This is a guest post, by the beautiful Evelyn Kalinosky. Evelyn is a catalyst and mentor for business women in midlife transition.
A story of transformation
One of the things we did each morning at a writer’s retreat I recently attended was something called “writing prompts.”
We were given a prompt and then had to spend the next five to ten minutes writing with that prompt in mind. Keeping the pen moving at all times. No editing. No stopping to think or censor ourselves.
One of the prompts was from the poem We Have Come to be Danced by Jewel Mathieson (a bold, gripping poem I recommend all midlife women read). In that time, as I reflected on the transformation that occurs during midlife, these are the words that landed on paper:
We have come to be danced
to shake off the dust of please and thank you, mother may I?
permission
restriction
We have come to be danced
like shapeshifters morphing from one being
into another
flesh
bone
sinew
soul
We have come to be danced
not for those whose lives we hold
not for stories yet untold
but for the gift that is ours to claim
We have come to be danced
to bear the lightness of years upon years
that fall away with each thrust of our hips
as we shake free of the things
that seek to hold us in place
We have come to be danced
into tomorrow
away from yesterday
with scars and shadows
courage
grace
We have come to be danced
into transformation
Are you ready to be danced into transformation?
Have you already done so? I’d love for you to share your comments below.
Evelyn Kalinosky is a catalyst and mentor for business women in midlife transition. She specializes in working with women age 40 forward who are ready to claim—or reclaim—their Sacred Capital. Her passion is to create a new paradigm in how we think about aging, specifically, how we think about women aging.
Her award-winning Inner Affluence Blog received top honors in 2011 and 2012 as “Best Coaching Blog” by the School of Coaching Mastery, and she was named “1 of 101 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2011″ by WE Magazine for Women. Her work has appeared in ForbesWoman, Generation Fabulous and Boomer Café. In addition to being a coach and mentor, Evelyn is a speaker and published poet.
Evelyn, I’m thrilled that you contributed this post, thank you! And I love love love this bit the best!
We have come to be danced
to bear the lightness of years upon years
that fall away with each thrust of our hips
as we shake free of the things
that seek to hold us in place
So beautiful, liberating and loving!
Gratefully,
Sue
Sue,
Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your community. I’m so glad you found this piece liberating and loving, since that was most definitely the intent! 🙂
Evelyn
Sue and Evelyn,
Thanks for sharing this powerful piece. the words set me free, time to let go of so much, and live for me
Julie
Hi Julie, I completely agree. So freeing!
Love!
Sue
Julie,
Thanks so much for sharing your comments here! I’m so happy to read that the words help set you free. Yes! 1,000 times Yes! to living YOUR life!
Evelyn