Posts

How Girls Are Raised

Girls aren’t raised to break. Girls aren’t raised to shake or show signs of fear or weakness. Girls aren’t raised to buckle under pressure. Girls aren’t raised to object. They aren’t raised to raise their voices or their concerns. Girls are raised to listen. Girls are raised to continue loving even when being thrown with rocks. Girls are raised to value the opinion of others and make them their truth. Girls are raised to remain strong no matter what. They are raised to forget their opinion when men enter the room. We are taught to be soft and dependant when needed, but told that we have the strength of a rock when life takes a swing at us. Girls are raised to stay indoors and keep the house clean. Girls are raised to be afraid of going out when it is dark. Girls are raised to not learn important life skills like driving, until it is absolutely necessary. Girls are raised to wait until everyone is served, and then they can help themselves. They are ...

She

She lives in a world that always has an opinion about her. She lives in a society that always wants to tell her how to act, what to say and what not to do. She lives in a world that is quicker to tell her how to dress, than to protect her. She lives in a world where staying indoors is just as dangerous as being on the streets, because the one that was caressing her last night is the same one who can plant a bruise on her cheek the next day. She is always being told what to do with her body. She is told to cover it up. To cover it up in a way that will make her look unattractive.  Cover it up in a way that will make her look respectful.  Cover it up, so that eyes don’t get a chance to undress her.  Cover it up, because too much flesh means that she’s asking for it.  She’s asking to be catcalled, she’s asking to be harassed, and she’s asking to be raped. I have never heard them tell men what to do with their bodies.  I have never hear...

Isolation

Why is it that in situations where we need help We isolate ourselves We convince ourselves that we'll receive more judgement than love We tell ourselves that no one will understand Because we're the first to go through something like this Most times it is not those around us that shame and guilt us But it is ourselves It is our own misinterpretation of what being human is It is our misunderstanding of the fact that we are only human And that we are bound to make mistakes and fall sometimes We choose to see ourselves through broken mirrors and lenses No wonder we only see distortion and brokenness Why do we camp at the scenes of our failures Why do we build homes at the moments of our lives that brought destruction Why do we meditate on the thoughts of self blame then wonder why we cannot forgive ourselves Forgive ourselves for forgetting that we are all things strength Forgive ourselves for allowing the need for acceptance to make us discard our identities For...

Braving New Environments

Wholehearted living is what we are embarking on this year! As described in last week’s blog, this is when you dare greatly in all areas of your life, even when you’ve been burnt before. Along with a new year, for some people, this includes entering new environments. You may be entering a new work place, starting high school, moving to a new town, or any new situation. The challenge with entering new environments is that you’re now tasked with two things. One – Get to know the place . How it works, who forms part of this environment, and what is expected of you. Two – You get to decide for yourself what impact you’re going to have on this environment. Yes, you read right. Oftentimes we think that others shape and influence the type and intensity of the impact that you make on the environment. Or we tend to think that the only impact that will be made, is by the environment on us. But truth be told, it is you and you alone that is responsible for figuring out what kind of impact you...