z3nbyte

Saturday is Ohana Day... time with my circle, my women, my community. there have been times when being alone was necessary. utterly alone, no one had my back and I had to learn how to stand up for myself when everyone else was sitting down. I did it. I stood up for myself - to the people who harmed me, the communities that turned their backs and the people who told me to just sit down and be quiet. Good girls don't make noise, they cross their legs at the knees and wait for someone to pick them. Well I picked myself, over any and all of that and today - Ohana Day - I get to celebrate what I have earned after years of being alone. I get to have a community that loves me and accepts me as I am. I get strong, proud, efficient, smart, awesome women to share this spiral path with me.

For those not familiar with Hawaiian Ohana means FAMILY. While it can and usually does refer to family of origin or blood ties it is used here to designate MY family - my chosen family - my family that is held together by love not by biology. People who have my back *always* no questions asked.

Life is cyclical and I can see backwards and forwards now because I've been on enough 365 day journeys around the sun to have more perspective. I can see now where I had chances to have other Ohana but I was too afraid, too proud, too aggro to let that beauty into my world. The spiral has circled back and there is community there, right there, where I always knew it would be.