Celebration of International Women’s Day - Opinion
By Julia Shewchuk, Owner, Serenity Acres Farm, Contributor at MotherEarthNews.com
Every day is International Women's Day in my eyes! Every day should be Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or Valentine’s Day! We shouldn’t need one special day to point out how fabulous Women are, Mothers, Fathers, Husbands, or Wives. We shouldn’t need one special day to celebrate, for that day only, Women, Mothers, Fathers, Husbands, or Wives. Every person should be made to feel special every single day
I am proud of being a woman and proud of belonging to a generation who, in general, broke through glass ceilings, achieved many new milestones and still had the confidence to be a woman. The previous generation of woman needed to behave like men to achieve success, we were given a choice.
But, too many woman, here in the US and in the world, still don’t have freedom of choice to live the life they desire, to pursue education, or even to drive. As long as these inequalities exist, we cannot rest on our laurels, but have to continue to instill the values of human equality, of “you can be who you want to be” and “achieve what you set your mind to” in our daughters and sons, friends and family.I say human equality, not women equality, because no segregation or separation of people into specific groups is healthy for human kind. Race, gender, age, economic status, education, profession and looks are too often used as dividers, not unifiers.In my experience, most woman are better suited to be these unifiers than men, even while pursuing their own independence and careers and from experience as a woman who owns her own business, is a female farmer, and has been in corporate life, here are some pretty simple guidelines for being a unifier and leader:A rising tide lifts all ships. One woman’s success enables others to succeed. Bring others along in your wake. Be a mentor and share your experiences.Don’t judge by the cover, especially the younger generation. More often than not, they will surprise you.Don’t judge and discriminate against men. Behaving like the good old boys club doesn’t help anyone. Be an example and be fair to everyone.Don’t give up. Making a life change is scary, but even scarier is regret of not having done something.Do communicate your expectations, worries, loves, and likes and dislikes. Ask for input and take the advice. Ask for directions.Do give out positive energy, it will come back tenfold.Do worry less, stress less and have faith. Have faith that you are on the right path. Go with your gut instinct. Follow your heart. Close your eyes and take a breath.Do give someone a hug, it’s ok to show emotions.Do say something nice to someone and watch the smile spread across their face and warm your heart as well. Be a unifier, be an enabler, be a human, and be a woman. That you will never regret.
