I love this poem by Maya Angelou. Chatting about it in a taxi with Sam Kelly – aka @Tweetinggoddess – sparked a lecture from the cabbie and a cascade of giggles!It covers so much about we should know and do, have and let go of. Always makes me smile. How sorted are you with cordless drills and – an ‘interesting’ past?
“EVERY WOMAN”
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own
even if she never wants to or needs to
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams
wants to see her in an hour
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a youth she’s content to leave behind
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to retelling it in
her old age
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
one friend who always makes her laugh – and one who lets her
cry
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in
her family
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems! , and a recipe for a
meal that will make her guests feel honored
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a feeling of control over her destiny
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
HOW TO QUIT A JOB,
BREAK UP WITH A LOVER,
AND CONFRONT A FRIEND WITHOUT RUINING THE FRIENDSHIP
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves, the width of her
hips, or the nature of her parents
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but it’s over
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or mor.
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t
take it personally
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go – be it to her best friend’s kitchen table,
or a charming inn in the woods –
when her soul needs soothing
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day,
a month, and a year
