I feel like a woman…

As a woman, I often reflect on the many roles I play for the variety of people in my life. I am a daughter and a sister, an aunt and a wife. I am a mom, a life partner, a financial provider, a home maker. I am strong and beautiful and on many days confident in the face looking back at me in the mirror. I am self-reliant and independent and quick to ask for help and support when I need it. I have a lot of love to share with others. I am nurturing and compassionate. I am full of passion and emotion. I am a confidant and friend.

There are days I play some of those roles much better than others. There are days when I frankly want to ignore some of the roles others need me to play. Unfortunately these are they days I feel selfish and guilty.

Our society places a lot of responsibility and expectations on women. Be the best mom you can be for your child(ren). Make sure you take care of others’ needs first. As a little girl we watch our mothers and grandmothers cater to the men in our lives, our fathers and grandfathers. We watch movies where the girl or woman has to change herself to fit into the man’s version of the perfect us or we are the damsel in distress that needs saving.

As I have gotten older and wiser, I strive to be the best version of myself with each role I play. I have learned to love the woman I am becoming because of the women before me. My grandmother was a strong, smart, sassy and fierce woman. She was the life of the party and the matriarch of our family. My mother was a compassionate, patient, friend and confidant to everyone she encountered.

I find balance with each role I play and find ways to grow within each of those roles as a strong, determined and authentic individual.