27 Birthday Wishes

Photo courtesy of Flickr user di_the-huntress under Creative Commons 3.0

Today is my birthday and I am turning 27-years-old, so here is a wish for every candle I will blow out;

1) I wish Planned Parenthood would get MORE funding.

2) I wish all women had access to free birth control.

3) I wish for a woman President in my lifetime.

4) I wish for more positive movies on Lifetime.

5) I wish Justin Bieber really was a feminist.

6) I wish women were believed and rapists were punished.

7) I wish we all had access to affordable healthcare.

8) I wish healthcare was seen as a human right.

9) I wish the Hyde Amendment was overturned.

10) I wish Congress worked towards more reproductive freedom, instead of less.

11) I wish every dictator was overthrown.

12) I wish every month was Women's History Month.

13) I wish people knew who Alice Paul was.

14) I wish girls knew they were good at science and math.

15) I wish girls were safe from violence and exploitation.

17) I wish they would rebuild Haiti, starting with a women's center.

18) I wish they put real women on TV.

19) I wish they put real women in magazines.

20) I wish real women knew they were beautiful.

21) I wish aging was seen as an accomplishment, not a punishment.

22) I wish older women knew they were valuable to society.

23) I wish younger women knew they were valuable to society.

24) I wish a woman's worth rested between her ears, instead of between her legs.

25) I wish trafficking meant you were stuck in traffic, not trapped in hell.

26) I wish catcallers yelled actual compliments making women feel good, instead of scared.

27) I wish we could dance to the sound of empowerment, instead of degradation.

Today, I celebrate my birth with cake.  Tomorrow, and everyday, I will celebrate my life-- just by living it.

Our mere presence on this Earth makes an immeasurable difference.

Never doubt your ability to create the change you want.  Just keep wanting it.

And remember a movement is simply people moving-- so never stop moving.