Who run the World? GIRLS.

Happy International Women's Day!!

(I jokingly told my fiancé this morning that he has even more reason to celebrate it, because he's engaged to an "international woman"... he didn't find it amusing, but I thought it was hilarious. And accurate.)

I didn't know much about this day until this recently (I know, that sounds terrible, especially being a proud, successful woman myself), but after reading a little bit about the meaning and history behind it, it makes me even prouder to be a woman. We just rock, for a variety of reasons, one of them being that, despite all the men in the world trying to keep us down, we still pull together and triumph, in one way or another.

Like for me, here at work - I'm usually the only female in the meetings with all the higher-ups, and they look to me for the most answers and solutions (yet they also always pile the most work on me, but that's a whole other topic). I know I've paid my dues with the grunt work (still do, most of the time) but it makes me feel good to know that they at least trust me enough to come to me with questions and problems, and they know that, even if I don't know the answer, I'll come up with one. And I KILL IT. It's a far cry from the "Mad Men" era, when all the women were secretaries (except for Peggy, of course) that were sexually harassed on a daily basis. SO glad I live and work in these times - I would probably get fired for punching my boss the second he smacked me on the ass.

But I digress.

In honor of IWD, I wanted to make a short list of 5 reasons why women rock (these are all personal opinions, of course, so don't judge me TOO much):

1. WE GIVE LIFE. Yes, I know that men, uhm, participate in the procreation process, but are they the ones who carry the baby for 9 months, and then push it out of their hoo-has? NOPE. 85% of men complain when they have to push out too large of a bowl movement; do you think they could push out an 8 pound baby?? (Sorry if that got too graphic, it's just a fact. Maybe not the statistic I gave, but you get the picture.)

2. We can compartmentalize, multi-task, and prioritize better. I have a (male) friend who recently told me he sets separate alarms for EVERYTHING - when he has to get up, when he has to get in the shower, when he has to leave his house, when he has to clock in at work... that just sounds exhausting! I have one alarm for when I have to get up, which I normally do without even hitting the snooze, and then I just start my day. And I know we are better multi-taskers because I can talk on the phone, pull reports, receive inventory, listen to music and send emails at the same time. AND CRUSH THEM ALL. This also proves the saying that "Behind every great man is an even greater woman."

3.  We are more open and secure with sharing our emotions. For the most part, we are taught at a young age to show emotions, while men are taught that it's not "manly" to show affection or share feelings. We can also hug or hold hands with other women without feeling insecure, which is awesome, because who doesn't love a good hug or hand-hold?

4. Some of the funniest, most awesome and inspirational people during this time are women. Not that there aren't some amazing men out there, but just think about it. Tina Fey. Amy Pohler, Taraji P. Henson (and her alias, Cookie Lyon). Rosa Parks. Mindy Kaling. Mother Theresa. Lady Gaga. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Jenny Lawson. Need I say more?

5. We can choose to wear jeans and a sweatshirt, or dresses and stillettos, and we look fantastic either way :) (Had to throw one in there for fun, but that doesn't make it any less valid.)

Once again, these are just my opinions (with a little assistance from a friend, thanks Em!). Men have their good qualities as well, of course, but you guys get the rest of the year to showcase and brag about those - let us have our day!