One of my friends had a really harrowing experience, or rather her husband did. He almost collapsed after lunch in a restaurant and had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance which some good Samaritans immediately called for because he was unaccompanied at the time.

At the hospital, a whole battery of tests were done but he was in perfect health on paper, just not able to stand or walk. My friend found out in the worst possible way when she called her husband back seeing his missed calls, and it was answered by a friend of his, who said her husband is admitted to the hospital.

A mother of two, working in a pretty hectic job for nearly a decade now, she is used to pressure. But nothing prepares you for a call like this. Still, she drew on unknown reserves of willpower and strength and went to the hospital with her toddler in tow.

She was there until the early hours of the morning, worried sick; with a completely annoyed and sleep-deprived toddler for company. Drinking in every tear and fear, she stoically waited until the doctors said her husband would be kept under observation a while longer. Later when they took him for an MRI scan, she accompanied him in the ambulance as well.

But this is not what my narrative is about. After she told me the entire tale, and I empathised with her, while admiring her courage and strength, she went on to tell me, “Indira, I’m very weak as a person”.

I was speechless. This woman has gone through the agony of childbirth, she has two daughters. She single-handedly manages the housework without any assistance. Her work life also involves keeping a calm head under immense pressure. I have never seen her raise her voice or get upset at work at anyone.

And somehow she had concluded that she’s a weak person. All because she wanted to cry every single moment of that ordeal. Another speechless moment for me. I don’t consider myself weak, and I cry all the time. And I’ve never associated a woman crying with weakness.

We are women, we don’t know to bottle up until the cork explodes and all the pent up emotions come up after thirty or forty years. We feel, we cry, we close, we move on!

I want to tell my friend, and every woman out there. Do not think of your tears as your weakness. They are in fact your strength. Because by venting your feelings, you give yourself space to absorb more. And without even realizing it, you become stronger with each passing incident. It’s a quiet strength. But it’s very much there. Don’t ever label yourself weak for it.

Author’s Note – This post originally appeared in SiyaWoman. The content has been slightly changed for relevance to present time. Republished with permission from SiyaWoman. Link to original post –http://www.siyawoman.com/a-womans-strength/