Mamas who Run with the Wolves

I thought I was doing neither well nor badly. Just somehow neutral, caught in the cycle of everyday life as a working mother and wife. However, during sessions with other women and mothers, I realized that I can (and must) want more from life than cleaning the house, cooking, scheduling doctor’s appointments, arranging my child’s social activities, planning free time so that my child feels happy, and so on.

I realized that I am allowed to want everything — from a warm cup of coffee with a book, to a romantic relationship with my husband, to the realization of fulfilling projects. But it doesn’t happen overnight. First, I needed to reach into my deepest pains, fears, and the unknown corners of my soul.

The Mamas Who Run With the Wolves Erasmus+ Project made this possible for me. What captures it best is the experience of the first weekend:

On a damp autumn day, a group of women found themselves in a mysterious cave in the middle of Czech forests. Through a very beautiful and fulfilling process, they searched within themselves for the wild, spontaneous, and playful self they had suppressed for years. One of the women in the cave began to sing beautiful tones reminiscent of ancient Indigenous melodies. As she reached the highest note, her voice broke. Overwhelmed by strong emotion, she fell to her knees, hid her face in her hands, and cried — and cried.

Then, in a single second, she stopped. Still sobbing, she stood up and, with a slightly hoarse voice, continued exactly at the highest note she had left before falling to her knees.

For me, it was an immensely powerful moment. A symbol that even a crushed, sad, and exhausted woman can rise again and finish what she started. She can do what gives her meaning.

This project gave me hope that I can build better tomorrows. It gave me the support of women whose stories intertwine with and resemble my own. It gave me a sense of peace and a sense of my own importance. And it also gave me the determination to overcome fear and shame.

Project Reference: 2024-2-CZ01-KA210-ADU-000272374

It is our Erasmus+ project - co-financed by the European Union - that is all about supporting and uplifting mothers of small children from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. We know that motherhood can be both beautiful and challenging, so our project focuses on helping Moms feel stronger, more confident, and better connected—to themselves and to others

Zuzana Mažáryová

Myslela som si, že som sa nemala ani dobre ani zle. Skôr tak nejak neutrálne, v kolobehu každodenného života pracujúcej matky a manželky. Na sedeniach s inými ženami, mamami som však zistila, že ja môžem (a musím) chcieť od života viac ako upratovanie domácnosti, varenie, objednávanie lekárov, zabezpečovanie socializácie dieťaťa, plánovanie voľného času, aby dieťaťu bolo dobre a pod.

Zistila som, že môžem chcieť všetko od teplej kávy pri knihe, cez romantický vzťah s manželom až po realizáciu naplňujúcich projektov. Nejde to však zo dňa na deň. Najskôr som potrebovala načrieť do svojich najhlbších bolestí, strachov a nepoznaných zákutí svojej duše.

Projekt mama Mamas who Run with the Wolves Erasmus+ Project mi toto umožnil. Celkom najviac to vystihuje zážitok z prvého víkendu:

Počas vlhkého jesenného dňa sa skupina žien ocitla v tajomnej jaskyni uprostred českých lesov, aby veľmi krásnym a naplňujúcim procesom našla v sebe to divoké, spontánne a hravé ja, ktoré roky potláčala. Jedna zo žien v jaskyni začala spievať krásne tóny pripomínajúce staroindiánske melódie. V najvyššom tóne sa žene zlomil hlas a zo silnej emócie klesla na kolená a tvár si skryla do dlaní a plakala , a plakala. V jednej sekunde prestala a ešte vzlykajúc sa zodvihla a s mierne chrapľavým hlasom pokračovala v najvyššom tóne, ktorý zanechala pred spadnutím na kolená.

Pre mňa to bol nesmierne silný moment. Symbol toho, že aj zdrvená, smutná a unavená žena dokáže znovu vstať a dokončiť to, čo začala. Urobiť to, čo jej dáva zmysel.

Tento projekt mi dal nádej, že môžem budovať lepšie zajtrajšky. Dal mi podporu žien, ktorých príbehy sa prelínajú a podobajú tomu môjmu. Dal mi pocit pokoja, pocit vlastnej dôležitosti. A dal mi aj odhodlanie prekonať strach a hanbu.

Zuzana Mažáryová