More awesome women

This time about health and body image stuffs.

First, Kendal talks about gaining weight, losing weight, being healthy and getting strong and removing all the taboos that have been placed on food and loving herself no matter what size.

"This weight loss story is different.  I don’t hate the pounds that I shed.  I don’t think I have “let myself go”.  This isn’t a punishment.  It’s a revelation.  Time to get moving." ~read more

Then, Haley Morris-Cafiero writes about photo-documenting how strangers react to her in public places, the dismissive way people interact with those around them who are overweight.

"I suspect that if I confronted these narrow-minded people, my words would have no effect. So, rather than using the attackers’ actions to beat myself up, I just prove them wrong. The camera gave me my voice." ~ read more

Finally, Sandra Wickham's most Health Ally post: Guilt (What is it good for?) Absolutely Nothing. Can't even tell you how much I needed to read that this morning.

"Don’t let one missed workout or eating something you know you shouldn’t have sabotage the rest of your efforts! Here’s what happens. You feel the guilt, you feel terrible about yourself. You feel like you failed. You get down on yourself and sometimes give up, permanently....OR we try and overcompensate. “I ate that food I wasn’t supposed to, I’m going to eat nothing but vegetables tomorrow.” That never works out and isn’t good for you. “I missed a workout, I’m going to do two workouts tomorrow!” If you actually do both workouts in one day, you end up over trained, extremely tired or injured and that interferes with continuing to your goals." ~read more

Just had to put these all in one place here mostly for my own benefit. I've been dangerously underweight and I've been significantly overweight. I'm currently training for a second marathon. I rock climb every week. I eat healthy.  I like good food. And I struggle, a lot, with body image, and wonder if that will ever go away. Just one of those things.

awesome women

(just a random collection of awesomeness I've recently run across.)

Theodora Goss blogs about magical women:

"...They make the world more magical, show me the parts of it that are magical, in case I’ve forgotten... To the arts in some form, specifically to the mythic in arts, and to arts that change the world. I think it takes a great deal of courage to be one of the people who tries to change the world in some way — I’ve heard too many people say that they’re not trying to change the world, that they’re just trying to entertain (particularly in their writing). But that’s the point of that? If you’re not trying to change the world, what are you doing, and why? I mean, doesn’t the world need changing?" ~read more 

Shanna Germain talks about turning 41:

"You climb to the pinnacle of this mountain. There: You’ve learned something about yourself. How to love or be loved. How to let go. How to hold on. How to dress. A little confidence. How to hold your heart in your hand and give it to someone else. How to ask for help.
Down the other side. Broken. You forget what you’ve learned. You sit in the shade of the valley for a long time. Wet, cold, hungry and pissed off. You’re trying damnit. Why doesn’t the world make it easier? Fuck this.
Eventually your ass is wet and you get up again. Start up the other mountain. Those things you learned join you like torpedos, like jet packs, like best friends, like the perfect tools. You learn, you discover, you ask with the echo of your voice through the sky and sometimes you get answers." ~read more

Rosalind Robertson discusses 21 things to help keep you shit together when you're depressed:

No. 5 is "Pick up a paintbrush, a pencil, an activity you got joy from in the past and re-explore that.  Or, sign up for the thing you always wanted to try. There is a long history and link between depression and creativity. It’s a bright light of this condition, so utilize it to your best advantage."

No. 18 is "Simple exercise, if you can. It can be something as simple as taking the stairs up a flight, or walking around the block. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, it doesn’t have to involve climbing a mountain or running a marathon. Baby steps." ~read more 

Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin designed an invisible bike helmet.


The Invisible Bicycle Helmet | Fredrik Gertten from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.


Finally, this is an old one. but I love it. Amanda Palmer, in my mind

"The Thing About Things" (AFP)

Amanda Palmer has a new song out. You can listen to it here, (lyrics here).

This part~>

"i can carry everything i need in one collapsing suitcase
i can carry everyone i love in one phone application
built to optimize the facetime with the ties i’m bent on making
actually i want to be alone
to mourn the loss
of what this cost
i collected you but now you are all lost" ~more

That part hits close.

(And this....

"the thing about things is that they can start meaning things
nobody actually said...
and if you’re not allowed
to love people alive
then you learn how to love people dead" ~more

 Struggling, lately, with being able to feel much.)

But then there's this:  a murmuration of starlings. (And I do start to feel something.)  

women praying in Gen Conf.

So. this is kind of crazy. A woman praying in General Conference.

I mean, it's been due for a long time. Seriously, like forever. And was specifically the topic of a petition earlier this year (tho church leadership merely titters about prayer assignments were given way before that. Silly petition-signers.)

My sister-in-law texted me this morning, so excited when Elder Utchdorf announced the name of the individual giving the benediction. I just smiled and said "I know :)"  But it actually brought up all sorts of conflicting and intense feelings for me.

I've mostly removed myself from Mormon issues.  Ceased banging my heart against a monolithic organization, unhitched my hopes and dreams from the proclamations of a quorum of octogenarian men in suites. I have better things to focus on now than weeping in joy over baby-step crumb-throwing. (Yeah, that sounds bitter. I know.)

Just last week I received the double good news that some of my art would be featured in the upcoming Spectrum 20 annual. And also that I was nominated for a Hugo award in the fan art category. The collection of geek erotica that I helped put together is fresh off the presses. And I am two thirds of the way through a training program for my second marathon. In other words... there's just other stuff I think about more right now.

I am honestly happy about the steps any group takes towards equality. I am happy that there are Mormon women out there with a bit more hope (or relief, or validation) in their hearts now because of that 1:57 min prayer.  I'm glad to still be in a position to be somewhat aware of these events when they happen.

This used to be such a huge thing for me.  I hope that it's some sort of progress (or something) that I just no longer feel any personal attachment to these events.