A Love Letter to All Men

I grew up in a household where no man would be seen crying.

Today, I live with my partner, and I watch as his emotions become bottled up and eventually burst out through the form of anger.

I mean… how could I blame him?

If I were to hold back all the tears that ached to flow over the years, I’d be one hot mess.

So, I wanted to express my love to all those men who have grown up to believe that their sense of masculinity, would be compromised by an expression of their emotions.

I want to thank you for the times that you have held yourself together so that your loved ones had the freedom to flow.

Your love and your feelings are valid, and I will never stop fighting for your rights, just as you fought to protect all the women in your life.

And although the world is still evolving into a more equal sanctuary, you should never feel limited to express all that you can be.

I will never question your sense of masculinity. No matter what you do, you will always be the strong man that you’ve always been.

And if there is ever a moment that you feel the need to be vulnerable, I want you to know that it is safe for you to fall.

Even in those times in which you do fall, I know that you will stand up again and be stronger than ever.

I know this because I’ve seen it first hand through the men in my life.

I’ve watched life break them to bits, but it never stopped them from conquering every single one of their goals.

Thank you for being an inspiration for me to reach my life purpose.

I want to thank the men that make women feel beautiful before they put on their makeup.

I want to especially thank the men, who proved me wrong when I gave up believing in them.

Thank you to the men who weren’t ready to love, but did it anyway.

Your bravery melts my heart.

To the men who struggled or still struggle with addiction, and fight with every inch of their soul…

Your strength inspires me.

To every father who raised their daughter to be a woman of strength…

How lucky they are to have a role model like you.

Thank you to the men who were affectionate with their sons since birth, and taught them to become men who are comfortable with expressing love.

To all the men that fought their instincts to be a gentleman, thank you for helping us women feel safe.

And to the men who feel defeated, know that it is safe to fall back into the arms of a woman you trust.

I may be one woman, and I may not be able to speak for the whole world, but I promise to spread my truth to fellow women, and fellow men.

No matter what experiences I have with a man, I will come from a place of understanding, and will not use my perception of one man to form a perception of another.

I want to thank you for setting the bar high for what it means to be a hero.

I want you to know that during my journey to fight for women’s rights, I will never seek to take away the power you hold.

Your power, with mine, will help save the world.

Love,
Your not so secret admirer.

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This post was previously published on Equality Includes You and is republished here with permission from the author.
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