LOL, it’s so funny that all of those salty British commentators predicted that the Duchess of Sussex would *need* to post a photo of Lilibet Diana on Meghan’s 40th birthday. My prediction this morning was that Meghan would thank everyone for their birthday messages and encourage people to donate to a particular charity. I wasn’t exactly right but I was a lot closer than those royal commentators. For her birthday, Meghan wrote a post on the Archewell site. She’s trying to convince people to commit to 40 minutes of service and mentorship every day, and you can see the Archewell post and resources here, in addition to a video with Melissa McCarthy (which seems to be a bit glitchy for me). I’m posting her message in all of its selective CAPS LOCK glory because… well… it is kind of funny.
In reflecting on my 40th birthday and the many things I am grateful for, I’m struck that TIME IS AMONG OUR GREATEST AND MOST ESSENTIAL GIFTS: Time with our loved ones, time doing the things we love, time spent learning, laughing, growing, and the sacred time we have on this earth. Amongst the most valuable gifts of time is also time spent in service to others knowing that it can contribute to incredible change. To that last point, and with my 40th lap around the sun in mind, it made me wonder: what would happen if we all committed 40 minutes to helping someone else or to mentoring someone in need? And then what would happen if we asked our friends to do the same?
In the past two years, and in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, TENS OF MILLIONS OF women around the world have left the workforce, including over two million women in the U.S. So many of these women are also SHOULDERING THE BRUNT OF THE CRISIS when it comes to unpaid labor, including schooling and caring for family members. And the latest research shows that FEWER WOMEN THAN MEN WILL REGAIN WORK as we recover from the pandemic.
I believe mentorship is one way to help women regain confidence and rebuild their economic strength, and for my birthday, I have asked 40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to help kickoff a global effort by contributing 40 MINUTES OF MENTORSHIP to support women re-entering the workforce. With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well.
If you are able, please JOIN US and pledge 40 minutes today in service of others in the way that feels right to you. The time that you donate can contribute to a GLOBAL WAVE OF SERVICE and set in motion meaningful impact in our own communities, and across the world.
[From Archewell]
Whenever someone emphasizes something in caps-lock, I always feel like we’re supposed to read it, in our heads, as screaming. Meaning that I read this as Meghan full-on hollering “time is among our greatest and most essential gifts!!!” She’s so funny. Anyway, I’m not gonna mentor anyone but God bless! Some of y’all need to be mentored, I wish she would just come and say that!
— michelle (@ddarveyy) August 4, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.
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