EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

• enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...
• something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
• a youth she's content to leave behind....
• a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....
• a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
• one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
• a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family....
• eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored...
• a feeling of control over her destiny...
• how to fall in love without losing herself..
• how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...
• when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...
• that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
• that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...
• what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
• how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it..
• whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...
• where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table .. .
• or a charming Inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...
• What she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month...and a year...