I wonder if they'd be proud....

I'm sat here, along with millions of others, in my living room with the TV on loud watching the final of the women's football. In truth, I haven't followed much of the games, nor do I have a great knowledge of what's going on, but what I do know is that this is a beautiful moment and we've all tuned in to watch it together. 

We live in a world itching to go backwards. There's a yearning to go back to our roots, to become more involved with nature, to re-introduce pastimes and to embrace the old ways of doing things when anxiety, stress and depression weren't at the forefront of our medical ailments. Yet whilst we in so many ways are eager to take a step back, I can't help but think about how far we've come.

I wonder if they'd be proud. Those suffragette women who chained themselves to railings and threw stones at buildings all in the name of gaining the vote and having a voice. I wonder whether they would look on like beaming Grandparents, smiling from wherever they might be as we women get the opportunities they never had. The vote, equal marriage rights, a televised sport. 

There's something more in this game than just enjoying football and seeing England in the final. It marks another step in equality, another post passed as we race to be seen as equal, and we stand on the efforts of the many behind us who've paved the way. When the final whistle blows I'll cry. I'll shed a tear not for the result, whatever that may be, but for the sheer awe of knowing that history is being made here. No, not history....future. 

Today women's sport takes a huge leap and with games such as women's rugby becoming the fastest growing sport in the UK (I should know, I've just signed up myself) I can't wait to see where we are in the next two years. Will women's teams be as celebrated as the mens? Will people wear women's names on the back of their shirts? Will the pay gap between women's teams and men's be decimated? 

The possibilities are endless and as we see the next generation of little girls stepping up to sport (and whatever else they fancy I might add!) I beam with proud. My 8 year old will feel empowered to conquer anything she sets her mind to, not because I've told her that she can, but because she's grown up in a world where she's seen it. 

Lionesses you've made us proud ❤️

Until next time....