A woman should ...

My friend S, sent this to me today. I'd seen it before, but never realised it was written by Maya Angelou, who also wrote a Phenomenal Woman, a poem I truly love, but am not ready to claim for me just yet.. just call me a phenomenal work in progress...

But in reading through this today, I was quite pleased with myself and how far I've come that I could answer in the affirmative for most of these shoulds...

Don't ask me why, when work is insane, and I'm still not sleeping, and I'm as alone as alone can be, that I seem to be in such a happy, mellow, contented mood... of course, another week or two and I'll be all hormotional again... but I'm making the most of the feeling that life is good in my little corner of the world and all things are possible... gosh, I'm being such a Pollyanna it's almost enough to make a girl want to hurl...

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 its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

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...

FROU'S TO DO LIST:
* Learn how to cook
* Buy a new dress
* Buy a cordless drill
* Work on a juicy future so I can have a juicy past