An Ode to Women

There is a saying that goes "You don't know how strong you are until strong is all you can be". And let's be honest, when it comes to strong, women are the hands-down champions. Women can run a household efficiently, manage the kids/dogs/pets/neighbours etc and stay abreast on the latest celeb news and what is happening on their favourite soapie, both when in good health and when sick, whereas a sick man is lying on the couch groaning every now and then just to show he is still, barely, alive. A running joke is that a woman that gives birth without an epidural can almost, but not quite, understand the pain a man with a cold feels.

Let's face it guys, we are lightweights compared to the ladies. A woman has to contend with bleeding and intense discomfort for 7 days out of a month, every month. When pregnant she has to carry an ever-growing child inside of her, getting her internal organs squished and her bladder jumped on for 9 months and then has to push something the size of a watermelon out of her private parts. And not shortly after going through all that would willingly go through it again. Women are fiercely loyal, intensely devoted and incredibly special.

So ladies, this is my ode to you. Wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, women everywhere. May you realise your strength, may you embrace your beauty, may you be appreciated for exactly how special you are. Never let anyone get you down. When they try just lift your head, adjust your crown and be the queen that you are. I will leave you with these quotes:

"The question isn't who is going to let me, it is who is going to stop me." - Ayn Rand

"A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong it is until it is in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"You educate a man, you educate a man. You educate a woman, you educate a generation." - Brigham Young

"What would men be without women? Scarce Sir......mighty scarce." - Mark Twain

"There is more to sex appeal than just measurements. I don’t need a bedroom to prove my womanliness. I can convey just as much sex appeal, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain." - Audrey Hepburn

"I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe

"The fastest way to change society is to mobilise all the women of the world." - Charles Malik

"Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consist primarily of dealing with men." - Joseph Conrad

"If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman." - Margaret Thatcher

Here's to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.