Things Every Woman Should Have And Should Know; Do You?

 

I’m on week 12 or so of not being able to write or type due to a tenacious case of tennis elbow. My temporary disability has given me a lot of time to reflect. On a good day the fear, fatigue & frustration gives way to empathy, insight &  perspective.  (On a bad day I eat way too many sweets.)

 

In two days I’ll get surgery on  my elbow & be on the other side of recovery.  In the meantime I’m thinking about one of my favourite poems,  Thirty Things Every Woman Should Have And Should Know by Pamela Redmond Satran (not Maya Angelou who it’s commonly misquoted to).

 

It’s a fabulous take on gratitude, resilience & for those times when up seems down & down seems up.  Take a read & think about the ones that particularly strike a chord for you. My favourites are italicized.

 

A woman should have

enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to…

 

something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour…

 

a youth she’s content to leave behind…

 

a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to retelling it in her old age…

 

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…

 

one friend who always makes her laugh…and one who lets her cry…

 

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family…

 

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored…

 

a feeling of control over her destiny…

A woman should know

how to fall in love without losing herself…

 

how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship…

 

when to try harder…and when to walk away…

 

that she can’t change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents…

 

that her childhood may not have been perfect…but it’s over…

 

what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…

 

how to live alone…even if she doesn’t like it…

 

whom she can trust, whom she can’t, and why she shouldn’t take it personally…

 

where to go…be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…when her soul needs soothing…

 

what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…
and a year…

 

Your turn

Over to you dear reader. See you on the other side of surgery.

• which one(s) resonated most for you?

 

• are there any you’d add?

 

• leave a comment below & let me know