"MY INHERITANCE."PT 1 - by Abisolina

What I Inherit as a WomanI inherit more than my mother’s eyesor the curve of her smile.I inherit the things she never said out loud,the lessons folded into silencelike clothes kept for special days.I inherit the art of adjusting —shifting my voice softer,my laughter smaller,my anger into something swallowable.I learn earlyhow to make myself fitinto spaces not built with me in mind.From the family,I inherit love wrapped in expectation.Be kind.Be patient.Be everything for everyone.I am handed responsibilitiesbefore I even understand my own desires.My dreams are measuredagainst how little they disturb the peace.I inherit the kitchen wisdom,the midnight worries,the way a woman can be tiredand still rise when her name is called.I inherit hands that know how to giveeven when they are empty.From the community,I inherit eyes that follow,voices that judge,rules that stretch longer for methan for the boys who grew beside me.I am told how to walkso I do not invite trouble,how to dressso I do not deserve blame,how to existas if my safety is my own responsibility.I inherit labels stitched to my back —too bold,too quiet,too much,not enough.No matter who I become,someone is ready to sayI have crossed a linethey drew around my life.But I do not inherit only limits.I inherit my grandmother’s endurance —the way she survived stormswithout a roof strong enoughto keep out the rain.I inherit my mother’s quiet bravery,how she stood back upevery time life tried to press her into the ground.I inherit laughter in hard times,softness that is not weakness,love that stretcheseven when the heart is bruised.I inherit strengththat does not shoutbut refuses to disappear.And somewhere betweenthe warnings and the wisdom,the fear and the faith,I discover this truth:I also inherit the power to choose.I can choose which stories end with me.I can choose which silences I break.I can choose to pass down courageinstead of caution,voice instead of quiet,freedom instead of fear.What I inherit as a womanis not only what the world placed on my shoulders —it is also the firethe women before me hid in their bonesso that one dayI would have enough lightto see beyond the limitsthey were forced to live within.And with every step I take without apology,I am rewriting the inheritancefor the womenwho will one daycall my strengththeir beginning.

Other insights from Abisolina

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons