International Women's Day 2013: What Does Masculine/Feminine Mean To You?

Happy International Women's Day 2013!

I've been celebrating all month by signing up for this email summit called I Heart My Moon Cycle (about exactly what it sounds like).

President Obama just signed an expansion on the Violence Against Women Act that aims to implement global strategies.

In my personal life I've been working hard as a woman on all levels - signing up for an online business course, joining a virtual meditation summit, slowly but surely querying my novel, delving into what it means to be feminine.

This last one is an interesting topic. I was raised as the "only son" of the only son, which in Chinese culture is a big deal. I had to be the one to go to Harvard; I was supposed to be the one to go into law or i-banking. Couple that with being a New Yorker and a Leo, and you get a girl used to living in the doing, action-oriented, goal-achieving mode. Or as the relationship coaches define it, the "masculine".

Only in the last few years have I received the knowledge and taken the space and time to explore the receptive, self-loving "feminine". I'll never discard my Type A personality - it's not even possible. But I do love embracing the feminine and the kind of peace it brings me.

This might be a triggering topic to some, but I'm curious what you make of the feminine/masculine. Do you live your life in a particular mode? Have a strong sense of what masculinity or femininity means? Conceptions of the feminine and masculine fascinate me, so please share!

APA Month Charity Spotlight: Asian Pacific Women's Center

One of the most private things I've ever done is volunteer with children who have survived domestic violence.

The Asian Pacific Women's Center in Los Angeles, CA provides a transitional shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence.  I can't describe how important this is in the Asian, and particularly immigrant community.  Due to culture, language barriers, and lack of resources, Asian immigrant women often have few or no one they can reach out to when they're in a violent situation.

I keep this on my fridge

I ran a biweekly movement and expression class for the children living in the shelter, drawing on my background as a dancer and my graduate training in somatic therapy.  We used art, movement and story-telling to bond, exercise, and dream of the future.  Occasionally a mother would stop by.

Every session, I heard a little more about their backgrounds and little snippets of how they had lived.  I watched the way they interacted - a combination of childlike joy and abandon, with moments of heartbreaking sensitivity and emotional arrest.  Each time, I came home and cried.

I never told anyone I was doing this.  But today I want to tell you because the organization deserves to be recognized and they need support.

Their annual gala is coming up at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  If you are in the area, please consider attending.

If you can't go, please consider donating or volunteering even just a nominal amount of time per month.  The program director, Kristina Rim, gave me a message to share:

Household goods in good condition are always needed and any administrative or direct service volunteers are also needed. People can contact me, krim@apwcla.org, with any questions

I'm going to make a drop-off of goods after APA month and if you live in the L.A. area, I'm happy to collect goods from you to bring to them as well.