The Lioness' Roar (AKA "If You Are A Short-Tempered Woman, It's Probably Within Your Best Interests To Stay Clear of Me.")

Hello Listeners. :)

It's not always easy to take your own advice.
It's not always easy to be the bigger person.
And it's certainly not always easy to retract on your inital reaction.
Now, this revelation didn't come as a result of chilling out, maxing, and relaxing all cool in a perfectly adorable coffee house (Shout Out to The Daily Grind!). This revelation came while a woman was sucking her lips and rolling her eyes at me in a manner that suggested that she was ready to throw me over her knee and give me a spanking. While treating me as an adolescent is never acceptable (especially in the first meeting), it is defintely unacceptable when you are really just looking for someone to hold responsible for your problem, someone to blame for your anger, and neither of of those "someone's" is me.

Now, nature's law would suggest that if you step on the lioness' tail, you've basically made the last intelligent (or lack thereof) choice you're going to make, because you're probably going to be cub chow within the next ten minutes, right? Do you ever think that the lioness wonders to herself, "Hmm. It was probably an accident. They really didn't mean to challenge my pride (no pun intended), disrespectfully infiltrate my territory, and try to demean my self-worth. They were just...upset."

Now yes, this is an extreme example, especially consdiering that I am not a lioness, but I do think both the fiereness and ferlessness of the lioness reside in the heart of a woman. There is the (almost frightening) animal instinct to protect her life and the life of her offspring and family, the chase and the queenly leadership behind the hunt, and the grace to live beside the leader of your pack without losing your own Alpha tendencies.

I wonder sometimes if integriry and self-wroth go hand-in-hand. My answer came when I decided to look up the meaning of "integrity." It's defined as both adherence to moral character AND as the state of being whole or undiminished. That sounds likes a "yes" to me. It's not simple to keep the roar under-wraps, but that doesn't mean that silence--rather submission is the only option.
See, I know many a lioness who not necessarily strike first, but are definintely silent defenders of her pack, watching quietly and dangerously, daring somone to disrespect her territory...and her demeanor is still as soft as a powderpuff and twice as gentle. She'll still cut you, though. ;)

It says a lot about character to want to cut someone with words or actions (or both lol) and choose not to, while still holing your integriry, not letting them make you one they should tread underfoot. As for me, be that in silence or otherwise, my worth is mine, and while some may have the audacity to challenge it, the right to tread it underfoot belongs to no one...not even the impatient.

*ROOOAR!*
Stay Fierce, Friends. ;)

From the Heart of the Poetress,
aM