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First of all, happy International Women’s Day!

Also, happy Women’s History Month!

In celebrating Women’s History Month, I have to first apologize for not even knowing we had a month. I may have heard about it before, but didn’t commit it to memory.

And I feel bad about that.

I think I’ve taken it very lightly that things used to not be the way they are now. I’ve enjoyed just living in freedom with choices and respect.

I’ve always felt equal.

Well, except once…

I work in customer service and a few years ago, I got a call from an older man who swore he had an account with the company. He did not. But, he didn’t believe me.

He then proceeded to ask to speak to a man…

I was so shocked, I didn’t even know what to say in response.

The fact that this guy thought I was wrong because I was just some silly woman, and that a MAN would be able to find his account for him was so infuriating.

I asked, “A man?” and he said it again! “Yes, can I speak to a man there?”

All I could do was put him on hold and try to find a man (we aren’t allowed to hang up on customers and I was still pretty new there and didn’t want to get in trouble). Once I got a man on the phone and told him what the customer wanted, he was speechless, too, but I connected the call to him and then hung up and took some deep breaths.

I couldn’t imagine being treated that way all the time.

I think people (men and women) still view women as silly and just “controlled by their emotions,” but it’s not blatantly thrown out there anymore, but it still happens, from time to time.

I had also spoken to a woman who said she worked for a company back in the ’50’s or ’60’s and her boss wanted her to have dinner with him (and more), but she refused because he was a married man. She said that he was able to control how much she received in her pension, and cut it way down because she wouldn’t have dinner with him.

And now, as an old lady, she didn’t have a lot of income.

Her right choice caused her to suffer. It isn’t fair.

It definitely hasn’t been fair for women for a long time. But I am extremely thankful that it is so much better now.

Some people believe that celebrations are “corny” or unnecessary, and to just live life normally. But celebrations are there for a reason…when something is important, you celebrate it.

When a child is going to be born, there is a celebration. When he or she turns one year old, there is a celebration, and usually one for every year after.

It means a lot to be celebrated.

 Graduating from school: celebration. Marriage: celebration. New house: celebration. The list goes on for things that we can celebrate and do celebrate.

Change is also something to celebrate, especially good change.

You can say that things should have never been the way they were. Women were never truly less than men, so they shouldn’t have been treated that way.

But, they were.

Not that women are better than men. We aren’t. But we aren’t less, either.

We are, however, overcomers.

I’ve overcome some things in my life, but there are those women who have overcome things for me. Who marched and fought so I didn’t have to be treated as less.

Women who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer any longer. Women who looked outside of the box they were put in. Who wanted to be free and not confined to the “traditional” role of womanhood. Who wanted options.

And even for the women now, who still fight to be equal, whether in our country or in others.

This world isn’t as free as we hope it will be one day.

But it is getting there.

So, as a thank you to the amazing women that fought for us, let’s be nice to each other and support each other.

It’s so easy to just not talk to other women and be jealous or rude. I don’t even know why. But it needs to stop.

Be a friend to other women. Lift them up. And let them lift you up.

You are all beautiful and amazing!

Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash

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