LJ Idol Week 0: Introduction

[chasing_silver]

In Ojibwe culture, there are three life stages: the baby, the woman, and the crone.

It's not just a physical manifestation of life. You can be all of these stages at any given time, and you can be none of them, too. Age doesn't matter. It's about your ability to embody another point of view, and see through another's eyes. Only then do you actually gain the wisdom needed to embody the stage of life you are physically in.

I am a woman heading into the years of the crone. I'm forty-four years old. I am no longer fertile (not that I ever was), I have a child that I was blessed with through adoption, I am married.

I am also still, in so many ways, a baby.

I learn by going where I have to go, listening to who I need to listen to, and sometimes that wisdom doesn't hit me until it HITS me. I am a storyteller - that of my people, that of my experiences, that of experiences told to me. I've tried to run from it. I stopped writing for a long time. I ignored the need to write and it built up inside me as an unending longing that I couldn't satisfy in any other way. LJ Idol was a place I became a storyteller again. It was a place that the wisdom of many writers in many stages of life was given back to me. It was where I was reminded what my purpose is.

So I'm back, and I'm ready, and I'm fulfilling the wisdom passed down from countless faceless ancestors, people, folks I know, and folks I don't, to do this one more time.

The turning of the years, the turning of my hair, the turning of the seasons --

I'm ready.

Comments

[thephantomq]

Welcome back to Idol. <3 Looking forward to the wisdom you pass down through your stories.

[bleodswean]

You're back and you bring so much womanly goodness with you! Enjoy these "mother" years.

[ragnarok_08]

Wonderful, and I'm glad you're ready!

[muchtooarrogant]

The turning of the years, the turning of my hair, the turning of the seasons
Yikes, I hope this kind of honesty isn't an Idol requirement, or I'll have to change the name of my journal from Aimless Ramblings to Dan, graying and receding

Very glad your storytelling is back!

Dan

[shirebound]

You can be all of these stages at any given time, and you can be none of them, too. Age doesn't matter. It's about your ability to embody another point of view, and see through another's eyes. Only then do you actually gain the wisdom needed to embody the stage of life you are physically in.

Thank you so much for sharing this!

[xyla]

So happy you are back 🫂 I just love how you wrote this!

[warriorsavant]

Very interesting, wonderfully written.

In some European cultures, it's the young woman (i.e. fertile), the mother/woman (the nurturer), and the crone (wisdom bringer). Hectate, the Triple Goddess, can manifest any of them, or all of them at once. Similar idea.

[adoptedwriter]

Glad to have you with us!

[murielle]

Yes!

I'm so happy you're back. I look forward to many wonderful offerings of your wisdom.

Wishing you a fabulous season. ❤
M

[goldmourn]

ah, i loved this:

" I am a storyteller - that of my people, that of my experiences, that of experiences told to me. I've tried to run from it. I stopped writing for a long time. I ignored the need to write and it built up inside me as an unending longing that I couldn't satisfy in any other way"

I'm ready to read your entries!

[simplyn2deep]

This is such a beautiful way to introduce yourself. Not just by who you are, but by where you are in the process of becoming. I especially loved the idea that we can embody different stages of life at the same time, still learning while also carrying wisdom we’ve gained along the way.

And the line about LJ Idol being where you became a storyteller again really got me. There’s something special about returning to a place that helped you rediscover a part of yourself you thought you’d lost.

“The turning of the years, the turning of my hair, the turning of the seasons” is a lovely way to close this. Welcome back. I’m looking forward to your stories. ❤️

[bsgsix]

I recall your name, and with that, I say "welcome," because I always enjoyed your writing so very much.

I'm forty-four as well and no longer fertile (I was able to get pregnant, but not stay that way, with my one son as the ONLY exception of nine attempts). It's weird, to be the woman, and the baby - to have the wisdom and the "what do I know," all rolled into one.

But I think it's wisdom that tells us we cannot know everything - that wisdom, deep within, from our ancestors, from our peers, from the spirits of our pasts. And in that, we learn and change and grow.

I'm glad you're here, and ready at that. I'm looking forward to this season, and to writing alongside with you in our community here. <3

[gardeningatnight]

This was one of my favorite introductions -- it was short in length, but dense of content and meaning, and most especially reveals much about who you are, without you having to explicitly state it all.

[annofowlshire]

I love this <3 (And thanks for introducing me to LJ Idol.)

[purplepetrichor]

Welcome back to LJ Idol! I’m looking forward to whatever stories you share with us this season!

[alycewilson]

Hello again! I guess I'm also in the crone stage. I definitely see things differently than I did 10 or 25 years ago. All part of life's journey

[ofearthandstars]

I really appreciate (and can relate) to embodying all three of the stages at once. I also really appreciate how much you are able to pack into so few words. I'm looking forward to reading more from you. ♥

[inchoatewords]

It's interesting to think about being all of those stages at the same time. It makes sense.

[eeyore_grrl]

Welcome back. Storytelling is magical.

[essoku]

Funny how that wisdom can sneak up on you and just CLICK when you least expect it! Looking forward to reading you this season!

[halfshellvenus]

I'm glad you're joining us again this season. I look forward to reading your entries!

[wolfden]

Glad you are joining us this season.

[ryl]

I welcome the crone years. Care to join me in building a gingerbread house in the woods?

[jake67jake]

I too feel like a baby... Especially reading all these fantastic intros! I would think that you are going to do fine... Good luck!

[banana_galaxy]

Welcome back!

There are definitely times in my life where I feel like I am all of the baby, the woman, and the crone. Right now I might feel more like baby and crone? Baby because I'm still learning, and still engaging with my "childish" interests. Crone because of my attitude toward dating and finding it weird that men much younger than me appear interested in me because I feel so much older than them. Thanks for allowing me to think about that.

[penpusher]

I am very much looking forward to learning from your experiences, as you use your alchemy to turn those elements into the silver you'll present in your offerings for Idol.

[kandigurl]

Beautiful framing!