I am a sober alcoholic of 37 years, a recovering anorexic and, thanks to a modern medical breakthrough therapy, I am one happy daily beach goer. In my work life, I am my own brand in the making. I am a writer, with a memoir telling the story of overcoming, aimed at bookstores in 2024. I am an artist, painting bold, happy, colorful canvas and furniture.

Most important of all, I am enough. And so are you.