All In a Day's Work Acrylic painting, 30 x 36 inches

Ten-year-old Rajnandini could work the tightrope like she was born on it--and in fact, it was likely that she had spent much of her life acquiring that dangerous talent. Where she lived (in a reconstructed Rajashtani village in India that catered to tourists) this skill wasn't simply child's play: It was work. Rajnandini helped feed her family with the donations given by tourists who watched her risky high-wire act.

As I watched her, I was struck by how skillfully and bravely she maneuvered on the thin rope. But her performance stayed with me for days afterwards, and I realized that her feats were the physical embodiment of the work women around the world do every day. Countless women perform a balancing act in an attempt to lead fulfilled lives. Women play a major role in the economy, but must balance that with challenges in their personal lives. Mothers who work most of the day outside the home also come home to take care of their children, which often means an extra few hours of work even after they've clocked out. And women around the world spend every day balancing their thinly stretched-resources, not knowing if the next day will bring enough money to feed their families.

No less a display of her extreme dexterity, Rajnandini's feats mirrored the countless unsung heroines for whom life is a crucial balancing act. Getting back on the rope every new day, using self-reliance to strike that perfect balance, is perhaps the quintessential act of resilience--a quality that the female half of humanity knows only too well.

Copyright Namita Kulkarni