Still I Speak

I am well aware that there is no real “benefit” for a woman to be as opinionated as I am. In many spaces, being outspoken is not rewarded  it is questioned, softened, or made uncomfortable for others. There is a certain expectation that women should be agreeable, careful with their words, and easy to digest. Anything beyond that is often seen as too much.

But I don’t think I speak the way I do for approval or advantage. It feels more like something I can’t fully switch off an instinct to notice things, to question them, and to say them out loud when they don’t sit right with me. Even when silence would be easier, more accepted, or more convenient.

Maybe that’s what makes it feel like "doing it purely for the love of the game" Not because it is always comfortable, and not because it always benefits me, but because there is something honest about refusing to shrink my thoughts just to make them easier for others to receive.