Reflections of a Shopkeeper - Nurture comes in many forms / Unsilenced Woman- 27 August 2020

REFLECTIONS OF A SHOPKEEPER

What a wonderful reminder this post is that nourishment comes in so many different forms and it's not all about food.

Living sustainably comes in a variety of ways. Plastic reduction and reducing our carbon footprint are some of them. But living sustainably is also about respect. For ourselves, for each other, for our environment, for the principles of human rights, for positive stewardship of our resources.

Through kindness and sharing we can nourish each other physically, but also mentally and emotionally. After months of isolation and remote connection it's incredible to see how nourishing those reconnections are. We're noticing such a difference in the kids and how much they are benefiting from being with people again.

I hope that we won't take those connections for granted though. I hope that we won't forget what it was like without those connections, and in doing so will not just enjoy but really cherish them.

Living ethically and sustainably necessarily involves some sacrifices. But it also heralds with it so many opportunities to engage, to nurture, to learn, to share and to nourish.

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CREDIT: Unsilenced Woman

“You look good. Did you lose weight?”

A woman I love asked me this recently. I stood tall next to her in my skinny jeans and a pink top with embroidered white flowers.

“No, I haven’t lost weight. I’ve probably gained weight.” I answered plainly, my weight a neutral topic these days.

I haven’t stepped on the scale in many months, but my soft middle has pillowed since March when we began staying home. I know why: it’s the ice cream, the walking handfuls of peanut m&ms, and the beverages that have been comforting me in this crazy time.

My extra soft center has also grown from not going to the gym, where I had come to rely on the childcare and mental solitude.

“You look good. Did you lose weight?”

I do not fault her for the question. I bless her, I bless myself, I bless you. I send tenderness to us all. This is a script we’ve inherited in our womanhood: that if we look good, it is because we’ve made ourselves smaller.

What if our minds traveled to places like this instead?
“You look good. Did you have a restorative conversation with a friend?”

“You look good. Have you been making time to rest and refresh your spirit?”

“You look good. Have you been using your voice in ways that make you feel powerful and purposeful?”

“You look good. Have you been pursuing nourishing touch? Maybe even orgasms?”

“You look good. Are your dreams coming true?”

“You look good. What has brought you joy recently? What’s been pleasurable?”

There are so many ways to look good and to feel good. Right now, my weight is the least interesting one to me.
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🌞What’s one thing that’s helping you feel good right now?
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*Please know: We are all in a different place with our bodies, our fitness, and our relationships to weight and to food. I write what I write honoring where I am in my journey. I honor where you are in yours, too. Whatever your body looks like, you don’t need permission to be happy in it.*"