To The Women Whose Lives Are Not Love Stories

Here’s to the women who grew up wanting more.

Mitya Parker

By Heidi Priebe

Here’s to the women whose lives are not love stories. To those who never expected to find happily-ever-after on their wedding day or the moment their eyes locked with somebody else’s across a crowded café. To the girls who grew up measuring success based on what they achieved for themselves — what they worked through, what they accomplished and what they did not let diminish them along the way.

Here’s to the women who grew up searching for the dreams that they wanted to realize and the people they wanted to become, not just the man who would sweep them away from the tragedy of their mundane existence. To the women who hoped that their lives would be thrillers, adventure novels, comedies and occasionally pornos but never predominantly romances. Never only a reflection of what they had to offer someone else. Here’s to the women who had bigger plans for the main character in their story.

Here’s to the women who grew up wanting more. More independence, more knowledge and more opportunity than they were ever expected to achieve. To the women who were taught to be quiet but found voices. To the women who were told to be chaste but chose passion. To the women who were taught to sit down and keep quiet but…