On feminism
When I was about 10 years old our toilet broke. Our family was struggling financially around this time and we really couldn’t afford to hire a plumber to take care of it. So my mom decided we would do it. The two of us went to Home Depot, found a toilet, and started the process of installing it. It was before the days of YouTube tutorials, so we literally treated it like IKEA furniture following the step by step instructions that came with the toilet.
Things were going quite smoothly, until…the sealing stage.
Now, my mom is not a big person. She’s 5’1 and like 90lbs. And I was 10 and even smaller than my mom. One of the final stages of installing a toilet is ensuring it seals properly to the floor, and in order to do this you need some good force or strength to really get it on there.
At this point, I was ready to throw in the towel. I suggested we wait for my older brother to come home or perhaps ask a neighbour. But my mom doesn’t wait well. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but she had something to teach me in this moment. So, the two of us linking arms stood on the rim of the toilet and jumped up and down until the toilet sealed.
It’s been over 20 years since that moment and the toilet is still going strong.
One thing I am rather thankful for little Julianne is that she grew up in glorious ignorance around her gender. I was never told I should or couldn’t do something simply because I was a girl. And I know that’s not the reality for many.
I grew up with a spitfire of a mom. I don’t think she did it on purpose, but just by her actions I grew up believing I was capable of anything.
I think of that toilet often when I think about feminism and how fortunate I am to have had roles models in my life who never let their gender hold them back. And I am immensely grateful for those who have gone before me so their ceiling could be my floor.
May we strive to make things better for those around us and those to come. And may our little ones grow up believing they are capable beyond words.
