The Three Wise Women

We all know about the Three Wise Men. Let's talk about Three Wise Women.

I've been told I'm too nice. I always thought that was a good thing. The Golden Rule, right? But when it comes to relationships - friendly or romantic - it can be a bad thing. I allowed people to treat me poorly. So when I confided in an older female colleague about some "symptoms" I was experiencing in one relationship, she told me this:

You Teach People How to Treat You.

Next up is my former mother-in-law. She was going through her fridge one day looking at the expiration dates on things. Some things were iffy: best if sold by. Did that mean it was still okay to eat? She said this:

When in Doubt, Throw it Out.

I've learned to apply this rule to relationships as well as milk.

Elizabeth Vargas. Love her. Her book is amazing, but her interview with Diane Sawyer was really something. At one point during the interview, she says the reveals:

God Only Has Three Answers: Yes. Not Yet. Or I Have Something Better for You.

This is now my Facebook bio.

There is a fourth woman: my mother. She was wise in many ways, and she was unwise in many ways - like any human being. And before the winner of the PreTeen Miss Troy 1990 pageant was announced, she said to me backstage: "Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst. And take whatever comes." In that scenario, it made sense. I wasn't in control. But that sentiment no longer hits home with me.

I won't take whatever comes.

I now design my life. I make decisions for myself. I'm older. I'm wiser. I am becoming a wise woman myself.

Find your wise women. Listen to them - and share their wisdom as gifts to others like gold (and frankincense and myrrh).