My daughters went out the other night. If I had my druthers they would have carried purses with pepper spray, brass knuckles, a cell phone, automatic pistols, karate black belts, lip gloss by L’Or?al and slugger by Louisville. As I waited up worrying, and as their universes slowly devolve from mine, I thought what they really need to carry is a toolbox, not a purse. Here is what I would put in it Life’s Toolbox For Young Women:

. a reciprocating saw, known to some of us as a Sawz-all. With the right blade it can cut trees or pipe, trim high heels that are too long, make a T-shirt into a sleeveless crop top, or carve an overdone pot roast. If you carry it with you to answer the door when your blind date comes over he will know not to mess with you;

. a stun gun, for the man who thinks he has your everything and won’t take no for an answer;

. a cell phone with your parents, 911, Domino’s Pizza, and your favorite girlfriend all on speed dial;

. a “morning after” pregnancy prevention kit, and instructions on how to use it in case the condom breaks / forgot the condom / etc., should that happen to, ah, … one of your friends;

. condoms, also, ah, for your friends;

. a field hockey stick. There is not much that cannot be done with this multi-purpose tool; blast dandelions out of the lawn, chase philandering boyfriends, hammer nails, and more. A seven-iron may be substituted;

. a subscription to a great newspaper, one with Sunday comics to make you laugh, great news coverage to make you aware, and great editorials to make you think. Real power comes from understanding and action, not from a push-up bra and tight gluteal muscles;

. an American flag, not because you have to wave it all of the time but because you should never forget the sacrifices others have made on your behalf;

. pictures of Rosie the Riveter, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart, to remind you to be a woman who changes things for the better;

. a scrub brush and rubber gloves, to remind you of how hard some people work to make minimum wage. Then, whenever you’re a little too full of self-pride or self-pity, use them to scrub around a toilet;

. six bucks, to remind you of how little money minimum wage is. Stay in college, get a better life, do work that keeps you free of poverty, never rely completely on a man for your living;

. a music CD with Bob Seeger’s “The Fire Inside,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be,” Alana Davis’ “32 Flavors,” and Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young”; also John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads.” (OK, maybe not that one). Play it when you need music “to fill your mortal soul” and boost you out of an emotional hole;

. couple of extra tampons – goes without saying;

. a Swiss Army knife – goes without saying;

. a Big Bertha driver – just about the biggest golf club there is – because some experiences just need to be teed up high, blasted into the deep woods and forgotten;

. a copy of Philip Booth’s poem “Two Inch Wave,” to remind you that quiet time to reflect on the simple things is a ticket to ride the wonders of your imagination. Disney World does not have a better ride;

. a copy of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, lest you be tempted not to exercise your right to vote;

. an old, worn sneaker to remind you that the look of high heels may be glitzy but what looks glitzy will never take you the distance;

. a Black and Decker stud finder, because real men are not always where you think. Good looks on a guy is like sheet rock on the wall – nothing you can attach anything important to for very long. If you want to attach your life to a guy you have to find the real stud underneath;

. a pair of Monica Lewinsky-style underwear, to remind you that sometimes it is the little thongs which get you into the biggest trouble;

. a Frisbee, to remind you that, no matter how complex life gets, real joy can be found in running barefoot through the grass after a Frisbee. Dogs know this, which is why they always appear to be smiling;

. a small hand mirror, so you can occasionally pause to hold it up and examine your life in it;

. Martha Stewart’s biography, to remind you that going up to the top is usually hard work, while going down is often easy, and can be the result of one stupid mistake;

. a good right hook, for those moments when nothing else will do the job;

. a screwdriver, to remind you that when the going gets tough you must, in the words of William Shakespeare, “screw your courage to the sticking place…,” and do what has to be done;

. two quarters, to remind you that you can always call your parents, any time, from anywhere, for any reason, and keys to their house, so you can always come home for some quiet time;

. a moment to remember all of this, so you don’t have to carry around the biggest toolbox you ever saw.

Erik Steele, D.O. is a physician in Bangor, an administrator at Eastern Maine Medical Center, and is on the staff of several hospital emergency rooms in the region.