Here’s to the Women…

Ok. So there’s been this quote going around about strong women. May we know them, may we raise them, and may we be them– something like that. (I couldn’t find a source for the quote, so we’ll go with “Anonymous”.)

I’ll be 100% honest. Until the past couple of weeks, it kind of bugged me. It felt a bit ra-ra-sis-boom-ba to me, and I’m even a ra-ra-sis-boom-ba kinda gal. Not sure what my issue was.

But then I started paying attention to the women around me. And then my heart melted. I wanted to yell from the roof-tops, “Here’s to strong women! May we know them! May we raise them! May we be them!” I know. Pull out the pom-poms.

But, seriously, pull out the pom-poms. Because here’s to the women– all of them!

• Here’s to the women that are single, married, divorced, widowed and somehow managing the hard parts of all of these life stages.
• Here’s to the women that work, whether they want to or not. In an office, from home, part time, more than one job, as an-unpaid mom. 
• Here’s to the women that are moms. Single moms, married moms, moms of twins, triplets (or whatever comes after triplets), adoptive moms, birth-moms fur-baby moms, women who aren’t moms (whether by choice or not). Because that mom-stuff, from whatever angle you come at it from, is hard shit.
• Here’s to the women that are aunts and grandmas and cousins and adopted moms from down the street.
• Here’s to the women that look, well, look anyway whatsoever, because there is no right way to look to be a woman. No. Right. Way.
• Here’s to the women that share their love and support even when you don’t feel like you deserve it.
• Here’s to the women that see your worthiness even when you can’t see it.
• Here’s to the women that rock at planning and making things happen and to the women that are super grateful for the women that rock at planning, because they don’t (rock at planning).
• Here’s to the women that bring the homemade, yummy food to the get-togethers, the women who hit the grocery store to bring their assignment, to the women that rock bringing the drinks and paper plates every time cuz food isn’t their strength, and the women that say they can’t bring anything because, really, their lives are just too stressed out for one more thing.
• Here’s to the women that are crafty and not crafty and the ones that don’t even know what crafty means.
• Here’s to the women who don’t care if your house is clean or dirty or if you are still in your yoga pants or if you have (or have not) washed your hair in a while.
• Here’s to the women who deal with health issues, depression, anxiety, or (fill in the blank) body issues and who still get up and go, no matter how fast or how slow.
• Here’s to the women who encourage you to cry when you need to and are there to laugh when you need that, too.
• Here’s to the women that don’t give a shit about what you look like and don’t even consider it when they are thinking about the wonderful things about you.
• Here’s to the women that tell you that you are doing great even when you don’t feel like it.
• Here’s to the women that tell you that you need to get your shit together (in the most loving way) when you do, because they know you deserve more than you are creating for yourself.
• Here’s to the women that bravely stand up for things and people, even when it isn’t popular.
• Here’s to the women who have to advocate for their kids, who have kids with health issues, mental health problems, who have lost kids, who have kids that get bullied and try over and over to make things good for their kiddos anyway.
• Here’s to the women that have really fucked up, but get it and are trying to make it right. It can be a long, lonely road, and judgment from others is not super useful.
• Here’s to the women that manage to stay friends even after political campaigns and too many Facebook posts.
• Here’s to the women that stay your friend even after you, personally, have not been not the best of friends.
• Here’s to the women that encourage you to go for it, to be brave, to be bold, even when you say you don’t want to (but you really do).
• Here’s to the women that put themselves out there and share their own imperfection so you feel brave enough sharing your difficulties, too.
• Here’s to the women who survive— because your willingness to do so strengthens us all.
• Here’s to the women that do anything on this list that I missed. Because it is not easy being a woman. We are expected to look a certain way, act a certain way, feel a certain way, be a certain way. We are taught that there is a very narrow range of what constitutes an “acceptable woman”.

But I say, “Fuck that.” Here’s to the women. Here’s to all of us :o)

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