Back in the Way Back
Hello, my childhood
Hey! How was your weekend?
Last week was school vacation for us, and our schedules were all over the place, but I managed to be productive and peaceful for most of the week. I’ve been thankful for more warm weather and opportunities to get out into the sun. It’s such a simple thing to take a long walk around the neighborhood or play tag with the kids in the backyard, but such activities are profoundly satisfying. As we settle into spring, I look forward to more opportunities to escape the relentless dishes and clutter and laundry in favor of bare feet on grass and the feeling of warm sun kissing my skin.
Recently, I found something unexpected hiding away in my attic. This morning on the blog I revealed what it was, but because of your VIP status, you get a look behind the curtain. Below, you will find an original poem I wrote more than two decades ago. Best guess is that it was written in 8th or 9th grade, and it is probably the least depressing of the stack of poetry I came across. Is it good? I'll let you answer that. I'll attach the original and the transcript below; let me know what you think.
I also have another article out in MamaMia this week, an attempt to reframe how we think of beauty. It's been really well-received on social media. Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels frustrated by the unrealistic beauty standards that confront us wherever we go. From our earliest days, the images we see and the words we hear shape the image we hold in our minds of what a beautiful woman looks like. What I've come to think of as our deficit model of beauty teaches us that beautiful is something we have to work toward, rather than something we already are. And I think that's pretty messed up.
It's pretty cool to go to a website's front page and see one of my articles there. If you haven't caught it yet, you can read it here.
That's all for now. See you next time,
P.S. Last week's experiment at sending you a preview of the new blog post didn't work. Here's that post in case you missed it. Thanks so much to everyone who clicked and replied to let me know it didn't work.
P.P.S. Here's that poem. Let me know what you think! I'm going to hide under the covers and try not to cringe while you read.
Hello my childhood
I'm leaving you today
With tears I bid you farewell
As I turn my back on you
I yearned for the day
When you would leave
But now that you're going
I want you back
I want to hold on to you
For just a little while longer
Things will get harder
Without you, old friend,
But since I have to let you go,
Will you at least come and visit me
Every once in awhile,
So I don't forget who you are?
