We don’t do politics here. We write about issues that concern women, and moms and single moms, and soon to be single moms. We don’t do political opinions, and we don’t endorse or express partiality. There are, however, some universals, that we all share, no matter which side of the aisle we fall.
We were all dealt the #womancard, as it is trending now. Some beautifully clever tweeters have had me marveling at the depth of their quickness and command for the female condition.
Pointing at the differences in our societal norms, such as the 21% “discount” women are entitled to receive by virtue of this card, thank you Alexandra Petri@petridishes, is by far, my favorite. This “card” now being invoked to defeat one party, fund raise by another, and to quickly “get in the game” by another wanna-be, this card is apparently pretty powerful. Who knew? We were all born with it, so why now? What does it all mean. As we stand in this historic time, on the verge of potentially the first female President, this genetic marvel is suddenly center stage.
So, back to the spirit of what it is we do here, let’s talk about the real beauty of the #womanCard. The real beauty here is the history and the gifts that we all contribute on a day to day basis… the gift to the world is the strength and beauty that we offer to this world’s history. Iconic, peaceful, talented, intelligent or simply the ability to carry, birth, then feed and soothe a crying baby, carry that #womancard with pride. We do this all while having careers, educating our children and running our worlds.
You can do things that no one else can do. These things cannot be learned, and they cannot be taught, but they can inspire and breathe beauty and warmth into the lives we create and the lives we effect.
Single mothers carry the platinum version of the card. We must be both man and woman. We must know how to shop for jock straps, earn many a dollar, and put food on the table. We must endeavor to grow the arms of an octopus as we play more roles than a thespian in a one-man show. It is what we do, by virtue of who we are, #WomanCard.
We do it on a daily basis. We are card carrying members of the #womancard group. It’s what we do. It’s hard sometimes. We cry, we fail and we sometimes lose faith, but we dig deep into the benefits that come with the card, and we move on, so we don’t disappoint the long list of people, both big and small, who depend upon us.
Given the card at birth, it came with no instructions or list of benefits. It cannot be revoked.
Historically, before we knew we had the card, women just acted as members of the group. We built families… we stood behind our men… we nourished and nurtured and we built our bodies strong enough to put cracks in the glass ceiling. We gradually learned that we had no obligation to be beautiful to please the world, and if we chose to embellish ourselves, we did so by choice.
Through this acquired strength and knowledge, we work to raise our daughters to have the self-esteem of 1,000 men because we have to. It’s the only way to carry the weights that we have to carry. The double standards are thicker than the glass ceiling, but as card carriers, we move forward. We work to raise our sons to have better vision and understanding than those who came before them. The card does not have to mean exclusion; it does not have to mean strife. Take its power seriously. We have arrived.
It is who we are. It is what we do. The #womancard is built into our genes, and requires no space in our wallets. Remember who you are, and when in doubt, draw on its strength.
We create beauty, and work to leave this world, our homes, just a little bit more beautiful, and working just a little bit better than before.
We choose our clothes, we select our lipstick and we make this world better on a micro and a macro level. Your power is within you, even if you don’t feel it. Dig deep, feel strong and find it. #WomanCard
Carry that #womancard proudly and use it well; it is something that only 50% of the population possesses.
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