In a moving essay in Sunday’s New York Times, Jane Mendolsohn wrote that Amelia Earhart “inspired me to face the unknown, the empty sky, the blank page….She inspired me to begin my life.”
Before I took off on my motorcycle to Alaska, I turned to Amelia Earhart, too, for inspiration.
“I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others,” Amelia Earhart said.
Who gave you the courage to begin your next chapter? Who has inspired you to become the hero of your own life?
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About dianabletter
Diana Bletter is the author of several books, including The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women (with photographs by Lori Grinker), shortlisted for a National Jewish Book Award. Her novel, A Remarkable Kindness, (HarperCollins) was published in 2015. She is the First Prize Winner of Moment Magazine's 2019 Fiction Contest. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, tabletmag, Glamour, The Forward, The North American Review, Times of Israel, and is a reporter for Israel21C, and many other publications. She is author of Big Up Yourself: It's About Time You Like Being You and The Mom Who Took off On Her Motorcycle, a memoir of her 10,000-mile motorcycle trip to Alaska and back to New York. She lives in a small beach village in Western Galilee, Israel, with her husband and family. She is a member of the local hevra kadisha, the burial circle, and a Muslim-Jewish-Christian-Druze women's group in the nearby town of Akko. And, she likes snowboarding and climbing trees.
DIANA BLETTER 
I’d really have to say my parents. They were very encouraging, they always tols us kids that we should follow our dream, that we could do anything if we put our minds to it. They were my inspiration. 🙂
Stuart, what a beautiful tribute to your parents! I thank you for sharing. I hope my kids say the same thing!
– I LOVE your story about signing up for the Marines (and savvy enoguh to change your birthdate!). I served in the Army, and I have to confess, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I also went on to teach 1st grade and then become a photographer. The discipline the army taught me was priceless but I would have preferred Bing Crosby’s version of the military.
I was so lucky to have a group of girlfriends who stood by my side from the time we were in high school – our 40th reunion is not that far away – until today. For girls, having a strong peer group is invaluable and I have them to thank.
You’re so lucky to have a group of girlfriends since high school. That is wonderful!
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