Happy International Women’s Day to all my fellow women! We live in the Age of She! Gone are the days where women had only limited choices of occupation; we have the choice of being professionals, being mothers, or being both. As women, we stand on the shoulders of absolute giants. Whether or not you agree with the fundamental beliefs of particular notable women, there is no denying how they have blazed a trail for all of us.

Women who opened the door for us in medicine, aviation, emergency services, and science.

From the mother of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale –a social reformist and statistician in the Crimean War era. To Valérie André, a French army surgeon and parachutist turned helicopter pilot who flew into the combat zones of Vietnam to triage and retrieve casualties. On to Molly Williams, an African American slave woman, who answered the call as America’s first female firefighter when the men of the company were stricken with a virulent strain of flu.

These women laid the foundation for all of us. It is up to us to continue the push.

While women are, indeed, quite able to do all that men can, we often are underestimated, still. However, ladies, it is our job to stop pushing the fact we are women down the throats of our male peers and simply continue to advocate to the fact “I am an able bodied, human being, full of promise and passion, and I have the intellect you do… I am here, I am not going anywhere…”

We can be more than just our jobs. We can be mothers, girlfriends and wives, feminine and fun, absolute powerhouses in the gym… we are not defined strictly by our professions. However, we should recognize the time and place for each. Wear your make-up to work. Talk about your job at home. But always be cognizant there are people out there who will try to drag us down simply because we are not men–we garner a different kind of attention.

I recognize this may sound anti-female. But I promise it isn’t.

I work in a flight base where I am the lone female whereas the others have a more healthy distribution. I am not unaccustomed to being one of the only or one of a few females in a fire company. I was always the girl (stop) friend in the group of guys. So I had to earn my respect and it was made tougher by the fact I’m little (I graze 5 foot on a good day). I realized once I started focusing on myself more, I lost some of my friendships with the guys or other people started treated me differently. Don’t let it dishearten you! Continue to come in to your jobs, your schools, your places you volunteer and keep working hard–it will earn you the respect you want. However, embrace and improve yourself, personally, as well–just don’t shove it down the throats of your fellows because the ones who matter, will still be there through your changes.

International Women’s Day is a day with focus on overcoming bias against women. It is a day for us to build each other up and encourage each other to embrace who we are. So I challenge you to be the best you that you can be, in all avenues of your life. Remember to always treat yourselves with the respect you deserve and be positive to other women out there trying to build their own self-respect.

-Clear skies and tail winds!