Reflecting on International Women's Day
Today is International Women's Day, and I'll tell you what, for the first time in my life, I can embrace and celebrate it. In previous years, I felt like Britney Spears when she sang, "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman". It didn't help that depending on what I wore on a given day or how I do my makeup, I can look 24 or 16. In the beautiful photo below of me, taken by Mary Sobrado of Modern Flare Photography, I definitely look sixteen, and I think at that moment I felt that way too. It was my first time having a macaroons from the famous pastry shop, Laduree, in New York. It was so delicious that a little bit of heaven opened up when I ate a bite. And you know what, I never want to lose that wonderment. I want to live my life being excited and giddy over the little things. I want to laugh out loud at things I find funny even if no one else in the room is laughing. I want to do little dances and say, "Yay!" and "Woohoo!" when something good happens.
I used to think that in order to be a real woman, you need to be serious and professional all the time. I used to think that I needed to wear heels, so that I could be taller and that people would respect me because I'm taller (I know, it's silly). I used to think that in order to be a women, I would need to be a mother first. But that thinking wasn't right...Womanhood is a state of being, and all it takes is claiming that title and accepting it. I am who I am. Over the past year, I've realized that I don't need to be like everybody else. I don't need to do what everybody else is doing. I'm beginning to understand that being different is a good thing, and that all of me, the good and the flaws, make up my DNA. I interact with teenagers on a weekly basis, and the one thing that I've noticed is that most of the teen girls I know just wanted to be accepted. They want to do what their friends do so that they can stay in the pack. Sometimes, I meet girls that don't fit the pack, and they get so down about themselves.But to all the girls that don't fit with the mold, I want to tell you that you are just as precious, beautiful, and wonderful. You're not any less. In fact, you're a trendsetter in your old way. And to all the girls who think you need to be who you're not to fit in, I want you to know that true friends accept who you are regardless, so stop faking it and just live!Lastly, being a woman means caring about someone other than yourself. I truly believe that. When I was a girl, my concerns were with myself. I cared about my toys, my grades, what school I was going into, and my focus was on me, me, me. It's different now. My friends and family mean so much more to me than the things I own or what I'm going to get. It takes a deeper maturity to care for others, and I embrace that responsibility. When I focus on others, I feel more joy than when I focus on myself. Again and again, I find this to be true.
So today, I rejoice in the fact that I am a woman, and I salute to all the women around the world because ladies, without you, this world would not be any where near as wonderful.
I look a little bit older in this second set of photos. Woohoo!