There comes a time in the life of a woman

When she discards her old ways like tossed shoes in the garbage When she shreds her list of “shoulds” and obligations And when impossible expectations are burned in an incinerator There comes a time in the life of a woman When the hunt for another is now replaced by a hunt for herself And when parental tentacles of tradition no longer define her truth There comes a time in the life of a woman When her desire to fit in with the crowd dissolves When her manic compulsion to be perfect vaporizes There comes a time in the life of a woman When she simply says “no more” There comes a time in the life of a woman When she no longer fears conflict but faces it boldly like a lioness When she guards her authenticity as fearlessly as she guards her babies And when she drops the role of savior knowing she can only save herself There comes a time in the life of a woman When she no longer plays small so others can feel big And when she swaps the role of victim for the role of cocreator There comes a time in the life of a woman When she finally feels ready to claim her space in the world And when she redefines compassion as unequivocal self-love When she dares to rewrite a new mandate that says: I end the pretense of being someone I am not And from now on I declare... I will ascend into my highest power I will celebrate my deepest worth I will embody my fiercest courage and manifest the most authentic me The time is now I am ready ~Dr. Shefali art:Dan Don Santos