We’re the first ones you met when you were born.

The warm embrace. The tender stroke on your cheek as a child. The fear of God embodied. (Don’t cross us.)

We’re the rule makers, the rule breakers. We don’t always behave how you think we should, or dress like you think we should either. You tell us we’re too fat, too thin, too trashy or too boring. We live with the labels (even though we loathe them.)

We start movements. We start baths. We get our minds so set on something that it would take an act of God to vaporize our passion. (You tell us we’re stubborn; we say it’s strong.)

We are the Boo-Boo Kissers. The Make-It-All-Betters. The Faith-Havers. We are the ones who don’t always necessarily believe it’s going to be okay, but we tell you that anyway. (You know the feeling.)

We are the bosses in the corner office. We are the smiling faces at the front desk. You call us when you want the job done right (because you know we won’t let anything pass through our hands that isn’t perfect.)

We decorate. We debate. We interrogate. We hold jobs—big jobs. Important ones. (Ones you told us we couldn’t even have, once upon a time.)

We are moms. We are married. We are proudly single. We don’t need children to be fulfilled. (I know it’s confusing to some people that we all don’t want the same thing.)

We hold our heads high when the rain comes pouring down. We hold down the fort. We hold little hands on their way to school. (We really love that part.)

We are the brokers of peace who work both inside and outside of households. The level heads. The healing hands and the open hearts. We are the ones that pick up the phone when you call. (You always said you love that we listen when you cry.)

We are our bodies. We are our hearts. We are our souls. (Even though you told us we could only pick one.)

We’re told we were the reason for original sin—that it was our ancestor, way back when, who you say offered the apple and set the course for humankind’s wicked ways. The temptors, you call us. So say we’re sinners, then. I say we’re saints. (Have you ever seen a mother hold her child?)

We make the world go round. We make the people that make the world go round. We make it look good, too. 😉 (And easy.)

We are women. Today’s our day, but we’ll be there tomorrow and the day after that, too, making it all happen, just like we were born to do.

Happy #InternationalWomensDay, you fellow female badasses.