What Good Women Shouldn't Be

For the past two weeks, I have felt depleted.

Exhausted. Fuzzy-brained. Emotional. Drained. Down.

Not sure of the cause, but probably the combination
of inadequate rest and new, challenging work.

And the one emotion that often nags at me
when I feel this way
is an almost imperceptible bit of guilt.

Yes. Guilt.


Because through the years, we learn a lot of ridiculous ideas
that life tries to reinforce to us as truth.

And one of those ridiculous ideas that life has tried to sell me is:

Good women shouldn't feel bad.

Have you ever felt that?!

Good women (or men) shouldn't feel down,
shouldn't get crabby,
shouldn't make errors,
shouldn't feel overwhelmed,

should always be at the top of their game,
always play it cool,
always be perfectly polite,
always be---

good. 
  
Trying to perform flawlessly on the job even after extreme insomnia.
Trying to laugh when I need to cry because I don't want to be one of those women
that men complain about being "moody" or "cranky."
Trying to hold it together when the world seems to be saying,
"Falling apart is not allowed---at least not for YOU."

Exhausting.

But sometimes our best option is allowing ourselves to simply be

tired,
broken,
irritable,
emotional,
sensitive,
frustrated,
grumpy,
confused,
discouraged,
angry,
upset---
human.

Because human is what we are, not superheroes.

And the emotions we consider less than ideal
are just as legitimate and as necessary as our more enjoyable ones.

What has life told you that good women or good men should or shouldn't be?