Good day, ladies of Hive, I hope we’re all doing great. Happy fifth anniversary to us all,.
What song or piece of music would you dedicate to the ladies of Hive at our anniversary, and what makes it meaningful?
A few days ago, when I was tagged and invited by hiver @omoomowess01 to participate in this contest, I immediately concluded I wouldn’t participate. Honestly, I didn’t have any genuine reason not to, and it certainly wasn’t because I wasn’t happy about the five-year journey of LOH. In fact, I was truly happy; it’s been five years of women supporting women, contrary to the narrative that we are our own enemies.
It has been five years of changing perceptions about women and finding hundreds of like-minded women in a space that has given us endless possibilities to go beyond our dreams. I was happy, yes, but I just didn’t feel inspired to participate until this morning.
I woke up with severe menstrual pains at dawn, and while trying to find some comfort, a song suddenly dropped in my heart, Woman by Stephanie Rainey. As I listened, it dawned on me that someone here in LOH might need the words of this song as a reason to keep fighting.
My favourite part of the song goes like this:
“You are a warrior, a fighter, a survivor, a miracle, and you have shown me what it means to be a woman. And all the strength you have shown through all that life has thrown. You told me love yourself, never give up. When I was down, you made me get up, and all my pride was gone, but you made my heart feel strong, and all the best in me has grown from what I see. I hold myself like a mountain from all the ways you have shown me what it means to be a woman.”
This part resonates deeply with me, and I believe it will with many of us here, too.
Ladies, we in this community have thrived, set new standards, and broken barriers despite all that life has thrown our way. You’ll agree with me that wearing the shoes of our gender or operating in our roles wherever we are in the world comes with unique challenges. But through it all, we have weathered storms, humbled obstacles, carved our own paths, and taken control of our world despite the limitations around us.
Was it easy? Not at all. But that’s the strength of a woman, as Shaggy, one of my all-time favourite musicians, once sang in Strength of a Woman.
Yet here we are, still pushing through, setting records straight, and paying the price so our daughters may thrive more easily than we did. I am super proud to be a woman and a part of this beautiful LOH community. And if I were to bring any song to this anniversary table, though I’m a reggae fan, it would still be "Woman" by Stephanie Rainey.
I’ll leave us with this: let’s learn to love ourselves more. Self-love is not selfish or weak; it is strength.
I wish us greater heights, financial freedom, renewed mindsets, deeper self-love, and, above all, health and wellness so that we can keep advancing this community's vision.
Happy fifth anniversary to us all! 🥂 Cheers.