One student�s mom was in her fourth grade math class when President Kennedy�s death was announced. Another told of the Berlin Wall�s crumbling. Vietnam. Desert Storm. Regan being shot. The Challenger explosion. The OJ Simpson verdict. The list goes on, undoubtedly with more recent additions.

I�m willing to bet there are particular dates throughout your life where you can pinpoint when something significant in your life changed. The death of a loved one makes you appreciate the time you have left. A particularly nasty break-up teaches you self-reliance and independence. The birth of a new child has you change bad habits, knowing that kid relies on you for a good example.

These dealing are obvious catalysts to change; however, it seems that smaller, more subtle events have their place too. This previous weekend has a greater significance than I imagined during the time all events played out.

A year ago I held a birthday party for me and some girlfriends. A weekend of crashing on my livingroom floor, drinking too many margaritas and dancing like fools, shopping at a mega thrift store, eating lots of vegan yum-yums, and buying dirty things from the dirty-girl store affected me more than the above newsworthy events.

My after-work Friday started with a happy hour where I held a man�s hand -- the first romantic interaction we had and my first expression on anything along those lines since my break-up that previous April.

I came home to my sister and some friends sitting on my couch, and we went to dinner where someone got overly drunk and too openly oogled my boobies -- the first step in me learning to set firm boundaries when someone makes you uncomfortable.

The follow-up house party included present-giving where I saw two exes make excited eyes at an exchange, demonstrating that time does heal wounds and that friendship after nasty words and actions could transpire.

We spent Saturday at a thrift store where I learned that the kids section hides many wonderful surprises that fit me.

I bought a zebra-striped hat, and I found that I enjoyed the attention that being silly got me.

I coveted a friend�s bread bowl dinner and made a mental note to let that be my guiding light for soup-eating from there on out. (Damn what I wouldn�t do for a bread bowl filled with vegan mashed potatoes right now...)

I also found that women will argue over men we have no intention of sleeping with. Women will take too long to get ready, inversely proportional to how hungry you are. Women will tag their exceptionally slow friends along with you. Women will show you their perfect, princess cut, kite-set engagement ring from their pushover boyfriends and pretend like they have happy, healthy relationships just to make themselves feel better.

On the other hand, women will also answer your phone and yell at someone who�s making you nuts. Women will ask you to stick out your own tongue and use your own spit to wipe a smudge of eyeliner off your face. Women will hold a bag of Cajun vegetables to your face when you blind yourself in a cloud of peppery spices in the grocery store.

My friends Jenna, Amanda, and Autumn taught me this, though I�m not sure they�ll understand how much their presence that weekend changed me.

Women are compassionate but know when it�s okay to tell you to quit feeling sorry for yourself. They�re beautiful yet rough-�n-tough when they need to be. They laugh with their heads tilted back, without shame of being too loud, unwomanly, or disruptive to those around.

Quite simply, they�re wonderful.

Go out and hug a woman.

And don�t forget to wish my little Autumn-Kitty a happy birthday too.

Happy birthday, hon. I love you, but I�d still sell you to gypsies if I could run off with your boyfriend. I�ll get your present in the mail when I get Crowhihs� to the post office too. Have a great day!�