30 things every woman should have and should know by 30

I was 24 years old sitting at my desk at HFS Marketing Communications in 1997, when I tore out a list from Glamour magazine and pinned it to my cubicle wall... "30 Things Every Woman Should Have or Know Before She is 30" by Pamela Redmond Satran.

A week later I ended my engagement and set off on a journey with my to-do list in hand. That journey led to a year and a half of enlightenment, independence -- fun, and eventually to my husband. I still have that magazine page with check marks and scribbles all over it. Here is a link to the almost original list, the author changed and added a few (I remember something about a ménage à trois in the original.)

Below is the popular web chain letter version, usually titled “Maya Angelou’s Best Poem Ever” but the author is actually Pamela Redmond Satran. Maya Angelou is NOT the author, a note about the poem is posted on her website and on snopes.

A 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...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
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 WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one friend who always makes her laugh...
and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend with out;
ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
When to try harder...
and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to live alone...
even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Whom she can trust,
Whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
When her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...

by Pamela Redmond Satran