Phenomenal Woman

I wrote this 3 years ago after Women’s Day… Sometimes I surprise myself. Good to know that my dreams are still valid. Enjoy.

While full grown women were celebrating their day yesterday, I received a number of calls and text messages wishing me a happy Women’s Day and telling me what an outstanding and a wonderful woman I am. I couldn’t help wondering if they had a wrong number although the texts had my name. I was truly humbled and inspired. My favorite read;

“Courageous, risk taker, are some of the attributes I have seen in you… Happy Women’s Day Olive. Keep being the woman of valor that I know because, even the sky won’t contain you…”

It blew me away, I couldn’t believe that it was meant for me. It’s not that I don’t believe in me… actually, I don’t. It’s just that the sender is already a ‘somebody’ and they are not easily impressed; coming from them, it meant the world.

So many people have so much faith in me, sometimes I feel like I am being placed on a high pedestal; my feet can’t touch the ground. It’s scary, but I love it. It gives me a target for my bull’s-eye. I think about all of you that I’ll disappoint if I don’t become that phenomenal woman…

I want to be that woman so bad. I want my mom to go, “That’s my daughter there!” My sisters to go, “We’ll go to my big sister, she knows these things.” I want you to come to me for help and I want to be in a position to help you with anything. I want to help you meet someone in a high place, because you see, I am going places, very high places. You might want to keep me close to you. One sweet day, I’d love to hear my future mother in law tell someone, “That there is my daughter in law, my son’s wife. Know what I’m saying?” I want to hear my boss proudly announce that I work with them. I want to have huge companies I’ve only dreamt of, chase after me to work for them. You see, I am going to be big shot … someone – I haven’t figured that out yet. But every time I get sick, I want to become a doctor when I grow up. Someone told me I should just get married to one, kill two stones with one bird. Poor bird…
One day, I want to be the bestest mom ever and the most wonderful wife ever. I want to be the best friend you’ve ever known, I am small but I do have a huge shoulder to cry on, I’ll get my teeth brightened so I can brighten your day when you feel down, with my dimpled smile. Yes, I have dimples. One of the qualities for phenomenal women. True story. 😀 I want to have young girls wish to be me when they grow up, even those without dimples :p

Look, I only want to be a phenomenal woman. Because I have you and you believe in me… The sky won’t contain me.

Then one day, my Dad will smile down on me and boast to his buddies in heaven, “There is my phenomenal daughter.”