In Praise Of Women

Until this morning, I had no idea today was International Women's Day. I recently joined a women's networking group at my company and thanks to that association, there was an email in my box this morning with a Washington Post article discussing the topic. As I read about some of the things women around the world were doing to celebrate, I started thinking about the women I know and how they have helped influence my worldview and define my ideas of how women can shape society as a whole. In every case, the women I thought of are strong, independent and determined to leave their mark on the world -- on their own terms.

The first woman I thought of was my mother -- my first model for what it means to be a woman.

When I was growing up and discussing my big life decisions with my her, she always reminded me how lucky I was to have choices she didn't. She was able to go to college, something not all women did back in the 1950's. If they did it was usually to (in her words) "become a teacher, a nurse or get your Mrs." She became a teacher. The Mrs. came later.  She married a man 16 years her senior and had her first child (me) in her 30's, both of which were contrary to social norms at the time. She inspired independence in all three of her children and supported all our endeavors, even if they were not always the ones she would have chosen for us. While my life has taken a very different path from hers, I realize now we are more alike than we are different.

Then I thought about the many women I've been privileged to know in my life and realized it's a pretty diverse and amazing group of people.

They are single, married, divorced and widowed.
They are gay, straight and bisexual.
They have high school diplomas, college degrees and even doctorates.
They are mothers, teachers, researchers, writers, small business owners and professionals of all kinds.
They have competed in triathlons, marathons, mud runs and every type of race imaginable.
They volunteer countless hours to causes and issues that need an advocate.
They have proudly served in our nation's armed forces or been the ones holding down the fort at home, waiting for their soldiers to return.
They have brought new life into this world, nurtured it and watched it grow.
They have battled life threatening illness, and supported others through those same battles.
They have watched people they love die.

As diverse as this group is, they also share one important quality. Each of these extraordinary women  have lived lives they CHOSE for themselves, regardless of what friends, family or even society thought of their choices. They refuse to be limited in their dreams and aspirations and keep pushing forward, constantly striving to be better each day. They define success in their own terms and inspire other women to do the same.

So today I celebrate all the women in my life and countless others I have yet to meet for their courage in continuing to choose their own path while blazing a trail for those that will follow. For in spite of the progress women have made in society, current events show us we aren't finished yet.

I supposed one old adage about women still holds true -- "A woman's work is never done."