Happy International Women’s Day!

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” —Madeleine Albright

At this point in my trip, my travels have taken me down to the capital of Spain, Madrid. As I was relaxing on the rooftop lounge of Circulo de Bellas Artes, sipping on my cerveza & enjoying the sunset on this lovely day, I began to hear a commotion below. That commotion turned out to be the women of Madrid gathering together in protest for equality.

Until recently, I never felt a sense of responsibility when it came to fighting for equality. Obviously I have always felt that every person should be treated equally, but I never felt that I needed to actively involve myself in any social/political matters – it was something that should be left to the politicians in charge. That’s why we elected them, right? So they can make decisions based on what’s best for everyone in our society. Oh, how naive I was!

However, with much thanks to this past U.S. Presidential Election, my internal feminist candle has become ablaze with fury!

That was a tad bit dramatic. In all honesty though, I now not only realize the importance for standing up in equality for all, but how detrimental silence and passiveness can be to a society. I now try to involve myself more by actually paying attention to what’s going on in the news, attending certain protests/gatherings, & writing to my congressmen.

 

I have been blessed to be surrounded by women in my life that demonstrate the true meaning of beauty and strength (and maybe a little bit of crazy 😉). This includes all of the solo female travelers I’ve come across who are living their lives and having their own adventures, regardless of what fears or obstacles society puts in their way.

Tonight, I will be raising my glass to the strong women all across this world!

Salud women of Madrid and all over the world!