There’s a lot of truth to the old saying “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”. Although bad things happen, they (usually) won’t kill you and you can learn from it, heal, and by knowing how to deal with these emotions, come out stronger than you were before.
I have a friend who’s definitely what people would (and do) call a strong woman. She knows what she wants in life and isn’t afraid to go get it, yet is at the same time one of the most nurturing people I’ve ever met. She will carry your burden so you don’t have to.
Women like her are often taken for granted. And are the first to get mistreated. But here’s the deal:
Just because she won’t let you see her cry, doesn’t mean she doesn’t get hurt by what you do or say.
Just because she takes control in a stressful situation, doesn’t mean that she never needs to vent or sometimes even needs you to step up for her.
Just because you can always fall back on her, doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t like to have a shoulder to lean on from time to time.
And most importantly: just because she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, doesn’t give you the right to increase her burden.
I’ve seen this happen way too often to wonderful women all around me. They do it all. They have good careers, great friends, good looks, bright minds. In short: they have their sh*t together. Your quintessential strong woman. However, the men in their lives (and sometimes their friends) take them for granted. Textbook. She’s got it all covered, so they slack off. They don’t put in the effort to be an equal, a partner anymore. And you know why? “She can handle it. She’s strong.” And she’ll put up with it for a while. Until she decides she doesn’t want to anymore. And when she decides to cut you loose, there’s no coming back. And you know what? Once you’re left to your own devices, you’ll see how much she really did for you, how much you needed her for support. You’ll come back months later with promises of change, but you know what? You’re gonna be a dollar short and a day late.
*Afterthought* As I’ve told you guys before here, I generally take issue with the term “strong woman” as I think it implies that women are, by default, not strong. I use the term in this article anyway because I have a different point to make.