The Dragon Beside Me

The women in my life have been many, varied, and amazing. Some have been with me since the beginning, others pass through my life as a momentary blip, and some come only by reading their story. Some have provided a positive example and others show a behaviour I now try hard to avoid.

The most powerful dragons for me are those women in my family; Mum, Nanna, Grandma, and 2 Aunts. While they all have different voices and tones, I learned from them all that the key to a really good life was to have fun, try as many different things as possible, and not let the opportunities simply drift by. Because of their stories, I've climbed up cliffs and down caves. I'll play with any dog (or animal) I come across, and visit places far and wide. I've gone from an incredibly shy and quiet person to a person on stage and speaking to groups. Although all through my life I've listened to the stories of others. As Nanna always said, "Life is all about making what you're doing fun". I've wiled away hours of menial work fantasizing about other worlds or magical powers. Swapped desk jobs for jobs where I take care of others. Listening to the stories of elder women is so entertaining. The mischief they got up to and how they wouldn't be just 'the woman at home'.

While faith in Jesus is considered a joke to many these days, my faith has stayed strong, taking wisdom in as these women talked. Some spent all their lives in the church community, others needed to move out of the church to see God better. This allowed me to see the difference between God and people wanting power, a huge helping hand to living a life of respecting others.

When I was an early teen I asked lots of women why they had faith. A lady whose name I don't know and whose face I can't picture answered "Because for a time after I paid my rent, I had $1 to live off and I never went without". This sentence has remained a firm anchor for me, an anchor that has stood the test of time more than once in my life, and for which I'm forever grateful.

The most majestic dragons I've met have a yearning to learn throughout their lives. Mum retraining for the workforce after raising us. My Aunt went back to University to study for the same job she already had after decades of work in it. Grandmothers who would listen to me infodump on topics they may not have heard of before, or which weren't important to them personally. Giving me the vision to keep chasing knowledge in an increasing number of topics. Seeing women learn from schools, movies, books, music.......

I think the most beautiful dragons are also the most numerous. They've shown me how important it is to be a sisterhood. Passing on the knowledge of experience and already made mistakes to help those coming behind, those the 'male world of science' has judged unimportant.

The dragons of my life are like the dragons of old, caretakers of wisdom, givers of courage, those that are constantly underestimated by the people in power. It is thanks to these dragons that I felt comfortable waiting for and choosing a life partner who could see and value my worth. They gave me the strength and power to reach for my dreams instead of living in the box the wider world created. No longer invisible, I share my beauty and the beauty of the world with a wide range of people in the world.

On their wings, I soar!