13th
In the Spirit of Womanhood
Ro
Thanks, friend, for posting that quote from my FAVORITE poem, Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese!
The poem begins, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
God, I love this poem!!! I still have to remind myself that I am enough and that I don’t have to work for my place in the world; I already have a place.
I, as a person who has felt out of place for much of my life, have learned to offer myself reassurance when I need it. I have also learned to nurture myself, especially during the times when I think it is someone else’s responsibility to make sure my needs are met. You and I often discuss what it means to be a woman, and I think that part of being a woman is to know the things that we need to feel cared for and loved. The other part of being a woman is to know how to give those things to ourselves.
In order to feel loved, cared for and sane, I need to have an organized life. You have known me long enough to know that the term “organization” is a fairly new addition to my vocabulary, but learning to control my time and make sense of my life has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself (and one of the most challenging).
I feel better about the future because I know that most things don’t “just” happen. I am finally certain that I can (and do) create the things I want in my life. I am committed to living a beautiful, peaceful life.
May you always feel loved and sane.
*m
