What every woman should know

On Facebook last week, I came across a post from my friend Pamela. She shared “What Every Woman Should Know” by author Pamela Redmond Satran.

It started me thinking about my own life.

My dad joined the RCMP in the 1950s. He interacted with women who were in difficult domestic situations but unable to leave because they had nowhere to go and no money to support themselves and their dependents.

This shaped what he believed I should have or know before I ventured out into the world on my own.

Before I had my first driving lesson, he made me learn to change a tire. He and my mom started a university fund for me before I was a year old. Not only was there no question about post-secondary education, but I understood I needed to have a profession I could always fall back on to support myself. When I moved to Vancouver Island for my first teaching job, he presented me with my own tool kit comprising of a multi-head screwdriver, wrench, tape measure, and hammer.

I’m sure if my parents were still with me, they’d have more items to add to the list. I suspect they also had a list for my brother, although they probably never thought about it in those terms.

Redmond Satran’s list is much longer. According to her:

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 honoured…

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 it’s 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…

Not all of these items apply to me at this stage of my life, but they can be adapted for any age. The one that caught my attention most was having a past juicy enough that I look forward to retelling it.

I can’t change my life to this point but just because I’m a woman of a “more interesting age” doesn’t mean I can't keep having story-worthy experiences.

What do you believe every woman or man should know or have? It’s an interesting exercise to invest some time in.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.