“My Mission In Life is Not To Merely Survive, But To Thrive.” – Maya Angelou

Happy International Women’s Day! Today I have gathered together some of my favourite snaps from a World Cultures in Canada project I did for TVO several summer’s ago that reflect Maya Angelou’s gorgeous quote. Her whole quote goes as follows: “My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some humour, and some style.”

Of course this is a great mission for all souls on this earth to have, and some days I’m better at fulfilling this mission than others. But on this day, it suits the cause wonderfully. As a young girl growing up in Forest, I was lucky to be afforded the opportunity to play hockey “with the boys.” As I am getting longer in the tooth, this was before Justine Blainey fought for the right to do so, or Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play in a pro hockey game. I’m proud of my community because I can say that I didn’t have to fight for this right – I played simply because I was pretty darn good (or so I like to think) :). I was convinced at the time that I would become the next Mike Palmateer, but homework and farm chores and life eventually got in the way. I want to thank all my team mates at the time for welcoming me in and giving me the chance to show my stuff. You helped fulfill a young girl’s dream to play hockey and to be the best goalie I could be.

So why, some might ask, do we “need” to have an International Women’s Day when it seems we have come so far? I spent some time on Twitter today scrolling through the hash tag #InternationalWomensDay and #HappyWomensDay and indeed among the positive messages and images like the ones above, were questions about why. Sadly, there is still a need to shine a light on lingering, and often frightening inequalities at home and especially abroad. One does not have to look beyond a story in the Toronto Star today called “Seizing Women As the Spoils of War”  that reveals the stories of women in conflict zones kidnapped as prizes to know that there are too many stories to tell still. And much more work to be done.

Fortunately there are organizations to support, and causes to rally behind if you want to make a difference or just become better informed. Please check out Care Canada: Defending Dignity, Fighting Poverty, or The Malala Fund: Quality Secondary Education For ALL Girls, as two examples where stories are shared and opportunities abound to change future stories for the better. There are many more compelling organizations, and please feel free to add them in the comments section below. Your contribution is appreciated!

All of my life I have had the good fortune to be surrounded by inspiring, brave, hard-working, intelligent and amazingly witty women who have become everyday, compelling heroes to admire and try to emulate. This post is a tribute to you. Thank you, thank you!