Have you ever had one of those Facebook friends that you keep seeing in your feed and think…Hey, how did I friend this person? Hannah is one of those of me. I really don’t know how we ‘met.’ But I am REALly glad we did. She has an amazing attitude and I always slow down to see what she has to say when I see one of her posts.
So you all know that I have run out of ‘real’ life friends to hassle for REAL Man Monday and REAL Woman Wednesday, but it felt pushy to me to start badgering my cyber ones that I don’t know so well. Then the other night Hannah liked and commented on one of my posts. And I finally got up the courage to message her and ask if she would be willing to be a REAL Woman for me. I am so glad I did too…she is even more amazing than her posts.
So please join me in welcoming a truly REAL Woman to my blog…
Me: Thank you, Hannah for agreeing to this. Your sassy posts on Facebook always make me smile. I love how confident and bubbly you are. Have you always been like that?
Hannah: Nope, I have been through so much in the past years. I just started to say fuck it and love my life. Now I am in a happy relationship and my family is well.
Me: Was there anything in particular that made you say ‘fuck it’?
Hannah: I have been through so many operations, but I just keep going. That is the key. Then my grandparents died. I was in a coma. I almost lost my mom, dad and nephew.
Me: Those kinds of things will put stupid views of beauty into perspective really quick won’t they?
Hannah: My dad had five cancers, my brother had cancer and my mom almost had breast cancer. I am suffering from bad asthma as well. But I am a lady. I knew the right man would come along eventually.
Me: If you could say anything to the young girls out there who struggle with their body image what would it be?
Hannah: Do your own thing. Let the haters hate. I’ve been teased my whole life. I just don’t care what people think. Be only you and no one needs to judge you but you. I have a thirteen year old niece and she is just like me: a REAL diva.
Me: I like that…be a diva. That is great advice. And I think you are an excellent role model for them.
Hannah: And if they’re teasing you, you so do not need them. They aren’t your real friend, that’s what I tell my niece.
As we closed our online interview, Hannah shared with me that she was special needs like my beloved PanKwake (something you would NOT know from chatting with her). But she told me…I am very smart. Then she went on to prove that with words that I wish we could all say…
I just love myself.
Hannah, I love you too. And I REALly appreciate you sharing your wonderful journey, advice and insights. You ROCK my friend…and I am so going to take you up on that offer the next time I have trouble thinking for a name for one of my characters. And you are right…I do need to write a story about you.
Tara Cox - Literary Erotica 