Women, you’re awesome

Sunday, August 9 and the subsequent holiday on Monday, August 10 didn’t really make that much difference to me.

Just another public holiday to crack a cold lager and throw a chicken flattie on the fire with my old man.

That was until I was lying in bed struggling to fall asleep on Tuesday night.

Had I really dispelled the fact that those two days were emblematic of a fight for equal rights and a liberation struggle for women from all walks of life in the country that I love?

As I tossed and turned under my duvet I reflected on all the women in my personal life and in the sporting fraternity who definitely deserve a lot more appreciation and applause than a raised Castle Lite and a wood-sizzled peri-peri bird from my side.

Immediately I thought about my dedicated and selfless mother who has constantly backed me despite some of my naive judgements, decisions and silly tantrums over the years.

I thought about my spirited, lionhearted sister who, despite her own trying circumstances, goes out of her way to help those less fortunate than her.

My mind (as it always does) then drifted to the sports arena where the contribution of women cannot be undervalued.

The women who are achieving in their respective sporting disciplines are trailblazers for many bright-eyed young prospects who strive to accomplish similar things and follow in their role-models’ footsteps.

It wasn’t, however, those particular sportswomen who took up all the space in my head.

No.

It was the women who brave freezing wintry weather on a Saturday/Sunday morning to support their little ones alongside a Benoni hockey or football field or who wake up at some ungodly hour to take their child to swimming practice before school.

I’m talking about the kind of woman you can hear for miles while at a schoolboy/club rugby match or at a Brakpan racetrack frantically cheering on her beloved “seun”.

The kind of woman who volunteers her time and skills for often thankless admin, committee or fundraising duties in a sport where she initially has no cooking clue what’s going on, but does it because her child loves it and is happy.

It’s easy to ignore that while sipping on a lager and munching on a drumstick when a public day off honouring a certain group of society comes around.

When you think of the history, significance and importance of the occasion you may (like me) be left feeling a bit foolish that you didn’t actually give it the respect it deserves.

I guess it is still Women’s Month, so this is my little tribute to you this August.

Thank you ladies for being champions.

Women, you’re awesome!

Love LG.