A WOMAN YOU MAY KNOW

She may be your sister, a friend, your neighbor, colleague or she may even be you.

She may be so timid, you may even have wondered why she doesn’t have more courage. Or she may be so opinionated, you wish she would allow others have their own say.

She is a woman you may know and this is her story.

Many years ago, she was young and her thoughts were dreams of a fabulous future. She had surmounted a few odds but the beauty of her future did not allow her get bogged down by any disappointments.

When she was quiet, her confidence remained evident and when she was high-spirited, her warm nature still shone through.

One day she met a man who stole her heart. He told her she was beautiful…both inside and outside. He promised her he will make her dreams come true and he asked her to share her future with him. She glowed and her conversations always featured him. He slowly became the nucleus of her plans. She loved it. Ahh…she now belonged to someone, she now had a man who was all hers. She shared her daddy with mum and other siblings, she also shared her brother with mum, dad and several other people but this man was all hers and he loved her.

One day, he put a ring on it and there…one of her dreams was fulfilled.

And so the changes began. She was no longer a happy-go-lucky girl, because she had to check in her every decision with him. She rarely went out with her friends anymore and the few times she did, she was so tense and uptight they couldn’t wait for her to leave. She couldn’t honor her extended family obligations because she always had an excuse for not being unavailable. After a while, she didn’t get as many invitations anymore, no-one wanted to bother her.

There were whispers but no-one was sure because she never complained about anything. Though, if you looked into her eyes, you would see a little uncertainty and fear in them.

Soon, she had no dreams anymore. She went through the motions of living, but she merely existed. She had failed herself. She had made the decision that exterminated her dreams, so she was no longer confident in herself. She managed, but those with insight will confirm that she had more potential.

Some people had no patience for her, she could do better and she should do better. Others were so caring, they thought, they gave her so little responsibility she became completely sidelined.

I wonder, how did her love become her undoing? How powerful is this relationship that can destroy a person’s dreams? Should she be pitied? Should she be mocked? Is there hope for her or is her situation irredeemable?

You tell me.