Being a woman!!

Melinda Gates has said “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.” To quote Sheila Murray Bethel “One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in and where you want to go.”

The major part of our life that we need to unlearn and relearn is to exert our voices, to be heard and to be able to reach our potentials without being put down due to our gender!

The times today are changing and no more are women confined to their houses!! With this freedom we need to also be able to vocalise ourselves and know our purpose!! We are in a time when women are getting strong but the society isn’t able to catch up!! It is very necessary that we learn how to be able to bring about a shift in the mindset of the society as well as ourselves: to unlearn a lot of misogynistic thoughts that has been instilled as a part of culture.. Hence it is important that young women be equipped with strength and to be able to be a better version of a person we are!!  We are not given a spirit of fear but that of love , power and self control! 

A strong woman fights for her, a stronger woman fights for others!! We aren’t here to fight but to strengthen and equip ourselves and to be able to adapt into this changing society! For people that says “women are weaker”, yes we may be a bit weaker in the physical attributes but definitely not so weak when it comes to emotional strength!! We do have the strength to smile at the face of a storm!! And you know what, we can also Multi task as well as deal with things in a more empathetic manner (our inherent caring nature you see)!!

As Marie Curie states “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

Happy Valentine's Day

The month of February is called the month of Love because 1 out of the 4 weeks of the month has been widely commercialised as the week of "Love". This is the week when chocolates, soft toys, jewellery websites and even celebrities pop up to remind us of the feeling of "Love".  Being a romantic and a hardcore Nicholas Sparks fan has made me look forward to this day..

Valentine's Day was supposed to be a reminder to tell your significant other about your feelings for them.. Valentine’s Day started in memory of St Valentine who was martyred on Feb 14!! Archie’s took over and made the whole world join in the celebration of this memory as the day of love!! And a further boost to the business by adding chocolate, teddy, rose, propose, hug etc. as prequel celebration to the celebration of love!! However, the shift from Valentine's day to Valentine's week has made the season lose its essence. It is a very popular knowledge that Valentine's is now nothing but a marketing gimmick reminding people to express their love through materials. I am in no way against a public display of love or a grand expression of feelings, but it should not be aimed at gaining public attention but a genuine display of love.

Life without the significant other on a day when everyone flaunts love pinches a bit!! It reminds you of the pain you have finally healed from(the gratitude of losing something toxic failing to pop up), puts the flashbacks of those happy times and the milestones you’ve celebrated and ends up with that picture of a broken you at the end of that phase!! That’s when you should remember there’s so many more people that can resonate with you and love you, if not that one person!!

Love is a beautiful feeling: a feeling of security and warmth, a feeling of comfort, a feeling of being vulnerable yet safe!! Love for us is generally taught to be “a significant other” that is supposed to provide us with all of these feelings!! All our romantic movies and these amazing writers makes it so believable that there’s someone that walks into your life and makes it worthwhile!! But I believe love need not be just one person, it could be a bunch of people we call friends!! They don't judge or make you insecure, always support you, reprimand you if needed and always have your back!! When you’re low, just a catch-up or a quick call can turn your frown upside down!! They know you more than you know yourself!! 

Also, one very overlooked love is self-love which many of us struggle with!! Looking at the mirror I see my flaws and I find very difficult to be able to love myself!! I know my quirks, my hidden self which isn’t the best face of me!! Then I wonder how can others love me if I can’t love my own self!! I have accepted my flaws, working on my shortcomings to become a better person than what I am!! And during the times of my self doubt, I am constantly reminded of being loved by a lot of people, the biggest one being my youngest supporter whom I call my son!!

This Valentine’s Day may not be easy!! Maybe the long distance is taking a toll on your relationship, maybe you’ve not found your significant other yet, maybe you’ve lost someone that once was your significant other!! Maybe everything is well and you’re with your love!! Whatever maybe your situation, there’s love beyond a person, there’s love beyond a reason, there’s love beyond the pain, there’s love meant for us!! So let’s just cherish the feeling and enjoy the day!! Don’t forget, love in all forms is beautiful!! And if you still struggle to find love, step out and feed a stray; they’ll display you selfless love no human can ever give!!

Happy valentines!!