Fearless Friday

We tried to think of something fruit-related for Friday. Like fresh, fuzzy, or fruitful lol. But fearless just felt appropriate going into the weekend. Maybe Freedom Friday?

We want to use this space to talk about women, femmes, and non-binary people who have done or are doing incredibly fearless things.

Or maybe they are full of fear and doing it anyway.

Fear is funny because it can be your most valuable self-defense tool. Your internal warning system. Your gut. Your core. Your higher self.

For book club, we are reading The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. 

If you weren’t able to join us for Winter book club that’s okay, we will be reading a new book in the spring. 🐣

What else is in the newsletter today

• Who is Grandma Gatewood?

• Women in conflict

• Refer Ripe and earn sweet rewards 🍑

“Who is Grandma Gatewood?

(Oh! What about THIS for book club in the spring!?)

Back in 1955, Emma “Grandma” Gatewood casually told her children, "I'm going for a hike in the woods."

She was 67 years old, a mother of 11, and grandma to 23 grandkids.

Turns out that her “hike in the woods” was the entirety of the Appalachian Trail. 2,190 miles and the longest hiking-only path in the world. Grandma was also a thirty-plus-year survivor of domestic violence.

On September 25th, 1955 she reached the top of Katahdin, making history as the first woman to SOLO the entire Appalachian Trail in one season.

She hiked the whole trail in men’s high-top Converse and carried a DIY denim bag with little essentials.

Known to the media as “the old lady on the trail” her children found out about her journeys through the news outlets. When asked by the media about her experience she said, “I would have never started this trip if I had known how tough it was, but I couldn’t and wouldn’t quit.”

Women in conflict

According to the UN, there were 600 million women and girls living in conflict in 2022. Women’s rights advocates and UN organizations that brief the UN Security Council are warning that women are increasingly at risk in conflict and underrepresented in peace processes.

Hind is a Palestinian journalist who has gained a mass following of supporters through her social media.

She posted the photo above the other day with this caption and we can’t stop thinking about it.

Can you imagine not having a heat pad or bed or a bathroom or clean clothes or a home to go to while on your period?

Refer Ripe for sweet rewards 🍬

If you enjoy this newsletter, which we hope you do. Why not share it? There must be at least one person in your contacts who wants what we are serving. Don’t keep us all to yourself even though we appreciate how cute that is.

If you send referrals, we will send you rewards like stickers, beanies, coffee mugs, and free books and stuff that you will actually like.

It’s a win win win. (That’s an Office reference btw)