Hear Me Roar!

(click to enlarge)

The thing about life is that it can be so full of misconception. The thing about misconception is that it sticks in people's minds longer than the truth. And sometimes, when seeking to clarify things, they get even muddier.

Knowing this, I want to address some misconceptions.

Acknowledging a problem is not acknowledging weakness, or inability to cope. It means bringing something into the light for inspection. Different people, depending on their perspective will come up with different solutions. That is not to say any one solution is better than any other. However, each person's method of dealing with the problem must be right for him or her. One cannot impose or suggest a solution for another without understanding that this solution is just one of many, that the person may or may not consider.

Here is the thing about me. I refuse to allow a problem to defeat me. I tackle it, until it is solved. I might get tired. I might get frustrated. I might wail at myself for not just walking away. Yet, I cannot walk away without having exhausted every possibility, every venue, every solution. Especially if this problem does not only affect me.

I am a warrior woman. That is something I have accepted about myself. I put on my battle gear, and roaring I jump into the fray and take no prisoners. That is just who I am. I defend the mistreated. I battle for those who cannot. I yell in the face of injustice, until it backs down!

I cannot and will not accept that any obstacle is insurmountable. That any road is blocked. I find a way around it, and surprise the enemy with his pants down, and. I. strike.

That is just who I am.

And I really like myself.

Whether others approve, or agree, or condone, or cheer me on, I like who I am.

I painted the above in PS to depict who I am. I am a lioness; but even more than that, I am a lioness that has had to ingest the qualities of a lion. I have had to become the Alpha Female so that I may survive life and its challenges.

Today, I read a post that shook me to the core. It has brought into light a lot of the gremlins I have been battling, gremlins that over the years I have internalized. Swallowed whole. This post is so important, it must be read by every woman. When I read Jamie Ridler's post about a movie she saw, Who Does She Think She Is, I felt my mane stand up on end.

I am not less of a woman because I did not conceive and bring forth children into the world. My struggle to be all that I can be is not less challenging. I do not love less. I don't have less compassion. I don't run slower when someone is in need.

I am not less of a woman because I do not have a partner to share a glass of wine with, to mess up the sheets with, to hold his hand and walk through life with. I am not less desirable. I am not less worthy. I don't have fewer needs, or more.

I am not less of a woman because I do not sell my art, or my writing hasn't hit any best seller list. I still create. I still have a voice. I still have something powerful to contribute and display.

Pardon my language.

But I fucking rock! :)

There. I said it.

Oh! How egotistical!

No, darling. It's not ego. It's me acknowledging myself for who I am. I have faults. I can sit here for hours listing them. I have needs. I can bore you with the details. But who gives a damn about those? They are just little stumbling blocks along the way.

I toss my mane, and sprint into the fray that is life, knowing I can do anything I set my mind, my heart, my soul to.

I am woman. Hear me ROAR!