Oppression looks differently, but it still exists.

The following is addressed to females (obviously). But guys, you can aid in restoring the dignity that’s been lost…

How might it have been different for you if, on your first menstrual day, your mother had given you a bouquet of flowers and taken you to lunch, and then the two of you had gone to meet your father at the jeweler, where your ears were pierced, and your father bought you your first pair of earrings, and then you went with a few of your friends to get your first lip colouring; and then you went,
for the very first time,
To the Women’s Lodge,
To learn
The wisdom of women?
How might your life be different?
--Judith Duerk, Circle of Stones
(Minus the bit about lipstick and jewelry defining femininity)

In a day where Emotions are down-played, women are taught from a young age that their menstrual cycles and femininity breed irrationality. Tampon ads such as, “Out of sight, out of mind” foster us to believe the lie that life may be continued during menstruation as though nothing were different. Little do we know that our ignorance of our bodies and intuition is exactly what causes our emotional roller-coasters, proving our “irrationality” true.

I know that every female reading this right now knows what I am talking about when I say that every emotion you experience has some sort of significance. For those of you who don’t sort through your emotions and thoughts on a regular basis, you probably feel like a basket-case when you are on your period and have frequently used it as justification for your “unreasonable” behavior.

But when we begin to look at the significance of our fatigue and tenderness of heart that comes pre-menstrually, we see a unique sort of intuition the woman has to offer the world. In the words of Christiane Northrup (M.D.):

Premenstrually, the veil between the worlds of the seen and unseen, the conscious and the unconscious, is much thinner…the premenstrual phase is therefore a time when we have greater…ability to recognize and transform the difficult and painful areas of our lives.

If we let ourselves retreat, rest, and be fully honest to confront what comes and analyze what it is that‘s taking place, wisdom is unleashed not only in our own lives, but the lives of those around us.

So let yourself rest. Let your mind wander. Experience your intuition fully. And set aside time to think before you speak. But whatever you do, don't neglect your femininity.

The world needs your attunement to what's taking place.

It's been a long time since I've been so excited to see my brothers.

Recently I've found myself running from boys, both directly and indirectly. So long as interactions are few and far between and/or not too sustained, I'm fine. But when they turn to day-in and day-out interactions, I flee. And I can't decide if this is good or bad.

Perhaps it is because I have tried to have healthful friendships with boys in the past and screwed up badly. Or perhaps I fear of getting into another relationship because it's the last thing I'm looking for right now.

I just don't really know how to have healthy, sustained, close friendships with boys anymore.

For whatever reason, I am unsettled.

Some days, I wish we could go back to the days where we all run around like crazy and boys think girls are gross so I didn't have to the think about the pressure of marriage, which I am far from ready for.

But I find myself a contradiction when I hear of close friends getting married, for it brings me so much joy to hear their stories.

...No, this entry does not have a conclusive thought :)

The TRUTH about popping your back.

So we've all heard people debate about whether popping your back is good for you or not. Well, I've got the answer. More like my Natural doc has the answer.

When you pop your back, the ligaments surrounding your spinal column are actually SPRAINED. Ironically, this is what causes the discomfort that urges you to pop your back in the first place.

Short term effects? Minor.
Long term? Back problems.
Experience minor pains already and frequently pop your back? Perhaps this is why.

So what's the alternative? Spinal stretches and strength training.
Great yoga stretches for the spinal column: Cobra, Cat, Cow, Downward dog, Bridge, and many others. Cobra is my favorite. And yes--if you are unfamiliar with yoga--those are the actual names.

Stretching to release toxicity and align muscles/ligaments is a much better route.

This is a sad discovery as I pop my own back (and am quite skilled at it) nearly everyday at LEAST once. However, I look forward to being able to tell you how much greater it feels to have a strong, well knit back with ligaments perfectly in place.

All this to say: Sorry, I will no longer be of service to pop your back :)

Wedding Dress (Derek Webb)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvQRd7D9BDM

Ghandi's words sting deep: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

So do Christ's: "So you must be careful to do everything (the Pharisees) tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach" (Matthew 23:3).

I, too, am guilty.

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."

While sitting in Moe’s Kitchen (a healthy & delicious restaurant in Green Hills) for several hours earlier today, my pen rapidly began to scribble down the cries of my heart.

There have been phases in life when I have questioned the act of prayer; how and why we speak in order to somehow communicate with God--a "being" that even the best theologians struggle to articulate concrete statements about. Over the course of time, I have found myself in several different roles in relation to the act of prayer: the one being prayed for, the pray-er, the by-stander in the presence of a group where prayer is taking place, the doubter as people pray; the list goes on…

But the more time goes on, the more convinced I am of how powerful it is.

Particularly when we speak or write words with very identifiable questions/claims/praises/proclamations etc., unexplainable things take place. Even when "answers" do not look as we expect them to, prayer ALWAYS sparks revolution and healing; in one way or another. It is often only in hindsight that we see the ways that God reveals Himself. And it’s REMARKABLE to review the way life unfolds itself in correlation to prayer.

It is only as I have been away from home for a couple of years and reminisce through journals of the past that I recognize the depth of this truth in my own life...

I have seen the "impossible" become reality TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME.
...Why am I so quick to forget?

bALaNce...

"Balance is Beautiful"
--Miyoko Ohno--

"Balance is the enemy of art"
--Richard Eyre--

"Every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it"
--George Santayana--

Slowing down is difficult.

Without a doubt, I should be sleeping. At 10 I could have collapsed into bed due to lack of sleep, but for whatever reason I am sitting in front of the computer four hours later. I even canceled plans with good friends so I could go to bed, yet here I sit.

This summer has been an attempt to reverse the unhealthy patterns that have begun in my life. At several points throughout the past year, I have come to the realization that if I don't learn to slow down, I will crash (While this seems obvious, I had to learn the hard way). I realize there are many physical things I am dependent on that cannot be ignored.

Air. Food. Rest. Sight. Hearing. Taste. Touch. Smell. Other people's contributions to life.
All things I am very dependent on.

There is a lot of beauty in the fact that I have no control over many things (air, the actual growth of food, the art of seeing, etc.). These things serve to remind me that life does not and CANNOT come from myself. However, there are also a great deal of things in life which I have an element of responsibility to take care of, whether it be through taking care of my health by eating and sleeping, allowing my mind to stop so I remember that I am human, or taking care of the environment which represents some of where life comes from.

As basic as it sounds, I have been confronted anew with the fact that I do not always treat the life that's been given to me with respect. I quickly forget that I am dependent and assume I have no limitations.

False. From headaches to fatigue to having worms in my stomach for several months, I was forced to slow down for awhile. With iron deficiency and a nutrient robbed body, it has required patience to build back up the health I once knew. But now that I am feeling better, I find it is exceptionally difficult to maintain that healthy pace of life.

All that to say, this summer has been a very deliberate attempt. And it hasn't been easy.

Consciously backing away even from volunteering and some of the things I love most, I realize its hard to admit life goes on without you; that needs are still being met when you aren't there. And while I miss it, and know that there will be a day (hopefully soon) where I find myself in some of those same places again, I also recognize how much healing is taking place.

And, I see where it's not. But, the summer's not over yet. And neither is my life.

Oh, the joy of finding balance.