On Encountering a Photograph from Seven Years Ago

Quick note (in the style of Ira Glass): This newsletter has curse words that are unbeeped. If you prefer a beeped version, please skip this one and come back tomorrow.

I recently came across this photoshoot that I took part in 7 years ago — it feels like a lifetime or two. As I went through the pictures and the words and the memories — well, there were feelings. And this draft is just a first, deeply imperfect attempt to capture them.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIt's the one where we all put on our bathing suitswent to the beach and said "Fuck you" to false standardswhile we laughed and jumped and didn't even try to hide the jiggly bits.I looked into my own eyes and failed to recognize myself,believing instead that time really did pull me into piecesand the body sitting here now is not the sameas the body dancing on the beach. Thank god for that tattoo -- inked as it is, indelible over time --it anchored me back to myself.All that remained was to breathe, both into and through my time-changed belly to hook onto the fearless heart of seven years ago,pull it back with me into this body, older,kinder, more aware of my rare, precious being.

Crone School is a space for perimenopausal women (or future perimenopausal, or full-on menopausal women) where we can explore all the weirdness of our second puberty. We will settle into the business of becoming badass Crones who don't give a f*ck for the conventional. Each meeting will feature study, support, and movement -- something for us to read and talk about, a space to share our needs/concerns/ideas, and a bit of moving our bodies with love and attention.

I am thrilled to be hosting this workshop with Malik T, Founder and Executive Director of Hip Circle Empowerment Center. (And the woman who organized the amazing photoshoot that inspired today’s draft. )

The workshop starts April 24, and is available on a Pay What You Can (PWYC) basis as part of Hip Circle’s commitment to removing barriers for women and girls.