2/18 Thursday is HER day...

As much as we love men....and boy don't we;)....it's wonderful to be a woman, isn't it? I mean, and I'm sorry fellas, just simply the view in the mirror after we get out of the shower is an argument in itself as to why I'd never trade my sex! I know we have to 'deal' with things that men don't and it doesn't seem fair.

My neighbors were getting out of the car the other day (she was due to have a little boy days ago ) and I was talking to the male half of the two. I said 'how you guys doin' ?' and he quickly replied with 'we're great!!' and went on from there about how easy this pregnancy had been, how she's taking it like a pro that the baby is overdue ...etc etc....and for the 4 or 5 minutes he went on I listened and nodded, but kept my eye on her. She had that 'so swollen I'll bust open if you touch me, so don't you dare!' look about her, she rolled her eyes all the way in the back of her head when the words 'like a pro' came out of his mouth and I think I saw a tear come out of her eye when she tried for the 5th or 6th time to pull herself up out of the car and just could not do it. However, she'd probably tell you she's 'great!' too if given the chance.

One of my sisters is pregnant with her 5th baby girl right now and she hasn't slowed down a bit! Even though she knows from previous pregnancies that she might have some postpartum depression and she has 4 girls to keep up with already, this lady has taken on more responsibility, a few new hobbies and gotten even more active in the church she loves! Amazing!!

My mom has been through some tough situations in her life, I mean tough. She saw the end of two tough marriages and then when she married my dad with two girls of her own, she became the stepmother of 6 more! That many mouths to feed has it's obvious struggles, but she always persevered. She runs a company with my dad from sun up to sun down practically to keep up with it's success. She's dealt with the loss of both of her parents and two of her brothers and the discovery of a sister!!! Yet, she makes time to stay active in church and ALWAYS makes time for her children and grandchildren. Not to mention, she looks ten years younger than she should at her age and is one of the most stylish, intelligent, complex ladies I know and after all the ups and downs of her life, keeps a smile on her face!

Another sister of mine is the 'workin-est' person I know. She made straight A's all through school, got a bachelors AND a masters degree, pushed her way up the ranks in the US Navy, was even on the presidential medical staff in Maryland, works medically with inmates and doesn't even flinch. On a typical 'day off of work' you'll find her on scaffolding painting her house, tiling a floor, cleaning the pool, trimming trees, cleaning gutters, running 8 or 10 errands....you catch my drift?

My best friend is Croatian and Italian, proudly. She came over to 'nowhere USA' as an exchange student our senior year (luckily for me). She went on to obtain a prestigious college degree and can speak/translate something like 8 different languages. She's traveled to more countries than I could even try to list. Just bought, gutted and remodeled her apartment by the sea and on top of it all helps to run a high-end international company after taking the place of the people she used to work under! There's no stopping her!

These are just 4 women that are close to me and there are around 3.3 billion women in this world. All of them with a story, struggles, failures, accomplishments. It's incredible to me. Especially since we've been this way since the beginning of time and for most of history were labeled as the lesser sex! Would we trade it? Absolutely not. That's what makes us so special.

Inspiring isn't it? Doesn't it make sense that I would devote an entire day each week to the HERs in this world?The only thing I would ask of these ladies and all of the rest of you is to take time for yourself! As a massage therapist I've used a comparison a million times to express how important it is to do this - 'Would you drive your car if the gas light said empty? Would you go without an oil change??' - (I blew up a car engine once by doing that so I would NOT recommend it) What is it that 're-fuels' you? What is your body's 'oil change' ? A pedicure? A massage? A glass of wine and a bubble bath? A day spent with the family? A good work-out? For me, it's taking time to enjoy a sunrise at the end of a good long walk in the morning. I have more energy on days I make time for that and tonight I think I'll go to my favorite nail spa tonight and use the gift certificate Leo got me for Valentines;)

Hold your head high, be proud of who we are. We CAN do it all. We are beautiful complex, top-of -the-line machines ladies....but even a Ferrari can't run on empty!