Of role models and book recommendations

I don't know about any of you, but I am often hungry for role models –
people (especially women) I can look to and want to emulate. Don't
get me wrong – I don't think there's a shortage of highly accomplished
people with tremendous talent out there – it's just hard to know about
them sometimes.

I've been lucky enough to find a couple of books lately that have
contributed to filling the gap. The first one is "French Women Don't
Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano. Essentially the book is a description
of a lifestyle in which moderate eating and exercise is balanced by
pleasure and enjoyment. But more than that, Guiliano is the CEO of
the American subsidiary of Veuve Clicquot (the maker of the classic
French champagne), and therefore a successful businesswoman and a
model of elegance, discretion, joie de vivre, and wisdom. I enjoyed
every page of this book.

The current book I'm reading is "Leap of Faith" by Queen Noor. Born
Lisa Halaby in Washington, D.C. in 1951 (I think), she graduated from
the first co-ed class at Princeton with a degree in architecture and
urban planning (a dummy this woman is NOT … LOL). She worked in
various countries overseas, and in Jordan happened to be introduced to
its widowed King Hussein. They ended up falling in love despite the
16-year age difference (she was 26, he was 42) and the pressures of
the king's responsibilities. She took on the Arabic name "Noor" and
came to play an important supporting role to her husband in trying to
improve the quality of life of Jordanian citizens. The book also
details Hussein's tireless efforts to bring peace to the Middle East:

"It is as difficult to comprehend now as it was then the almost
unbelievable disappointment and betrayal Hussein had suffered. But he
never let go of his fundamental optimism, his faith in people, and his
belief that by giving the best of himself he could bring out the best
in anyone or any situation. He always assumed he was negotiating with
men of goodwill and that somehow, if he worked at it hard enough, he
would be able to achieve peace and reconciliation. In this quest he
was often beset by adversaries on every side. But he never, ever
stopped trying."

Is that inspiring or what???

The king is portrayed as a warm, noble, exciting person to be around,
and although the author doesn't brag about her own role in Jordan and
the world, she does describe the incredible and varied work she shared
with other talented and service-minded individuals, such as
encouraging traditional Jordanian handicrafts as a source of income
for the poor, pushing for better health care for the children of
Jordan, working to protect the environment, making policy speeches
around the world to speak for Jordan on the issues of the Middle East,
and establishing a highly successful annual arts festival in Jordan to
attract artists and tourists from around the world. Oh yes, and I
think she had six children, besides raising her husbands' three
children by his late wife! Yes, she had help (e.g., maids, nannies,
assistants, etc.), but it's still amazing.

I highly recommend both books to be the source of anyone's
inspiration. :)