The Laughing Woman: Stepping into Courage

And the wolf creature begins to breathe. And still La Loba sings so deeply

that the floor of the desert shakes,

and as she sings, the wolf opens its eyes, leaps up,

and runs away down the canyon.

Somewhere in its running…

the wolf is suddenly transformed into a laughing woman who runs free

toward the horizon.

--Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With the Wolves

This is the 12th and final post in the Journey to Truth Series.

March 15, 2024:

A few weeks later, I turned away from the place I’d called home for far too long, the place where I had overstayed my welcome. And followed the stars to my true north.

There was a feeling of mourning, of bereftness, and of longing about it all. But there was also a sense of peace, too.

It took strength, great strength, to say “I am leaving,” and to mean it. To actually walk away. To walk into an unknown life. And it devastated him.

It devastated me, too.

I found a place. It was small, but it was shiny and new. A place for me. Just me. Well, and the dog. And the cat.

I would love to say that the girl lived happily after, but that’s not how it went. Two years later she is getting there. But the road has been bumpy. Filled with unexpected land mines: Sadness. Anger. Rage.

Devastating heartbreak.

But then one day the sun rose in her heart and she smiled. And she opened her eyes, leapt up, and ran down the canyon (also known as India). And somewhere in her running…she was transformed into the laughing woman who ran free toward the horizon.

The End (For now)