|
For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next years words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot
Your words become your world, that's why I love the idea of choosing a word for the year to help us stay focused on one big goal or intention. I've been distracted by the pandemic and other life stuff. Recently I made the bold decision not to let overwhelm slow me down anymore. I intend to wear my big-girl panties and do the things that I put on hold. Those things that light me up and fuel my dreams.
My word for 2022 is Phenomenal. Actually, it's been a word that has guided my spirit for many years. These past two years I forgot who I am, and what my important work in this world is.
On one of my days of doubt my husband recently reminded me to read my own best-selling book Wear Your Life Well: Lessons on the Journey to your Truest Self again. I did. I remembered. (Available on AMAZON.)
Style isn't just about what you wear. It's about who you are and the way you live your life. It's about the way you carry and conduct yourself. It's about the things you choose, the colours and the shapes you surround yourself with. Clothing is self-expression of your style and the focus I've put on the overall theme of womanhood, identity, pride, self-love, and self acceptance. I've always encouraged a woman to celebrate herself in her bodily beauty but also her inner glow. It's normal to want to look good and there is a difference between vanity and confidence. You have to feel confident to do what you want to do in the world.
The truth is we all need encouragement and motivation. Everybody needs somebody to cheer them on. I went back to the words of Maya Angelou in her poem about a woman who fights against society's stereotypical ideal of what the quintessential woman should look and act like. She gives us a profound definition of strength and femininity. She reminds us that beauty is found in being unapologetically self-confident.
Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou.
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size.
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me. I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then the swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman.
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me. Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
You're going to be phenomenal in 2022.
Copyright: Helene Oseen 2022
|
