Happy (or not) International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day everyone!

Here’s to all the women doing great things (or not), who are successful (or not), who are shining lights for this generation (or not), and on and on, and on. I’m all for celebrating women but how about we celebrate them everyday? How about we show them this love everyday? Is this the day where we stop all bad behavior, pick it up on the 9^th? Sigh.

I wish I felt like towing the line the world is taking with addressing just the women but I’m not in that mood. Also because as far as I know we don’t have an International Men’s Day; or do we?

Also, importantly women don’t exist on a planet by themselves, neither are we resident in countries separate from the men. So, no.

My mind is on all the young women (and men) I see hawking whatever it is they carry instead of being in school. My mind is on the young lady (not a day over 14) who I’ve seen on a number of occasions standing beside a car whenever I get home past 10pm. Twice I’ve slowed down close to them, both times the girl starts to walk away. From my rearview mirror though I see she goes back to the 2010 Toyota Camry soon as I leave them. From the way she’s dressed I can hazard she’s a street kid. I’m not sure what I should do (more like ‘if’ to be honest).

I think about the young man I saw in traffic by the Hilton on Saturday the 7^th of March with feet so swollen and bright red it looked like a painting. He was covering his face, either from shame or from the scorching sun. I needed to give him some money and I nearly scratched my car to do that because he could barely stand and so I had to literally squeeze up to him on the kerb. But he didn’t need the N500 I gave him; he needs a doctor and medical attention urgently.

I think about the Chibok Girls, who have been gone from home for close to a year (kidnapped on the 14^th of April 2014). I wonder how many of them have given birth now (goes without saying that a lot of them were raped; two who escaped late last year were pregnant), and how many of them are no more. I try to imagine the scariest thing I know just to attempt to put myself in their place, but I know that my scariest doesn’t come close. I think about their parents, about their friends at school, I think about the people who love them, who are praying every day for their return.

I think about women who are getting beat daily by people who once professed to love them to the moon and back, and how they can’t leave because they want to be married or their families insist they can’t deal with the shame. I wonder how a man can hit a woman with the same hands he will use to make love to her. I wonder.

These and many more were heavy on my mind this day. Do I salute women who are doing great things in their communities and in the work place? Of course! Do I have the greatest respect for women who take on difficult roles because they want better lives for their children/communities? Do I stand with women whoa are facing untold hardship? Big yes, and I could go on with the questions (and the corresponding yesses).

But, there’s a lot going on that’s wrong with our world, and I found myself spending quite a bit of time thinking about that.

And now, I will stop thinking, and go on to do the things I have lined up for today.

Happy International Women’s Day everyone. Be good to someone today.