Here she comes, hair immaculate, shoulders erect, rhythmic stride, and cape securely fastened to her back.
Here she comes hair messed up, shoulders slumped, slowly walking and cape securely fastened to back.
Those are two very different images, but I am sure that we have been both. Ok, you don’t want to admit it, I will admit it I have been both. There is belief that being strong means that you do everything by yourself and that you hold your emotions in check and not express, hurt, or disappointment. That you keep moving through, taking care of business and everyone else. We are that super heroine that saves everyone at the expense of our mental and physical well being.
So, let’s get straight to the truth. Exhaustion is not cute and will not enhance our beauty. Take off the cape, untie it and put it in the corner and walk away. If we do not take that time to recalibrate ourselves we will be mediocre at best. You deserve to be rested and in a space to be fully present to engage with your purpose, mind, family, and community. You can’t be effective in anything if you are exhausted. Seek healing spaces and set aside time to exhale and catch your breath without having to explain or justify it to anyone. You deserve it, because you are important. Your strength is the power to say I need a timeout and taking the time out. Another aspect of this conversation is how we, as a community of women, should respect these moments that our Sisters are taking a self- care break. It is not a time to judge or probe with questions of why, but instead let us respond in the power of “Be”. The “Be” is to let them Be in a state of rest and reflection without the interruption of our expectations for them or availability to us. Let them “Be”. I heard my grandmother say, “Let that child be”. She was signaling a warning to leave the person alone to stop bothering them and she was being protective. We need to be protective of our Sisters that are taking off the cape and regaining their focus, let them Be! They are regaining their energy, let them Be! They are sorting out their emotions, let them Be! They are becoming, let them Be! ~KDP