Port Savderau, 1873
She had raised herself on the streets; stealing and dealing, after abandoning the orphanage where she had been abandoned. Her parents, she never knew. Logic said her mother was probably a street walker, her father, one of the many rich merchants that came to visit. Fantasy had her believe she was a princess. Royal blood who had simply become lost as a baby. Reality told her it was unlikely she would ever know. Yet, not knowing where she had come from, or who she really was, meant she was free to choose who she would be. Unbound by inherited beliefs, privileges or perceived disadvantage, it was up to her to decide what she wanted. She was only answerable to herself. She knew self-worth came with birth, and that entitlement and status were social inventions. If she did not believe in the hierarchy, did it really matter where she sat? Thus, she chose instead to create her own world. She chose to believe in herself. She chose her own story.
Who would you be if you got to choose the story? Would you choose to be the hero? The villain? The victim? Believe it or not, most of us are choosing the latter. We choose to be the victim. We choose to believe that we are limited by our conditions, or by things that have happened to us. Moreover, we choose to blame, make excuses or live in denial.
We need to be the heroines of our story, to get where we want to go, despite all that has happened to us. Our past does not define us, nor does it determine our future. Society would have you believe that certain circumstances entitle you to feel sorry for yourself; that you have legitimate excuses as to why you cannot succeed. But these are just stories.
We are wired to have a story. We love stories. Even when we dream, there is a story happening. Stories can teach us morals and lessons, and they are incredibly useful for remembering information; however, they can also be really bad if we happen to be telling ourselves unhelpful stories. Just because someone, at some time, said you will not amount to anything, or they can’t wait to have grandkids, or that you are always so generous, does not mean you need to live out their expectations. Everything that has happened in your story thus far, is just a really long introduction. Now you have reached the part where you anoints yourself as a warrior-womxn and makes changes for the better. You are not a damsel in distress that needs someone to save her. Be your own heroine.
You get to design who you want to be. You can build your own kingdom or empire. You can choose who gets to sit around your table or campfire. You do not need to follow in the family footsteps. Do not think for a moment that your fate is set by your heritage, your parentage or your genetics. Who you become is not set in your DNA.
The Warrior-Womxn's Guild 