The past two weeks have been eye-opening in many ways for me. I watched the documentary "Miss Representation" a few weeks ago, and the experience caused me to be very introspective. The film, involving teenage girls and boys, entertainers, journalists, politicians, activists, and educators, discusses how our media has both shaped and influenced our society to believe that women should be valued by their beauty, youth, and sexuality. Because women are seen as objects, they (we) are prevented from being seen as leaders. It is an amazing film and I truly recommend it to all genders. I don't know where or when I exactly learned to dislike parts of my appearance, but similar to many women, I too harbor an unhealthy body image. My legs are too... and my nose is too... and sometimes my hair just won't... The film reminded me of my favorite Regina Spektor song, "Folding Chair" (whether you know it or not... you can access it on youtube and enjoy... like all of her songs, it is pretty, bubbly, and melodic). Part of the song's lyrics are: "I've got a perfect body, though sometimes I forget; I've got a perfect body, cause my eyelashes catch my sweat". It is a friendly reminder to me, that my body is as it should be and I should stop comparing it to... anyone else. Because Regina is right, my body is perfect, and my eyelashes can work as a constant reminder to that truth. My yoga instructor also reminds me of this every time I attend class, when she says, "Think of all of the things that your body does for you and take the time to thank it." Thank you body... for all you do.
On another, yet similar, note, Pete and I visited my grandparents on Orcas Island over the last weekend. It was a splendid trip. The weather was sunny, but cold, and was the perfect presence among the beautiful reds and golds of the trees. It is a true paradise there, and seeing it in autumn just enhanced its attributes for me. While there, my grandfather showed me all of the work he has done in tracking our family's genealogy. He shared stories of my ancestors/relatives, and showed me the family tree he has created on his computer. The experience was very astounding for me. Before me was a diagram of all of the relatives that I have had and the many steps and years it took just to get to me. I was a part of the blueprint. It may seem a stretch to some, but this moment directly related to my introspection from seeing "Miss Representation". How could I dislike any part of my appearance when it is an elaborate combination of all of these people. I am exactly who I should be... nothing more and most certainly, nothing less.
And to loving my body from the inside out... our second organics box was delivered today. From the previous one, I made a homemade pumpkin soup (with leeks, kale, and onion). It was absolutely delicious and inspired us to continue with the deliveries. Today's box came with apples, pears, squash, Brussels sprouts, leeks, beets, chard, spinach, and carrots (Miles and I split a carrot from the box when I opened it and the taste immediately took me back to my family's first house where we had our own garden, and as children, Dana and I would pull the carrots from the ground, wipe the dirt off on our pants, and enjoy!). I am currently enjoying a Honey Crisp apple... and my god, this may be the best apple I have ever eaten. And by "currently enjoying", what I mean to say is, I took a bite, started typing, looked at the apple as I slowly swallowed the first bite and all of its juices, and ceased typing until the apple was finished (it probably took all of two minutes... yum!). I am already looking forward to this week's cooking concoctions.
Here are some photos from our Orcas trip. Note the laugh lines on my face~
they are perfect!
~30's the new 20!
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