What We Leave Behind

"A Man never knows how to say goodbye; a Woman never knows when to say it."

My Mama always said that "Women know when we know." And I would ask "Know what?" and she would respond with "Everything." I didn't understand then. I didn't understand a woman's intuition, long-suffering or staying power. The time and love investments we make is phenomenal. Sometimes to our own detriment no doubt. But guilt and regret are wasteful emotions, so we won't go there. I want to focus on our ability as women, my apologies, upper case W please! Our ability as Women to hold it together when the house is burning down around our ears. I want to talk about how we will stay, even when we knew we should have left years ago and threw all manner of red flags out there, and tried to "fix" broken relationships. I want to talk about how we will laugh when we really want to throw ourselves on the floor and have an old-fashioned crying fit. But we don't! Because it isn't the time for tears. I want to talk about how so many Women, after leaving situations that weren't in their highest or best interests, single Moms, get up so early to get their kids ready for school & Life, without fanfare or a "Good job" Mom. Then they go to work or school or work then school, come home and still have to be able to not be tired. Because the kids don't stop being kids just because you are tired. I want to talk about them! Wait! I want to talk about how brave you are that you walked away. That you figured out that it just wasn't working. That you did all that you could do. That you are so important. If not to anyone else, but at least to yourself. That life is actually a really beautiful thing...so you left it behind. You figured it out didn't you? It took you a minute(giggle)! But you figured out that the gift you were waiting for this whole time, the gift that was waiting to be unwrapped...was You. I had a good friend some years ago who left, with her children, with literally just the clothes on her back. She told me "Those are things. And things I can always buy. But my life? The lives of my children? They are worth more than things." My Mama was right, at that moment, with pure clarity, Women know everything. She, like so many Women, have left things and people behind, but discovered Self. Wishing you Love and Peace, but mostly Peace.