This is a shout out to all women, like me, who have experienced trauma and made themselves a holy mess of wonderfulness.
This is a shout out to the women who have been raped. Who have been molested, traumatized, brutalized and dis-believed when we told the truth. To the women who’ve made sacrifices to survive, who’ve felt horrible moments at the hands of another, but somehow, never made our own hands horrible too.
This is a shout out to women with PTSD. To the women who don’t call it that, but hide sometimes for days, then emerge again, stronger, calmer and willing to do the next thing, to make this human family continue another day in grace.
To the women whose daily dealings can unexpectedly trigger a dark veil over our vision, yet still manage to throw off the gloom again and again. To the women who still shine the light required to raise children, make things happen, nurture our friends, and create badass art.
This is a shout out to the millions of MeToo-ers, who somehow didn’t stop in our tracks and die, or quit every job, or prostitute our self-worth, even though that’s what our surroundings wanted us to do.
This is a shout out to all of us who took trauma, violence and violation and turned it into something great. To those of us who stomped cruelty into a strong stone of power.
This is a shout out to the women who took pain and transformed it within the crucible of our bodies, making ourselves and our communities warmer, more compassionate, more tolerant and wise. To those of us who stared down shame, and noticed it was a flimsy cloak thrown to cover us by the shameless, as they did their deeds and couldn’t bare to see our faces.
This shout out is to all of us who not only survived, but thrived via generations of flight, fight, and sheltering. To the billions who ride the skies of wildness — with whom the buck stopped here — and with whom the strength of humanity resides.
Author’s note: I wrote this one day after thinking about the huge numbers of women who have experienced bodily and psychological trauma. Then realizing that these women generally do not lash out, harm others, or commit acts of self-injury, in contrast to the smaller numbers of soldiers who face the same issues, with different outcomes. This is a testament to survival instinct for sure, and also to the ability to transform pain into something better, generation after generation.
