Not So Purple Thoughts

I'm not sure when vigils became political... Perhaps the growing feeling of social injustice has something to do with it? Perhaps there is a belief that making them political will help to bring the much needed change? Still, I have no intentions to get political here.  When I heard what happened to Sarah Everard (RIP), I was shaken to the core. Last weekend, I read an article referencing the tragic loss and it touched a nerve. My sons ask if a man has ever hurt me. Not really, I lie | Life and style | The Guardian A man has never hurt me, but without giving it a second thought I could add a few examples to the list of when I felt unsafe or harassed... Suppose, similarly to the author of the article, I should consider myself lucky... Except, I don't want to feel lucky. I want feeling safe and respected to be the norm.  Despite the overwhelming statistics, I'm not pointing the finger at men. Anyone can be an abuser. Anyone can fall victim to abuse. The bottom line is, we need

Today is indeed International Women's Day. And I know it doesn't mean much for most people in the UK, but it is slowly creeping into our lives, the same way Black Friday or Christmas Eve boxes did. Each year, there is more talk about it in the media and we become more aware of it.  It used to be predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries - a perfect excuse for my dad to ignore it altogether. What is my childhood memory of it? Women getting flowers, carnations, to be specific. How boring, you might say. Surely, there were other flowers available. Except that's all I remember. Maybe that's why I much prefer other flowers now.  But as a grown woman, I truly hope International Women's Day is more than that. It is 21st century, yet there is still so much to do. We're still not getting equal pay or job opportunities, there are not enough of us in positions of power and it has just been highlighted our healthcare needs improvements (in t