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I have a complicated relationship with women.

They have shown me what it means to be strong and outspoken. What it means to put family first. What it means to sacrifice. What it means to put love into action. What it means to fight for what you want.

They have also shown me what happens when you don’t put yourself first. When you’re so strong that you can’t ask for help. When you’re so outspoken that you alienate others. When you’re so combative that you can’t have honest conversations.

I’ve seen what it looks like to have women who are fully in your corner, and women who pretend to be there while talking about you behind your back. Women who love with their whole heart, and women who confuse love with jealousy and envy. Women who expect love and support from you, and women who don’t know how to reciprocate that same love and support. Women who hype you up, and women who secretly wish for your downfall.

Like I said…complicated.

Through it all, though, I’ve learned so much from these relationships—family, friendship, professional, and otherwise.

They have all shown up as teachers when I needed them most. But there’s something special, something invaluable, about finding women who truly support and celebrate you at every stage of life, minus the petty drama and complications.

Yesterday, poet Rupi Kaur shared a poem that left me feeling emotional and thankful for the women who lift me up every day.

Send this to the women who nourish you back to life:

 

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This is for the women who show up—zero excuses, no matter what.

The women who see your worth, even when you struggle to see it yourself.

The women who can tell, just by hearing your voice or looking in your eyes, that you’re not okay.

The women who celebrate every accomplishment, every positive step you take forward.

The women who totally get that you need to be in bed by 9:30 p.m. but still answer your panicked 3 a.m. phone calls.

The women who aren’t afraid to call you out on your sh*t, and are able to do so with love and respect.

The women who don’t let time or distance or the messiness of life get in the way of loyalty.

The women who don’t operate out of jealousy or envy or spite or excuses.

The women who fully understand that sometimes it takes 7-10 business days to respond to a text.

The women who can admit when they’re wrong and commit to making things right.

The women who root for you, even when you don’t know what you want or feel like you’re stumbling through life.

The women who show you that there will always be a place where you belong—and that place is right next to them.

~