A real woman, not an ageing female

You cannot deny your soul's calling and expect to live a meaningful life
You cannot replace the love of a soul with the love of an appearance
You cannot replace peace with a comfort zone
You cannot substitute unconditional love with a relationship
You cannot take certainty and call it security

You cannot love another unconditionally
Without loving yourself
But you can learn to love yourself
Through the unconditional love of another

You cannot be fully alive and ignore the pain, the joy and the sorrow
You cannot overcome fear by avoiding the things that scare you
In vulnerability we are conquered by love
In competition we are conquered by power

You cannot silence the yearning for something more
And expect you can ignore it without the universe stepping in to shake things up
Until you are forced to take notice and make a change

You cannot earn love
If you do, it isn't love
Love doesn't hurt
If it does, it isn't love

You cannot hide and ever feel seen
You cannot reveal yourself if you are constantly judged
You cannot heal grief by burying it inside
You cannot stop transmitting pain
If you do not transform from it

You cannot be truly alive
If daily, you merely exist
You cannot be present and enjoy the moment
If you are worried about the future or ashamed of the past.

You cannot savour experiences and fret over what others think of you
You cannot be confident and doubt yourself
You cannot be a mirror for another if your own interior is covered with layers of pretense

You cannot attain what you desire
If you will not step toward it
Into the unknown
Into the fear and the sadness
You cannot heal a broken heart
If you refuse to admit it is broken

You cannot have a tomorrow
Without saying goodbye to yesterday
You cannot feel hope
Without allowing yourself to begin again