Camaraderie, Community & Collaboration

by Mimi Matthews

I just love that sound!! It’s the mellow buzz of a group of women talking casually together, quite often punctuated by a burst of laughter. It’s women getting to know one another, such as what happens at our W2W Girlfriend Gatherings. All it takes is a question to the neighbor seated next to you, or even across the table from you, and away you go.

“Have you attended one of these before? Are you from this area? Tell me about your family. What do you do for fun?”

And this sort of thing happens at any women’s gathering anywhere. Women just get each other. We are indeed comrades in the trenches of womanhood and all that it means. If you don’t think so, just mention “hot flashes” in a mixedaged group of women!! Before your flash is even over, you will have six testimonies, two remedies, and a woman giving you a fan!

Camaraderie is a spirit of friendship and community between two people or a group of people. The members of the group are comfortable around each other, and they support each other.

The root of this word is comrade, bringing to mind soldiers who absolutely must have each other’s backs. Think also of a sports team and how they function together.

When women demonstrate camaraderie, they show support for each other, and this is an area that our society needs desperately today. Do you think those women who were the forerunners and fighters for gaining our rights could have gotten anything accomplished if they were competing with each other over center stage? Yet, today that seems to be quite common—at least on social media.

Women supporting women is not a competition; it’s a collaboration.

— Unknown

How do we show this spirit of friendship and community?

LOYALTY—your friends can count on you and they can trust you.

SUPPORT—you are available when they need help. You stand up for them.

ENCOURAGEMENT—speak kind words that lift someone‘s spirits and remind them they are not alone.

NO GOSSIP—this is a cancer that eats away at friendship and can easily divide a community of women! Also, things told in confidence must remain that way.

NO JEALOUSY—because being a woman is a collaboration. Someone always has a great idea, or a different ability from yours, and that’s why it takes all of us to make up such a beautiful community.

And camaraderie among women is also about sharing: sharing stories, ideas, childcare, experiences, lessons learned, adventures, and the best one, laughter.

Aren’t you thankful to be part of such a wonderful community?

Mimi Matthews is in the “encouragement business” as the owner of Empowordment Cards by Mimi. She is also a speaker, workshop leader, writer, and our editor. Visit her shop at www. etsy.com/shop/EmPOWordmentCards and her blog at www.particularpassions.me.