The devil whispered in my ear, "You're not strong enough to withstand the storm." Today I whispered in the devil's ear, "I am the Storm".
I don't know who quoted these beautiful words but it certainly reminded me of you when I decided to pen down my thoughts in this letter to you.
Dear Super Woman, (Indeed, you are!!)
You may be someone whom I don't know at all or someone whom I bump into everyday; may be my neighbour, my colleague, my friend, my relative or just an acquaintance. But I can be sure that at least one out of you may be someone who is subjected to domestic violence because that is the extent to which it is prevalent in most of the houses around us. Yet we fail to acknowledge it as a heinous crime.
We women are made to believe that men are far more superior to us in every possible way. They are physically stronger and aggressive. But my dear, being "Strong" doesn't just refer to the physical strength of a human being. Let me remind you that God has made every woman stronger than she can ever imagine. Else why would God bless us with the power to nurture a new life within us for nine months and then go through excruciating pain to bring it into this world? So why doubt your own strength? Don't let your man treat your shy or subtle nature as your weakness. You just have to look within yourself. You are the answer to your own problems.
Keep reminding yourself that you have achieved so much in life. Let me take you through your own achievements. You completed your education and pursued a career that you always wished for. How can you forget how proud you made your parents feel? Don't you remember those days when they proudly kept announcing to the world that how fortunate and blessed they were to have a daughter like you. Even after you got married, you continued to work without compromising on your responsibilities as a good wife, daughter-in-law, etc. Motherhood didn't make you fragile either. While being a complete hands-on mom, you very easily and flexibly bounced back to your career and other routines. You are a world to your kids. They look up to you for everything. Because, they very well know that their mom is a Super Woman. And I completely agree with them. Balancing so many roles at the same time is not an easy task. Only you can do this because you are super strong. And that's why I addressed you as "Super Woman".
So, now that you realize how powerful you are, why should you put up with all the abuse around you? You may have your own reasons to hang-on to a relationship that is not worthy of your love and trust. You may be staying in a bad marriage only because you feel that someday your man will change, someday he will feel sorry, someday he will realize his mistake or maybe someday he will repress his abuse. But does that really happen? Then why should anything stop you from walking away.
Your man thinks that he can control you just because you don't retaliate. Time has come to prove him wrong. Stand up for yourself and fight back because nobody else will. Don't forget that every abuse that was thrown at you, whether physical, psychological or emotional, has made you tougher. Free yourself from all the clutches that are holding you back. Look at your problems as opportunities to grow rather than looking at them as setbacks. You are setting an example for your child; it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl.
Build a strong future with every stone that he throws at you. Believe in yourself. Let the devil know that "You are the STORM".
This blog post is my contribution to spreading awareness on Domestic Violence through an initiative "Blogathon - #ALetterToHer."
Note: Meena Kandasamy's article in Times of India shows how strong and powerful a woman can be. She proved that fighting for your own rights doesn't make you selfish. So I can't miss the opportunity of drawing inspiration from such an amazingly strong woman and that's why I am looking forward to own her book "When I Hit You (bit.ly/Meenabk2)
