A Good Day

Maybe we could name our visit..."Play in May"...that would be great. I like the sound of playing in the creek...and hopping...

I think that the point of all of this play is that we never did it as kids and so we need to find it within us now...to open up the channels...
Today was interesting...I had a phone call from the domestic violence shelter during lab...So I took it.
She told me that my university is producing The Vagina Monologues and needed some contact information...well that triggered a very interesting discussion with the students about violence being normal...part of human-ness...that was the perspective of several of the inner-city students...I shared my ideas that violence is not normal...it is habitual but not normal and that every time they are faced with a situation of conflict they have a choice and one of those choices is to walk away. They told me I was Gandhi-like...what a compliment.
I shared the statistics of interpersonal violence...1/3 women are sexually abused before 18, 1/4 women will be victims of domestic violence...it is prevalent but definitely not normal.
There are 3 women in the class and two of them disclosed being physically abused by boyfriends I took the opportunity to share that I had been sexually abused as a child by family. We shared a Me Too moment! I encouraged all of them to come to Take Back the Night and stand together against violence particularly between people who are supposed to cherish each other. Their reaction was amazing. I had always pictures either pity or disgust...but they wanted to know more...
not details but,
how it affects you?..
how do we stop it from happening?
isn't there "woman on man violence"?

very thoughtful...very compassionate...not a hint of pity...
definitely a good step towards opening up.

So when I got home I emailed the DV shelter and told them that if they needed people to perform in the Vagina Monologues I would be happy to do it...I think that is a good move.
I'll let you know what develops.

I gave my Ethics of female reproductive rights program last night...It was good...
we had alot of really good discussion...
they received the material well...
alot of sharing...
One woman shared that she had a client who had 7 babies right in a row...
and it did not matter what they told her, she would not use birth control...
she was questioning the woman's judgement, but respected her opinion...
I found myself sharing, in a covert way our mother's experience...
I believe that the doctors did the hysterectomy for an abnormal PAP that was most likely not indicated...I don't believe that the PAP was advanced enough to indicate hysterectomy...I may be wrong, but deep inside I think they recommended it because she just kept having kids. Do you remember anything about that time? I am just curious...it is more an intuition, but it has lingered with me a long time.

I am off to see daughter #2 perform at her college.
Love and Light until tomorrow,
Maggie