Tender Grit

 

"A bruised reed [she] will not break, and a faintly burning wick [she] will not quench." 

- Book of Isaiah

Summer Grasses

 

This year we had two glorious months of spring-- twice as long as usual to gobble up and savor afternoon thunder storms, the profusion of wildflowers, the smell of lilacs in the cool air. 

When I finally ventured out with camera and intention in tow to capture the wonder of it all, the change of seasons had already come and gone-- sudden and complete. 

And just as startling as when spring arrived after the long winter months. May's colors are now faded, washed out by the noonday sun. 

Yet summer arrives with its own magic-- the susurrus of dry grasses moving in the wind, the passing shade of a cloud overhead, that ineffable smell of leisure (some combination of sunscreen, beach towels, swimming holes and bicycles).

Goldfish

 

Japanese artist, Riusuke Fukahori's subject is goldfish and through goldfish, humans in the age of climate change.

Women Of A Certain Age

 

Toothed whales and humans are some of the few species we know of on Earth in which females outlive their fertility. Humans may be the only females on this planet to experience menopause in a patriarchal culture.

If that doesn't blow your mind, I don't know what will... 

I was just introduced to a wonderful resource, The Menopause Brain, about aging female bodies. And even this book, which contains a wealth of vital information, acknowledges that the evolutionary drivers behind menopause are still poorly understood.

Really?! Wow. Just wow.

• A naturopathic doctor said she believed this transition in women's bodies facilitated a change in focus, from a narrow exterior gaze to an interior focus paired with a wide exterior gaze.

• That dovetails with the notion that women transition from primarily occupying chronos time to centering ourselves in kairos time as we age. 

• My mom observed that the biological imperative seems to shift from birthing others to birthing ourselves. 

• Cultural narratives speak of menopause as a threshold women cross into an era where they simply have no more fucks to give. I like to imagine that each egg we loose is one more fuck down the drain until we are ultimately left with none.

• My guess is that our ancient ancestors understood and supported people transitioning through menopause far better than we do now. A shame to have lost that situational wisdom as a species.

Unhinged

 

How is season two is even better than season one?!