Gretta

Gretta is statuesque and has an open, smart and warm face. I think she could be a classic 60s film star with her hair swept up and her beautiful alabaster skin. It’s an image that elucidates elegance, graciousness and charm with a glass of red wine and a chaise lounge featuring somewhere in the background. Gretta could fit the typecast but in something of a juxtaposition she also reminds me of She-Ra, the animated heroine of the 80s. She’s a strong woman, independent and empowered who backs her principles and tackles challenges head-on. 

I rarely give subjects snippets of their piece before providing a draft for review, but Gretta I did as I relayed the above. I think she likes the comparison. She believes there are certain moments in life when, like Adora's conversion to her alter ego, you need to call on your ‘inner warrior,’ and flex the inner strength that’s innate to us females if we look deep within ourselves. No Greyskull required.   

In her job she’s very good at knowing what questions to ask. She can segment issues into bite sizes and seek clarity as their dimensions change. It’s her super power. She has an analytical mind, balanced by a level of pragmatism, and is a brilliant communicator. I don’t think you can acquire the equal proportionality of those skills from a text book. You either have it or you don’t. 

Do you ever come out of meetings thinking what the hell was that about? Gretta is very good at leaving a room with clarity on outcomes. As someone who experiences multiple introvert thought bubbles a day, who can be talking strategy one moment only for Jamie Oliver’s Peri Peri chicken recipe to pop into their head, I think this is quite a skill. I find it easy to lose the thread of a discussion. Gretta does not. It is locked and crystal.  

She’s a top mum. She has two gorgeous kids. She’s nurturing and provides guidance but gives them the space to be themselves, to climb the tree of life, but is always present to catch them if they should miss a branch and tumble. She’s doesn’t just provide this physical presence, but also the emotional investment so critical in a child’s life as I’m sure many a parent would attest. They collectively share her leadership qualities, curiosity, power of observation and vivaciousness. 

As brilliant as as an analyst she is, she’s recently been finding it harder and harder to resist the pull of another career, specifically, midwifery. It makes total sense given her nurturing instincts, knowledge of, and fascination with the miracle that is human life. One of the few upsides, if any, of lockdown is it’s given us time to pause and reflect on where we’re going and the meaningful impact we want to have during our precious time on earth. As she talks through the prospect of embarking on this journey her eyes grow larger and sparkle, she leans forward and is invigorated. It’s totally the right path for her, you just get the feeling. 

She’s honest and lives her personal values. We talk about how sometimes there’s a lot of grey in life and how it can be messy, complicated. Despite this, we also wonder whether we’ve blurred the lines between what is and what is not acceptable. Her BS radar is exceptional and she can see through pretences. She’s not afraid to call out poor behaviour, mindful of context, and I think that takes guts. It takes guts to the draw the line in the sand, when others are inclined to put their head in it, and propose an alternative approach.

I love her sense of style. She always makes an effort to look smart even on the daily work Zoom calls (mind you she could wear a sack and she’d still look fantastic). I recently commented her on her hair thinking she’d been to a swanky salon post-lockdown. Turns out she got the scissors and cut off a couple of inches herself. She wears a bold lipstick that’s like a coppery red, Bobbi Brown’s ‘Desert Sun’, if I’m not mistaken, and it just happens to go with whatever she’s wearing. I have this habit of trying to emulate her style. If fashion plagiarism is a form of flattery, then she should be very flattered indeed. I wear my alohas on a near daily basis.

She might be afraid at times. I’m not sure. But it hasn’t stopped her from making the hard decisions. From listening to what her gut is telling her, the inner signals and triggers. Some things can defy all the logic in the world. On paper, a particular course of action might seem a lay down misere, but if your heart is telling you something else then it has a way of overruling and ultimately being the right one. 

She has some great sayings including ‘water finds its level’ and ‘what was meant for you will not pass you by’. This woman has conquered challenges few others dare contemplate. She’s given the middle finger to thyroid cancer and she’s dealt with difficult individuals who have threatened to distinguish her inner flame. She’s stood on higher ground than them, and perhaps not unsurprising, the water has quickly found their level. 

Her Catholic faith is important to her. She attends her local parish on a regular basis and thrives on the nurturing, soothing embrace offered by a power so great it cannot be captured in words. She believes it’s important to act with compassion, kindness and forgiveness. While mass provides a forum for guidance, learnings and a haven of inclusivity in the right setting, we both agree it’s critical that we come to our own reasons for thinking and acting the way that we do. Owning our decisions and being accountable for them, because at the end of the day we need to be true to ourselves and our conscience. 

Gretta. Transpose a few letters and what do you get? Great+ Like so many people I chat with she has no sense of how smart she is or how much an influence she has on those within her realm. She’s a woman I’ll follow. She has strength in conviction, she’s kind, understanding and strong. As the water meanders and continues to eddy, I strongly suspect something or someone will grab this woman along the journey, and will not let her go. 

And how lucky are they?