Although every day is women’s day at Maxim Hygiene, today (we’re a few minutes late on this post, so really yesterday) is an internationally celebrated day of appreciating women. March 8th has been designated as “International Women’s Day,” as a result of efforts dating back to the early 1900s, a time when women really began to express and rally for their rights. These were true “fierce women” as we like to call them here at Maxim Hygiene. In fighting for voting rights and better wages, these women paved the way for the success and opportunities we so lavishly relish in today. Today, thousands of events are held throughout the world to celebrate the achievements of not only these female pioneers but also the many achievements and goals of modern day women and women’s groups. For example, just outside our backyard here in New York, women from across the area and the globe rallied together at City Hall Park and marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to commemorate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Organizations, governments and women’s groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues. So while many people may think there is one global theme each year, this is not always correct. It is completely up to each country and group as to what appropriate theme they select.
At Maxim, we’re choosing to celebrate the beauty of a poem written by Patricia Lynn Reilly which was recently shared with me at my last women’s group meeting. We hope you will share this poem with all the beautiful women in your circle and continue to imagine your way to continued women’s empowerment based on all the success of our past, present and future fierce women.
Imagine a Woman, by Patricia Lynn Reilly
Imagine a woman
who believes it is right and good she is woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.
Imagine a woman
who believes she is good.
A woman who trusts and respects herself.
Who listens to her needs and desires and meets them with tenderness and grace.
Imagine a woman
who has acknowledged the past’s influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.
Imagine a woman
who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.
Imagine a woman
who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs her own spirituality and allows it to inform her daily life.
Imagine a woman
in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates her body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.
Imagine a woman
who honors the face of the Goddess in her changing face.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her precious life energy disguising the changes in her body and life.
Imagine a woman
who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.
Imagine yourself as this woman.