Elevator “Strength” has always been one of those words that transcended a dictionary meaning. We can assign it the quintessential meaning of “able to move heavy objects” or it can have a more philosophical meaning like “the ability withstand adulthood” (that’s my personal definition).
Strength is a word used to describe a long tenure of things both physical and mental, and with Sunday, March 8th being International Women’s Day, we wanted to take a chance to step back and reflect on this word – and why it may be one of the most important concepts in the english language, particularly when it comes to women.
In 2014, I’m willing to bet that over 80% of the Canadian population was huddled around a tv watching the Canadian women’s hockey team being heavily outplayed in the Olympic gold medal game against the United States. They entered the games as the clear favourite. They had won the Olympic tournament three years in a row and were ranked number one in the world. Now, they’re down 2 – 0 and there’s only four minutes left.
When I think about strength, I don’t think about how those women fought back every second; a come-back goal with 3 and a half minutes left, another at 55 seconds and now it’s tied. I don’t think about Marie-Philip Poulin battling for the puck and sliding it into the net for the game winning goal in overtime. I don’t think about an entire country losing their minds in shock and awe over the comeback of the century. I think about our goalie 10 minutes into period three, when the second goal was scored on her, and how every time the US team had momentum, she’d get back up and fight. I think about how every woman on that team held each other up in their battle knowing they live to fight another shift. I think about how they gave Canada a reason to feel strong that day.
Strength can mean a lot of things, but mostly I believe it means “to try.”
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to have strength or be strong is to:
1. Have or be marked by great physical power
2. Have great moral or intellectual power
Perhaps strength is ambiguous because it is meant to be. Perhaps strength is a woman. At ELEVATOR, we believe strength is a force; a group of strong women who each define strength intheir own way. When we come together, we experience trials, tribulation and growth together as a unit and we bring that strength with us into everything we do.
To all the fierce ladies out there, here’s to winning our next shift.