Patriarchy will never be stamped out — the male instinct is to dig in his heels and fight for turf. Try to battle the manly Mitch McConnell? No. Be a vine. Be ivy that climbs up walls. And over walls. It bursts through cracks where sun shines, cracks that were not made for them.
Do not look over your shoulder for approval. They can’t grant your mission. Young dogs look back for approval. But not us. Not women.
Patriarchy has ruled for thousands of years. And we’ve padded along beside them. But not now. Now we must grow our own instincts. A red STOP sign should flash in our heads whenever we notice ourselves mistaking patriarchy for truth. Stop. We have another vision for the world. Be like the wisteria vine. Wisteria can find an unattended barn with mighty oaken beams — and can pull it to the ground.
There are meditation practices where one is instructed that, when the mind wanders, to gently bring a mantra back into focus. Don’t yank your mantra back. Don’t fill yourself with negativity, rage. When you notice you’re falling for patriarchal reasoning gently bring your mind back. This isn’t truth, this is a devised reality that you don’t have to believe. You don’t need a prince’s kiss to enter here, you must only recognize you’re a woman. And that women have a power all their own.
I can’t say what this power is, but that it lived in the Women’s March. That we can bond easily with each other. We don’t need football games to roar. We can just roar.
So roar.
And bring your mind back gently to women’s truth. Which is your truth. Don’t fight their way. Join hands and be a vine.