Lily-of-the-Valley has enchanted me since I was a little girl.  A tiny, delicate, bell-shaped flower sprouting from the depths of Eastern European winters.  The unforgettable fragrance that science can only attempt to replicate. Lily of the Valley is like a woman, appears to be dainty, delicate, yet, if left unattended it can become an invasive plant to other plants around it. It is strong enough to be able to survive most winter temperatures and bloom in the spring and summer seasons. 

Regardless of age, women follow a similar rhythm of nature: the moon cycles, the seasons.  In Winter we go inward, nurturing our buds.  This is where self-care, warmth of tea, broths, baths cradle us and prepare for the bloom through darkness of the Winter season. If left unattended, we also become invasive, moody, unfulfilled. As March comes, we slowly (very slowly) start to awaken. If we’ve had proper care through the Winter, we feel the energy building up so that we can sprout, just like the fragrant, irresistible Lily of the Valley. 

On this March 8th, International Women’s Day, I am overjoyed with the possibilities of being a woman during this time in history. A woman is all the things the Lily of the Valley is (and more): dainty, fragrant, unstoppable, resilient, beaming with a life-force that is admirable and exhilarating. Today, I am pouring myself a special beauty tea (you’ll all have it soon, too), I am present, I am simply being. A woman. What a wonder we are.