washwords

In “Jealousy Isn’t Always An Ugly Emotion | BlogHer” BlogHer contributing editor Rita Arens writes about some of the jealousy she sees cropping up in the blogosphere, in particular among her fellow “mommy bloggers” or at least female bloggers.

In particular, I was struck by people’s jealousy of “famous bloggers.” Arens describes (incredibly well and demonstrating an incredibly healthy psyche) her reaction to an email that asked how she and other big-time BlogHers could go on writing “as if they were normal people” when so clearly they weren’t - there were celebrities! The emailer writes

if someone’s blog became popular or famous because they were writing about their “normal” or “mundane” life, how do they continue to make money off of their blog when their life is certainly nothing like it was when the blog first became famous?

Regarding this email, Arens comments (again, verrry verry healthy woman here, Read more »

Can’t we all just get along?
After spending the morning on blogher, reading about the NYT relegation of the blogher confererence to the style section and whether “mommy-blogging” is a term of empowerment or a mechanism for belittling, I came to Joy Nash’s “A Fat Rant” on Gena’s On the Stoop (and from there to LaurieStar’s response, “A thin rant.”) This fem-centered morning has me thinking a lot about the way we treat each other, the way we think of “women’s issues” and “women’s places,” be it in the media, the blogosphere or the mall.

YouTube - A Fat Rant

YouTube - A Thin Rant

I’m neither Joy’s size nor Laurie’s (though closer to Joy’s by far!) and I admit being one of the eyerollers at the tiny ones. More because “it’s not fair” - a big thing with me, I realize. It’s not fair that skinny girls are (See more after the jump.)

Read more »

I tried meditation. A bunch of times.  It helped, if for nothing else that for sitting sans computer in the quiet and kindness. But I couldn’t relax, couldn’t focus on meditating, focused on the noise I was making, the meditation I wasn’t doing, racing, racing thoughts.

I went for a one-on-one with the leader of the class, who suggested I try walking meditation. I liked the idea. But I didn’t try it.

A few months later, work launches a stairclimbing challenge. Simultaneously and separately,  my sweetie and I decide to start walking on the paths behind his house or the city streets toward the Mall near mine. I am walking, more and more, beyond my walks to and from work.

And it is working. Beyond strong calves I feel calm coming in. Clear. Zen.

It is the most beautiful color of all.

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Note: Happy 4th to all!!! I have also added a few posts to X365.