Loving Life

If, one day, I have a daughter the first thing I’ll teach her is how to say - no. I’ll have her say it over and over again until her voice no longer trembles. She’ll say it softly, calmly, the way I say yes. For her, no, will be effortless. She will know that no is the end of a discussion, not a beginning of a negotiation. She will know when to walk away. She will know that no does not need to be justified, or explained, or qualified, it is a full sentence. She will know not to feel guilty when the word leaves her lips. She will know to keep her head up and her shoulders high. She will know to feel pride for choosing herself, for choosing not to give little bits of herself to people who can’t appreciate them. If, one day, I have a daughter, I’ll teach her that sometimes there is more love in those two letters, than in the eight the whole world will tell her she needs for happiness.