This past Monday, after I struggled and cursed in my mind for torturing myself at the gym, I walked out to the beautiful skies. I took a moment for stillness.  When I took out my phone to capture this fleeting beauty in the skies, behind me I heard, “whaaatt, look at this!” I turned around to see a young woman behind me.

We were by ourselves as if the skies decided to demonstrate such beauty only to us.

“This is a great way to end a torturous hour,” I said.

“Heck yassss! And, I wore my girl power socks too!” she said, “and I don’t feel bad for not taking a shower either!”

I thought of  how Kate Chopin wrote about the awakening, and for years I wondered the meaning behind such an evolution.

There are many possibilities for the awakening, and each one has its own individual experience.

A woman realizes that all her life she has devoted her being for the sake of others, and begins to comprehend that such devotion may not be reciprocated. This is an awakening.

A young woman in her twenties studying in college realizes that she has lived a privileged life, and becomes cognizant of the inequality of women in society. This is an awakening.

A wife becomes aware that her worth is valued far more than what her husband indicated.  She realizes this when he decides to abandon her for another. She awakens to a strength within herself, and begins to live.

A writer who cared more for the responses of those who reads her work awakens to the truth that stories are meant to be shared.

And, lastly, a woman, and another much younger than her can stand in stillness while gifted with the colors of the sky, and in that fleeting moment realizes that girl power socks is most needed for an awakening.

Here’s to all those who relishes such evolution, and finding true meaning within.