women

I have always had mostly female friends throughout my life, there are a very select few men that I call my friends but the relationship isn't as close as it is with women. Women make me feel safe, seen and understood. I appreciate the sisterhood of womanhood a lot. I think part of the reason why I prefer and need women friends is that I need that energy in my life. The relationship to my mother has never been great, so I sometimes think I've found women friends that give me all the things she never could. 

The last couple of months have been hard for me, I am working through some sorrow and healing. And through this my friends have shown up so selflessly. If I want to talk or I don't want to talk, they respect it fully. They have held me when I have cried, they have given me advice, they have listen. It's like they intuitively know what I need and give me just that. It is what makes going through a tough time easier. 

Historically birth has been something that only involved women, males were not allowed to part take in this event. In many cultures around the world this is still the norm. And part of me understands why. 

One of my friends said when she was pregnant with her first child that she didn't know if she wanted her partner at her child's birth, but she wanted women. She wanted a room with women who had been through birth to support her. I don't think I fully understood it back then. But after being at births with only women in the room I have felt the power, the magic. There's something unique about this experience, something different about these births. As women, especially women who have given birth who are supporting women who are giving birth through this rite of passage. 

I love how Rachel Reed writes about birth as a rite of passage in her book Reclaiming Childbirth as a rite of passage. How birth is more than a physical event and how it changes us forever. From being women to becoming mothers. It is a big deal! And I think we don't stop to acknowledge that often enough. 

My biggest teachers have been the women that have come and gone through my life. And I don't think it's by chance that I have chosen to work with mostly women who are giving birth in a field that is female dominated. I think I need that female energy around me to thrive. 

With this blogpost I just want to salute the women, all the women, that make our world go round.