Women are like trees. As they grow in years they also grow in their power to provide shelter and to live in full bloom.
Some people don’t like trees. Trees strike them as messy — they sway and grow chaotically against the perpendicular lines of houses and fences.
Some people want to cut down trees, make them quiet, and make sure they no longer dance.
A woman’s essence is not tame, it is wild; it rattles, flames, jumps and limps forward to feel light, rain, and nourishment.
Some cut down that which blossoms and flowers. They cut down women who seem too much and too spirited, or too quiet and still. They block the sunlight so the psyche cannot grow and sever the tree from the ground so it cannot thrive.
But we can dig up the stump of the tree and transplant her. We can give her new ground, sunlight and water. Although she may look dry and deformed, underground where we can’t see, her hidden reservoir is secretly filling up. The central trunk begins to grow tendrils. She may not be as thick and vast as she was but she has come alive.
No matter what people do to us there is inside us a force that will never die. The force becomes more and more incessant and insistent the older we get. We are not inadequate, but enormous and capable of making a mark on the world.
Dangerous, wild woman can never die even if they are shorn of their limbs, their leaves and their flowers. There is a golden fuse at the centre that will always stay alive.
Inspired by Dangerous Old Women by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estés
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Love this connection between us and the wild, natural and beautiful.
Thank you, Alisa x
absolutely beautiful. it gave me chills!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, Lisa ♥
There’s a tree in my yard my husband planted before he died a few years ago. Like me, it went through a tough time; lost all of it’s leaves and wasn’t thriving. Mired in my own grief, I forgot about his tree. About the same time I began to rejoin the world, I began watering and fertilizing that tree. While neither one of us will be what we could have been, if he’d been here to tend us, we’ve planted new roots and are here to stay. Brenda
While neither one of us will be what we could have been, if he’d been here to tend us, we’ve planted new roots and are here to stay.
So, so beautiful. Thank you.
Beautiful piece of writing, best I’ve read about older women in a long time. Goes to show too, that you don’t have to be wordy to be powerful. Thanks
Anita
I am thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank you, Anita.
Such a wonderful way with words!
You’ve solidified my feelings about approaching 50; bring it on!
Life just gets better the older you get x
This was absolutely beautiful to read and oh my goodness, how I needed to hear it today. Thank you xx
Sending you love and light ♥
Hi Katie, this is my first visit to your lovely blog. I love this analogy. Yes, I’m like a tree and my trunk thickens with age in its strength and power. Thank you for this beautiful message today!
Hi Lisa, welcome to my blog and thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m so pleased to hear you’re growing in strength and power — how wonderful.
Beautiful analogy. I feel like no matter how much nature has taken away some of my branches and leaves through the years, my roots are so deep and firmly planted that nothing will destroy me.
What an interesting analogy. I do think that I flower more fully at this age than I did as a bud.
I love Tree Pose in yoga because it helps bring me into balance.
That is lovely.