A Woman's Life

When I was about seventeen, an older male cousin sagely told me that a woman's life is a painful one. The statement had perplexed me, I recall, for then I did not really have any reason for viewing my life significantly different from a man's. Now, several decades later, I remember what he said and take stock. Yes, my life did have pain. I went through the pain of moulding myself to suit others and lost myself, in a way. But then, on the path to rediscovery, I realized that in order to really find oneself, losing is an essential prerequisite.I have felt like a lesser human at times, but that has taught me not to see anyone else as such. I went through physical and emotional rigours of child bearing and rearing and found that it connects me deeply to another human being and to my own empathetic self in a way, not possible for a man to experience. I went through the pain of letting go the ones I loved so much and experienced the fact that love does not diminish on doing so but rather acquires new dimensions, expanding, growing wings.Yes, a woman's life has pain. But this pain connects me to life's essence. I find myself blessed.