My Body Remembers

When I was a child, my grandfather would take me to the local pool every Sunday. I had faith in my body's ability to keep me afloat in the water, to learn new strokes, to flip, and twist, and play. I felt at home in my body then. Time has a grip on women, or rather on our bodies. With its passage, we learn to grow aware of it, to fear the violence it attracts. It is hard to feel at home when your home is constantly invaded, appropriated, robbed. My story is no different. Over the years, I have learned to live with a body I don't feel safe in. My relationship with it isn't built on safety, confidence, playfulness; but rather fear. It is hard to experience freedom when you are constantly i...View all