It's Hard Being A Woman

We don't want to admit
That it's hard being a woman
The ache we feel for the collective pain is unbearable at times.

We feel things deeply
We hold things, many things.
(Of course men do too)

We are sensitive
We ebb and flow and
We change like the moon

We don't want others to think we aren't strong or put together
We want to be respected and to be seen as equals.

We want to be seen as able to do it all
Smiling and confident  
Amazing children
Svelte and strong body
Dynamic Career
Hot marriage
Compassionate philanthropy

The truth is
It's hard
The pressure we put on ourselves and our lives is exhausting

I was on a plane the other day
Solo
No kids
No work to do on the plane
Just me.
I sat
I slept
I drank some water
It was easy

I watched the parents with littles
And I remembered how full-on that is
Traveling with little people

It's hard
Amazing, yes
But hard

We have to admit that it's hard
Whether you have kids or not
Times are tough
We need others to listen
To see us
To feel us

As women we stopped sharing the hard in fear that we would be seen as weak.
We looked around and thought “she looks so good/she must have it figured out.”

No she doesn’t

We are all struggling
We are all finding our way
There is no secret

Women need council
We need community
We need support

My dear friend Malin teaches me so much
She is truly a kitchen healer
Most of the healing she gives me happens in her kitchen
She holds space
She listens
She knows just what I need
A tea
A salad
A hug
A big cry

She shows me that my overwhelm isn't so much about all the things I need to do
But in the feelings that lie underneath
She listens with compassion
No fixing
She is my teacher my friend
I grow in her presence

We need to have space to share without being held to the hard parts…
When we share them we give them room to move and shift
We need that
We need each other

Love,
Carrie-Anne
 

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Click here to get on the mailing list to join my Fierce Grace Collective in 2018. Photos by Michelle Gardella. 

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