In Act 4, Scene 5 of Hamlet, Ophelia remarks, “They say the owl was a baker’s daughter. Lord, we know what we are, but not what we may be.” She inspired my first blog and I recently feel inspired to live her quote more fully.
The Baker’s Daughter is a state of mind, a way of being, and a point of reference for all women. She might also (quite possibly) be a force of nature. She is the combination of all that I am, an amalgam of the six dimensions below.
Living as a single woman and a solo mother for the majority of my adult life, my identity has formed around these dimensions: willingly and unwillingly, intentionally and accidentally. As much as the Baker’s Daughter is me (at my best and at my worst), I suspect that parts of her are also you.
So, who is a Baker’s Daughter?
She earns: She is a self-sufficient, financially independent, woman who supports herself, her family, and her lifestyle, because she is a boss babe.
She burns: She is an athletic, competitive woman who prioritizes a strong, fit body and mind, because she is a bad ass.
She dates: She entertains healthy romantic relationships with high standards, low expectations, and firm boundaries, because she is a queen bee.
She dares: She pushes the limits of conventional living, wanting a bigger bolder life for herself and for others, because she is a free spirit.
She loves: She raises and adores her children, alone, with a boundless love that inspires her to be better, because she is a solo mom.
She lives: She goes out into the world in pursuit of herself, knowing who she is while wanting to discover all that she may be, because she is a baker’s daughter.
On their own, each of these dimensions might seem ordinary, but their combination can make a woman extraordinary. And aren’t we all waiting for someone, or something, extraordinary to happen?
Indeed, the world is in desperate need of happy, strong, generous, confident, and smart women to be among us, setting it passionately on fire, one ordinary moment at a time.
