Turns out …. I used to think I was crazy. Why? I was made to believe I was crazy. I was told over and over that I was crazy. I was gaslit until I did not know up from down and forward from backward. Turns out…. I used to be an angry, broken woman. Why? I was told over and over that I was angry for no reason and I was broken beyond repair. Turns out…. Life is difficult and glorious and more exciting than I ever realized. Why? I forgot who I was and that I can do hard things like step out of my comfort zone to use the word no. Turns out…. I know more than I ever thought possible once I trust my own knowing. Turns out….. I hold the power to create the beautiful, untamed life I want for others and myself. Turns out…. I am not crazy or angry or broken. Turns out…. I am a GODDAMN CHEETAH.
I met a woman through a mutual friend. She said she was divorced as well and while we talked, I realized she was holding back. As her kids ran towards the water, I said “Tell me more.” She said a few things and then looked at me sideways….. “You get it! You understand…..I can just tell….. “ And then the real conversation began…. We as women need to own our truth and our story. When we do, we allow other women to do the same especially the women that surround us. Our story may not always be pretty but impression management has gotten a better of us. I know because I did it for years. We use social media to manage other people’s vision of us which has made it worse. While we are looking for the carefully curated photo and post, we have lost ourselves. We want others to believe our life is perfect, but that is not reality. That further widens the divide. Other women feel they can not relate to our lives….when, in-fact, if we were more real, we would realize we have far more in common. The women that I love and relate most to are those that are imperfect. They own their story making them the bravest, most badass warriors in my eyes. I may not know all the details of the story or those imperfections but I know that they struggle with all sorts of different issues. I know that their life is not all sunshine and rainbows, Again they may not share all the gritty details but I know they’ve been through some shit. I can relate to and admire that authenticity. We women need to own our story. Good, the bad and the ugly. We all have chapters that are short, some are shorter than others. We all have those long chapters we thought would never end. We have chapters that we only write in draft form and never share. We have some chapters, the details of which, have only been shared with those that are closest with us. All those chapters make up who we are as a human. There will always be those that want to tell our story for us. Some that tell stories that are not theirs to tell and stories they do not understand. We can not stop them. What we can do is fearlessly own our story and live our truth allowing our strength, truth, honesty and transparency to inspire others. Let’s stop worrying about what other people think. Those closest to us know the truth, appreciate our honesty and will love us unconditionally. Peace, #tutulady #forwardisapace
Kristine Binder 