give me one reason

Two things about the month of March make me happy.

Reason Number One - It's National Crochet Month (or as those of us in the loop* call it, "NatCroMo")!!

Yeah, you heard me. National. Crochet. Month.  Thirty-one days devoted to the much-maligned hobby of crocheting. I've been crocheting for almost ten years and this is the first I've heard of it, but darned if I'm not going to ravel in it.

Sure, it's got its much deserved stereotypes, but need I remind you that every grey-haired old lady who sits in her rocking chair crocheting an afghan in brown, orange and yellow was once a young girl who sat on the floor in front of her TV crocheting a square in brown, orange or yellow?

Today's crocheters are much more "hip" and "with it" than the grandmothers of yesteryear.  The crocheter of today would rather dye than create a poodle toilet roll cover or a set of doilies for their living room furniture.  No.  The modern crocheter creates clothing in fabulous colours and knows that patterns are merely suggestions for how a finished project should look.

Also, more and more men are finally admitting that yes, they too, crochet, and they can create items that are just as, if not more, beautiful than their female counterparts, and that's pretty freakin' cool.

 (Drew Emborsky, aka "The Crochet Dude")

Reason Number Two - March 8th is International Women's Day!

It's not all about being a feminist (not that that's a bad thing).  It's about sharing a day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women with our sisters across the globe.  It's also a day to think about those women who aren't afforded the same freedoms that we are, and to make a conscious decision to do something about it, even if it's just a donation to a women's charity.  The important part is that you are aware.

But, since I brought up the dreaded "F-Word", here's what I have to say about that:

Contrary to popular belief, feminists are not heartless, bra-burning witches bent on the destruction of the opposite sex.  Sure, every group has its fringe members, but for the most part, feminists are pretty cool.

To understand what a feminist actually is, all you have to do is see what the fine folks at Webster have to say about it: 

Feminism: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.

Wow.  Pretty radical thinking there, boys.  So what you're saying is that essentially feminism is humanism and concerned with the equality of both sexes.  Feminists desire equal rights for women not because they share a gender, but because they're human.  Feminism isn't about fighting men, it's about fighting a system that values one gender over another.

When women wrinkle their noses at me when I use the word feminist, I have to fight the urge to lecture them about the work done by older women on our behalf that allows us the freedom to make choices we didn't have before. We've all enjoyed the luxury of being able to control our reproductive rights, not to mention the right to vote, obtain higher education (or any education at all), and the fact that courts aren't allowed to automatically assume you're a slut if you've been raped. To ignore a word like feminist is to basically spit in the faces of the women who fought for you to live your life in the manner in which you are accustomed.

Not cool.