Becoming the 8 Cow Wife

Lately, I've been reading Folk Tales to my daughter. Even though she is too young to understand them, I know the sound of my voice soothes her, and I have enjoyed getting reacquainted with some of my favorite stories!

One of these stories is the story of the 8 Cow Wife. If you haven't read it before, you can read the full story here. I HIGHLY recommend it!!

The gist of the story is that on a Pacific Island far away, men traded cows for their wives. Most men paid between 3-5 cows for their wives, depending on their beauty. However one man paid eight cows (the highest number ever paid before) for a woman who was very homely, for a woman her Father would have given away for only one cow.

A man who was visiting went to the home of this couple, expecting to meet a woman who was not very pretty, but when he arrived he described the man's wife as "glorious". When he asked her husband where was the plain woman he was expecting, the husband went on to say that this was the same woman, but what changed her from the outside in was knowing that she was a woman who was worthy of 8 cows.

See, she was the same wife all along, but what changed her was realizing that she was worthy of the highest price that could be paid. This man wanted an 8 cow wife, but instead of finding a woman who was already beautiful, he simply paid 8 cows for the woman he already wanted, and she became it.

Even though its a fairy tale (and not a very feminist one at that), there is truth to this story. I have seen women who are struggling in their business, or have low self worth, but when you put them in an outfit they feel like a rockstar in, they change. They stand up a little straighter, put their shoulders back, and speak with more authority than they would have before. Sometimes, what is on the outside influences what's on the inside.

Who is a woman in your life who has all the raw material, but perhaps needs to invest in herself? Needs a bit of self care? Who could use some pampering? Maybe its you!

Can you think of someone?

My goal is to uplift women, and help them reach their full potential. Sometimes, the change starts on the outside. Lets work together.