Badass Women (007): Eileen Miller

I think inspiration runs in a circular motion so here’s to hoping I can inspire all the incredible gals as much as they all inspire me. Badass Women is a series about capturing that positive energy and spreading it. Wanna help? Read about these cool girls and share their features with the women that inspire you!!
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​What is your relationship with beauty?
Beauty, to me, comes in the faces and eyes and smells of babies; it comes in the morning skies, as the sun is breaking through, it comes in the people I love and their sparkling eyes and smiles.  Beauty comes in laughter.  It comes in the appreciation of well-designed homes, furniture, clothing, planes, trains and automobiles and art.  And in the sweetness of Mollie, my dear sweet pup, and all her cousins, cats and dogs alike.  It also comes in balancing books, reading books and articles which inform and entertain.  It comes in music, dance, theater and movies. Beauty comes in my family because of our strong connections and in people joining together to speak their minds and stand up for their beliefs.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Nature calls so, after, checking the time and my phone and the morning sky and Mollie sleeping next to me, bathroom is the first stop in my day.  Brewing coffee is next.  I think of my kids and family and go through what’s planned for the day, always knowing a day has a special way of unfolding as it often does, with new and sweet adventures.

Name 3 things that inspire your style.
At the ripe age of 72 style has established itself through years of putting stuff together that speaks to me.  To me, it’s important, that stuff makes me feel good; whether that’s in clothes, furnishings, artwork, cars.  Having beautiful stylish people in my life, whom I admire and appreciate helps me stay current and aware of what the style of the day is.  And magazines and photos also help me stay current.

If you could give advice to yourself as a ten-year-old, what would you say?
I would tell my little ten year old to trust her inner voice.  And to take time in growing up.  That there is no rush and lots of time to experience life.

What’s something you can’t live without?
The love of my family sustains me.  The sun warms me and feeds my soul.  And the ocean, stars, skies and nature gives me faith that there is something beyond us that glues it all together.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood of people who were separate yet formed a community.  I grew up with friends who informed me about life and I grew up in the “country” where I spent care-free summers, filled with freedom, fun, laughter and first loves.

​How old are you?
It is shocking to me that my chronological age is 72 years of age.  Growing up and even into adulthood 72 years was a time for slowing down, inactivity, and a time of quiet.  My experience is nothing like this.  I find myself just starting a new chapter of my life where each day presents new opportunities and adventures.

What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about keeping us safe and moving forward.  I am passionate about human rights, fairness and protecting our children so they enjoy a life in a more equitable, safe, kind world.

Talk about the most challenging thing you’ve overcome, how did you do it?
Overcoming a debilitating depression was absolutely the most challenging thing I had to overcome.  I was blessed to have beautiful children, family, good care and the knowledge that I was going to persevere.  

Coffee or tea?
Coffee, Coffee, and Coffee.  I think tea was always part of illness and was served when recovery from a cold, an upset stomach, a sore throat and so that’s what I associate tea with.

What quote inspires you the most?
Be Here Now – and all I learned from Ram Dass.

What song makes you feel like you can accomplish anything?
Coldplay – I Used To Rule The World – there is something about the words and melody that pumps me up.

What does religion mean to you?
Religion to me is not the organization that unfortunately goes along with religion.  To me it is what flows through my blood.  It is the traditions I grew up with and pass along to my family.  It is the action of aiding our fellow men and women.  And it is the knowledge that there is something beyond us that helps life to unfold in exactly the way it does.

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​Eileen photographed by me.