Normalizing Normal Bodies

I have a hard time scrolling through Instagram or looking through magazines without feeling a pit in my stomach, stemming from the overwhelming feeling of jealousy and comparison.

I don’t look like those women. I don’t wear a size 3 and all of the stomachs shown on these platforms are flat, scar-less, and firm.

I’ve spent too much of my life comparing who I’m not to people with thousands of followers on social media.

I don’t need validation from followers to know that my body is powerful and beautiful and worthy of appreciation. This body has gotten me through 100% of my toughest days, and that is something worth loving and validating.

Stretch marks are scars that should remind us how resilient and volatile the human body is.

Beauty is not all about being skinny. It’s about what’s in your heart and how you project that onto the people around you.

It’s time we search deeper for beauty than the “beautiful” women that are shoved in our faces on every advertisement we see. It’s time to normalize all bodies – all shapes, sizes, and weights.

 

Pandemic Problems

I’m feeling stressed tonight.

I haven’t worked at my full-time job since April… Mainly in part because I spent two months of that time working at a coronavirus testing site, but I’ve been home on unemployment since the last week in June because my company’s volume is down 60% and there is not enough work to be done. I’ve enjoyed my time at home with my daughter more than anything, and my typical unemployment payments were covering the bills, the last few weeks they haven’t been paying out. So I’ve gone weeks without any income. The unemployment is so widespread in my state that when I call the office, I have to leave my phone number so that they can call me back when my name is next in line. The last time I tried to call this number, it took FOUR WEEKS for them to call me back. So I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea of going without income for 4-6 weeks. It’s a terrifying and stressful thought and I don’t know what on earth I would do if it was only up to me to pay the bills. I’m so thankful that Dylan and I are in this together and that we are so open and sharing with our money.

So I guess this comes down to transferring more money from my savings just to make it through…

When She is Asleep

Nap time is about the same time every day

We start our day with breakfast and play

I cherish our hugs and the laughs we share

But when she tires, I’m never prepared

I wish all day I had more time to myself

But when she’s asleep my books stay on the shelf

I plan what I’d like to get done while she sleeps,

But when she’s gone my insides weep

I miss her hair and I miss her run

There’s never a limit on our fun

When will this get easy?

Never, perhaps, because parenthood isn’t breezy