I first became aware of International Women's Day, oh, maybe 5 years ago. Our close friends, Maura & Gabe, having been in the Peace Corp in Ukraine where Women's Day is an actual national holiday, brought the celebration back to us here in Seattle. They would host a party, they said. We were to arrive at 3pm. We were instructed to bring a bottle (or two) of vodka, and we were given specific Ukrainian dishes to make & bring to share. (Aside: I was, until this party, a beet virgin. Beets stain things, friends. They stain everything. End of aside.)
When one arrives at an International Women's Day party, one notices that all of the regular furniture that belongs in the host's living room is absent. Instead, it is replaced with long family-style tables and chairs. The tables are lined with bottles of vodka and overflowing bowls of food wherein potatoes and pickled vegetables are in abundance. Everyone is smiling and laughing and hugging and talking. Find your seat, friends, because the celebration is about to begin! Nasdarovje!
It's International Women's Day**, and it's a day to celebrate the women in our lives, the women we love, the women who have changed us, the women who have made us who we are, the women we can't imagine our lives without, the women who inspire us, the women who give us hope, the women who have sacrificed for us. It is a day for all women: mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, wives, and girlfriends.
We all take our seats at the table, and there is a buzz in the air. Someone stands, raises his glass, and proposes a toast to the beauty & loveliness of all of the women in the room. Definitely a toast I can get behind. Nasdarovje! We all clink, drink, and the celebration is officially underway.
This Women's Day party is truly a Thanksgiving. Strangers are now family, bonded over our common love of women. And vodka. The food is never-ending. "Just keep eating," Maura encourages us. We all take turns standing & offering our toasts to all of the world's wonderful women. The celebration continues into the night. We're dancing and laughing and the toasts begin to get a little blurry.
The next morning I wake up with beet-stained fingers, glitter in my bed, and a deep gratitude for all of the strong, courageous, wise, patient, generous, beautiful women in my life, both near & far.
Today is International Women's Day. I think a celebration is in order.
Here's to you, ladies. Nasdarovje.
*I do not know if this is the correct spelling. The internet offers many options.
**Please note, International Women's Day has a long history, and I am not trying to discount that by leaving it out of this post. This is simply how Women's Day was introduced to me, and this is what it means to me.
***Maura's original caption to this picture was, "Tim, it's Women's Day! Give her that beer! And for that matter, give her your hat too!"
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