A woman lived in a village, waiting for a man to purchase her as a wife from her father. She was known to be the most ugly woman in the village, and her father thought he’d be lucky if someone paid him just one cow for her.
Johnny said he wanted her for his wife. The town thought he was joking. But he brought 8 cows with him to trade for his bride-to-be. Everyone was shocked, no woman in the village had ever been bought for more than 4 cows. Everyone laughed at Johnny, thinking he had ripped himself off by buying the village “ugly woman” for 8 cows.
After the honeymoon, when Johnny returned to the village, no one recognized his wife. She was SO BEAUTIFUL. So graceful. So radiant. So kind. So wild. So self embodied. No one thought this could be the same listless woman he had purchased for 8 cows.
When Johnny was asked, “what happened?” Johnny replied, “It was the cows! Think of what it must mean to a woman. Her future husband meeting with her father to discuss the lowest price for which she can be bought. And later, when the women of the village gather, they boast of what their husbands paid for them. Three cows, or five! How does she feel, the woman who was sold for one or two? This could not happen to my Mahana.”
“Johnny,” replied the man who was questioning him, “I’ve misjudged you. I thought you were thinking only of how important you would look to your friends paying 8 cows for a wife. I didn’t know you wanted to make Mahana happy.”
“More than happy, Mr. Harris.” Responded Johnny, “I wanted her to BE an 8 cow woman. Many things can happen to make a woman beautiful. The thing that matters most is what SHE thinks of herself.”
“I see,” said Mr. Harris. “In her fathers hut, Mahana believed she was worth nothing.”
“Yes,” continued Johnny. “Now she knows she is worth more than any other woman on the island.”
This is an old story that I heard when I was a young teenager. This year, I have rewritten that story for myself.
I have paid the 8 cows for MYSELF. 🐄
I have invested in MYSELF more than I have ever invested. More than ANY WOMAN IN MY FAMILY has ever invested in herself.
The amount doesn't really matter. Because every time I have invested in myself, it's been more than before, and it's always required faith. It's already more than any woman in my family ever invested in herself.
I share this story with you to encourage you not to wait for your father, or future husband, to invest in you. Pay the 8 cows YOURSELF and watch it blow your limitations out of the water. The dollar amount doesn't matter. There are many ways to invest in. yourself. Time, money, energy, the list goes on. I want to encourage you to just invest.
Watch yourself become the most supported woman you know. The most beautiful woman you know. The most peaceful woman you know. The most successful woman you know.The most self-embodied woman you know.
You are worthy of investing in, and you are the BEST investment you'll ever make.
YOU are an 8 cow woman, darling. 💋