David and I were trying to get back home but Winter Storm Elliot had other plans. Our flight got cancelled. It took another 24 hours to get to San Diego. I was exasperated but I kept t together until we got our luggage. Tired, I turned to maneuver through the crowd. I found a small opening and a man marching toward me. I pushed my big roller suitcase forward. He ran his body right into the suitcase. I didn’t stop to apologize but I know many women who would have.
I’ve seen women apologize for someone bumping into them, for raising their voice to be heard, for me having to step over their weights at the gym, for getting the last bag of oranges on sale, and for not being able to hear the soft-spoken gentleman on the other end of a phone call. Women have been socialized, to apologize for taking up space, showing up, breathing, being. Screw that. You, my mothers, daughters, and sisters, have every right to be HERE. When you stop apologizing, you create a space for yourself and other women. As Helen Reddy sang, “I am woman hear me roar.” Let’s honor we are powerful. We don’t need to apologize for this.
We Need To Hear You
You don’t have to be an asshole. You don’t have to run your suitcase into the man who is not stepping aside but there is nothing wrong with this either. Here are ways to stop saying “sorry:”
Say “thank” instead of saying “sorry”. For example: Thank you for waiting for me, instead of saying “Sorry I’m late.”
Pause and reflect before saying anything.
Say “I’d like to add…” or “I have an idea…” instead of saying, “Sorry to interrupt.”
Say “Thank you for listening”, instead of “Sorry to complain.”
Let’s empower and honor each other for being HERE.