I read a poem recently which resonated with me so completely that I wanted to share it here today. I believe that the author of the poem is Taryn Nergaad.
Make peace with the women that you once were
lay flowers at their feet.
Offer them incense, and honey and forgiveness.
Honour them and give them your silence.
Listen.
Bless them and let them be.
For they are the bones of the temple that you now sit in.
They are the rivers of wisdom that led you to the sea.
I have been a thousand different women.
In the world that we now live in, we are encouraged to move ahead, get ahead, improve, inspire, aspire, succeed and never look back. Forwards, upwards and onwards is the trajectory that we are told is the path to take. Don't look back.
But I believe that looking back is an important part of knowing who we are, what we are and how far we have come.
I have been many different women, each touched and changed by the experiences that I have had through my teenage years, my twenties and beyond. Each of these women has left a mark on me in some way. Has helped me. Formed the person that I am today.
Some of these women have been stronger than me, some weaker. Some lost, some found. Some with unfound hope and some with a sense of purpose to improve. There are parts of these women that I have been that I will never be again. Other parts have stayed with me. But all of these women I am thankful to in some way because without them; I would simply not be me.
I am so thankful for the women who lived in this body before me.
I often wonder if I travelled back in time to earlier versions of myself, whether I would even recognise the person before me. Because until now I have never really looked back and tried to remember those women.
I want to acknowledge some of them today.
Thank you to the girl who loved to write. You stayed with me.
I'm sorry to the girl who had my worst years. You were drowning and I did not listen.
Thank you to the girl who fought the black dog of depression and won. The girl who was and is the strongest that I will ever be. I am alive today because of you.
Thank you to the girl who knew what she wanted, beyond doubt and sometimes reason. You stayed with me.
Thank you to the woman who decided that she was worth more than the value placed on her by others. And by me. She went looking for and found it. She stayed with me too.
Thank you to the woman who broke through her shyness and found her confidence with each passing day.
Thank you to the woman who had hope that she would find her person and tried again. She found her ever after.
Remember the women that you were before you became you. You owe them everything.
