The Wonderfully Complicated Women’s World
It’s all about love: love of herself and love of the world.
I grew up with a mother who traveled the world (at least as much as she could) and a grandmother who replaced her village for another when she got married. My grandma taught me to be strong and stay close to home because there is nothing better in the world out there. My mom taught me to be strong and independent. She planted this love of traveling into my heart and never failed to tell me over and over again that I can do anything I set my mind to. I believe they are both right, from their respective perspectives.
As I was growing up, there was a lot more I learned from all the women I met, but the one thing that underlined all the life lessons I was given, all the stories I was told was the power of a woman’s love. This is why this Native American saying is one of my favorites:
A strong woman is one who feels deeply and loves fiercely. Her tears flow as abundantly as her laughter. A strong woman is both soft and powerful, she is both practical and spiritual. A strong woman in her essence is a gift to the world.
As women, we need to learn to love ourselves before anything else because once we are in love with who we are, we will love the world so much more and make those around us immensely blessed. Love is contagious and when treated properly, it can only grow more.
I believe that it is love that makes us stronger. It is love that creates that strong and powerful woman that Native Americans call a gift to the world. So, today, or any other day, look around you and search for those women. They don’t have to be celebrities or famous for whatever reason. They can be your neighbors, friends, family.
Strong women are found everywhere. I recently joined this Pilates class and my favorite woman from the group is this 79-year-old grandma. She never misses a class and always has a smile on her face. The other day she told me she underwent multiple surgeries and experienced lots of things in her lifetime (given her age, she probably lived through WWII even though just a kid) but she loves her life and what it taught her. I am excited to learn more about her.
The other day, I joined this “Female solo traveler group” and in just two days, I was hugely inspired by women in the group and their stories. One of them became the first African female to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days and she did it to raise funds for a primary school in South Africa. There was a woman who went on a trip alone for the first time at the age of 57 because she’d always dreamed of traveling the world but never had a chance to do so due to her strict parents and the culture she was brought up in.
As women, we need to be aware of our potential and strength. I am talking about traveling and experiencing the world because this is what my heart desires, but you don’t have to be like that. If you enjoy staying at home, being with your loved ones, planting your garden, that’s just fine. You keep doing that. The point is, this power we have, this love that we can give, it’s all within us. We just have to learn how to unleash that immense potential and let people see the wonderfully complicated world we’re living in.
So ladies, learn to love yourself. Learn to respect who you are and what you’re made of because the world is a better place with you in it. Happy International Women’s Day to all wonderfully complicated women out there.
