We Can Do Hard Things

During one of the many moments through motherhood when I have felt out of my depth, a good friend told me, “We can do hard things.” That stuck with me and became a bit of a mantra. And through my own experience, and in hearing other women tell their stories, I’ve come to realize just how true those five little words are. Women are warriors. We can do hard things.

“I’m supposed to push this through that?!” I thought as I faced the realization that labour and delivery were fast approaching. “Surely there’s a better way!” But women have been doing this since we became a species; this is what we have evolved to do. Though no story is easy or complication-free, we get through it. We can do hard things.

It’s 6am on day I-don’t-know-how-many of little sleep. As I rinse off the nipple cream that I accidentally put on my toothbrush, I wonder how I will function today. We somehow manage to get by. We can do hard things.

Feeding and sleep are all of a sudden the most complicated things in the world. Feeding-pumping-sleeping schedules cycle through my head. At the same time, I start to understand just how much I can’t control. Everyone says, “trust your gut; you’ll know what to do,” but I wonder if I’m the only mother born without this intuition they speak of. I take a deep breath. We will figure it out. We can do hard things.

I remember fondly a time when I had strong abdominal muscles. I sure wish I hadn’t taken them for granted. I stare down the long road to recovery and getting my body back. It is dotted with hurdles like lack of sleep and time. But I’ve watched many women do it with patience and determination. We can do hard things.

I go back to work and wonder constantly if I’m making the right choice. Will my baby be ok? Then, will my business be ok? I wrap my head around changing hats, and as I strive to have a happy, healthy baby, a successful business, AND a clean house, I think... “Ha! Now we’ve taken this too far!”

Our challenges may look different, but whatever they may be, we are made to meet them. We have strength, grit, grace, humour and, above all, love. And when we run low, we can draw these things from others, from our tribe.

We are women. We are warriors. We can do hard things.