There is a long winding country road between my house and my grandmother’s. When I drive it, I roll the windows down and open the sunroof and let the wind wash my worries away. As the blues and greens of the mountains roll by, I marvel at all the little houses, some quite old, and the small farms, and the birds who keep themselves busy near the road.
It’s a paved two lane road nearly the whole time, save this one particular patch of road which is dirt and a little more narrow. I press the breaks and slowly drive that piece of road, always noticing the nice corn & tomatoes crops growing on the flat land near the road, and sometimes, I even catch a glimpse the couple who lives there, tending the crops. I imagine they’ve been tending those crops together for 50 years, then say a silent prayer that my husband and will be side by side, and as vital and engaged with the Earth when we are their age.
Before long the dirt road turns to pavement again and I press the gas to continue on. I’ve always wondered about that patch of dirt road.
My husband came home from the Farmer’s Market recently, bursting: Babe, you know that little patch of dirt road, right near where the little old couple lives? I have a story you are gonna love!
Apparently, years ago, as with so many now-paved roads, that long and winding country road had been all dirt. As with so many now-paved roads, this change was decided, by people who did not live on that road.
The story goes that when the paving machines reached the edges of her home, Doris laid her body down on the road and would not budge. No matter what machines hovered over her, no matter who came to try and “reason” with her, there she laid – rain or shine, day in, day out.
Until eventually, the city gave up and worked around her and her property.
Go Doris.
Now I don’t know exactly what it was that bothered Doris about the pavement, but I can make a few guesses. Doris probably didn’t want cars speeding by her home, making noise, putting birds and animals and kids in danger. Maybe she didn’t want the hard pavement plastered over the face of land she obviously loved so much. Maybe she saw the world trying to make everything faster and easier and she said, Not here, not on my little patch of Earth. Maybe Doris knew something about the pace of nature.
I think about Doris a lot, especially recently. There is so much happening in this world, decided by people so disconnected from land and place, so committed to empire which has an insatiable hunger for faster, more, now, that makes me feel like laying my body down in the road and saying No.
There is a line in Women Who Run with the Wolves that reads:
If you have yet to be called an incorrigible, defiant woman, don’t worry, there is still time. As we talk about in
Circle Leader Training quite a lot – many misunderstand where the defiance of a wild woman is rooted. A mature Wild Woman is not rebellious for the sake of causing a fight, for fun or for sport, a mature Wild Woman is an Earth protector, who lives by a value set in alignment with nature. Her defiance has more to do with consciously and courageously
protecting what she loves than fighting for fighting’s sake. Her defiance is sacred and rooted in the body of the Earth, making it a formidable force.
We forget our power sometimes. We let our want to not upset or disappoint anyone get in the way of wielding it.
Inside us all lives the spirit of Doris, who knows what she loves and values, and who as Dr. Estes writes, is willing to stretch out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.
Be Doris.
I love this story of Doris! I wish I could say there are so many things I would lay down for but in truth the only thing or beings would be my children. Sadly I think I have become numb to the pushing and pulling of the world. I watch and I cry for the land we devour and the air we pollute and feel helpless. I believe we have lost our humanity and our connection to all that is living and feeling and being. I desire to be a Doris kind of woman.
I’m so glad you love Doris’ story, K Richelle!
And thank you for sharing. ♥️
A Mother’s love of her children is one the most powerful forces on Earth ~ you never know what that love may inspire.
xo
I will always protect my daughter no matter how old we get. I will always stand up for (lay down for) and protect people in my life, known or unknown, where I see signs of inhumanity or injustice taking place. I’ve done this for many years, many times since I was very little. They call it going against the grain. I can’t and won’t go with the grain when the grain is going in the wrong direction.
Big Hooowwwllls to you, Desiree. ♥️ thank you for sharing!
I love this post so much. An incorrigible, defiant woman I consider myself, proud of it. Women in the world are empowering much and much more. Miriam
HELL YES DORIS.
I have needed this reminder! I am so grateful. All of the love to you and every other defiant woman. xoxo
hoooowwwlll! May the Doris be with you ♥️
Thank you for the story of Doris! I really needed a ‘boost’ today and it sure provided it. Bless you and all TWWP does. Look forward to the 28th!
Yay, Rose! Can’t wait to be together for Wild Woman School! ♥️
Thanks! I needed that!
Namaste
Namaste, Linda ♥️
Go Dorris! Reading that story brought tears to my eyes. I felt her determination in my bones! I will always fight for and protect my nephews, my dog, the little piece of land I own, and the patients I am privileged to care for when they are at their weakest and most vulnerable.
Beautiful, Kristina! ♥️ xoxo
In this moment, now, what flows up when I consider what I value so much that I’d protect it… first, are my daughter, my fur babies, my loved ones; next is all of our rights to be respected, welcomed, and supported being wholly ourselves, as openly as each of us wants to be; next is also the valuing, welcoming, and promoting of diversity and equality for all; and I’ll end with this last one, which is the re-valuing in all the world of the true, ancient, feminine and the embracing of her ways. Thanks for this question and place to share and process; highly valuable to try to articulate what’s in my heart in response to your question! I look forward to being complimented as an incorrigible, defiant woman. <3
Thank you for your rich share, Tara! ♥️♥️♥️
SUCH powerful, lovely words Chris. Feel it in my heart – thank you.
I’m so glad, Joanna! Thanks for reading and sharing ♥️
Wow, what a story. I imagine the fear I would have had to actually lay myself in front of men driving big heavy machines. Would they value me enough to not just run me over? If my skin color were darker would they? It’s very scary the level of violence that’s possible and it’s very powerful to hear how a simple act of such literal earth love could stop “progress” in its tracks. Yay for incorrigible women loving what is precious and showing it in their actions. The only thing for sure I know I could muster that kind of fierceness for is my daughter. And maybe any proposed clearcutting of me beloved forestlands in these mountains. It’s good to hear your voice again Chris. I will be tuning in more as the summer closes.
I have been called a defiant woman because I tend to protect my alone time like a lion.
I love my husband dearly but believe its my right and my duty to nurture my soul. And to do that I need daily doses of alone time where I can meditate, journal, do yoga, walk, kayak, read, or hang with a girlfriend etc. He adores me but doesn’t understand my need for time to myself so occasionally it becomes an issue between us. But I keep doing what I need to do to honor my soul and just try to let him know that it has nothing to do with my feelings for him!
Thanks for sharing, C ♥️
I will always advocate for myself when my gut knows what maybe can’t be seen so easily ♡
For the vulnerable and the lone. For the sorrow and yet brave. For the little eyes still bright with hope and innocence ✨️
For encouragement and self love, justice and honesty.
The young and the old.
Depth and light.
Laughter and warmth.
The balance of nature holding me tight.
I will love and value all these things the rest of my life.
I’m becoming more grounded as each day passes, in knowing what I will not waver on. To name a few…
My health.
My truth.
My choice.
My freedom.
Thank you for this full moon offering, Chris <3
xx
Beautiful, Tany ♥️
I have been thinking much lately on the theme of “doing the work at hand.” Sometimes I find myself wishing for a more glorious and noble work to do. Something that will garner some sort of positive and generous comments from people I am only barely acquainted with. Then there is the part of me that knows this is ego and hubris. It is just as likely to build my sense meaning and positive impact on the world to do the work at hand without the desire for any recognition. I may not be able to impact large bureaucratic government entities or systems, but I know I can impact the lives of the people I see face to face everyday. And the impact I have on my immediate environment may never be mine to know.
Heard and felt, Jessica. ♥️ Thank you for sharing. xo
This is a great story. I have spent most of my life being unafraid to stand up and speak up for any injustice – marginalized people, the Earth, any one or any thing that needs a voice to say “no” for them. It’s funny, a male friend wrote in my senior yearbook way back in 1983, “For someone with such a soft voice, you sure have a lot to say. Don’t ever let them silence you.” It’s probably my Libra moon in my 9th house that has always led me to be okay saying the unpopular in standing for something or someone.
I have become equally defiant and incorrigible for holding fast to the healthy boundaries I have spent decades building from a healing place. My mother was my first narcissist, and I lived most of my life believing I was unworthy of boundaries. My family today really struggles with my boundaries. I am the “black sheep” of the family because I have stepped beyond circle of secrecy to heal. I protected my own daughters from that circle of secrecy, and I will never go back, no matter what anyone thinks of me.
Thank you for this piece and the remembering of purpose that it gave me in this moment.
Cheryl, I hear you and relate so much to your post.
I relate, I hear you, I understand and support you.
Stay strong.
Much love,
Desiree
Thank you so much for articulating this for us, Cheryl ♥️
I would protect my dog Maisy because she is what I love most in this world above everyone or anything. I love Doris story and how she protected her own piece or Earth …. Imagine if we all did that . There would
Be so much of Earth protected by people like Doris. And less takeover of the wounded masculine who desires remind me of the Devil Energy in the Tarot
Thanks so much for sharing, Paige. ♥️
From our shared garden on the property where I rent my apartment, there is a little gate which leads directly into the forest. Last summer, the janitor has put a big, shining padlock to the gate to keep it permanently shut. He has a fight with one of the tenants, who uses the gate to go out with her dog as I did myself everyday. When asked, he made up different stories and told lies about us dog-owners.
It made me angry and feeling oppressed and fenced in everytime, I saw the metal glistening! There was no talking to him, the most tenants are afraid of him and avoid any kind of contact anyway.
With the change of the property management, I brought this up again and two month later, the padlock was removed.
Many of my neighbours are so happy to be able to have direct access to the forest again and feel like this is a small victory over the attempts of this janitor showing and misusing his might.
Happy about my boldness and glad, that the new management seems to able to communicate at a decent level.
Way to go Doris! I would lay down to protect my land and my family. I will now think of this story every time I drive from pavement to dirt back to pavement on my road. Thank you for sharing this story.