I’m not Sick, I’m Brave

I’m not Sick, I’m Brave

I recently read this People article:  Selma Blair Says Son Calling Her ‘Brave’ Through Her MS Journey Is One of Her ‘Proudest Moments.’ Selma Blair has MS and has been pretty open about her MS and how it has impacted her.  She even walked the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party with her cane.

In the article she discussed her son and her MS and shared that he says:  ‘Mommy’s not sick. Mommy’s brave.’ I love that - so sweet and true.

Criticism, Overreacting

Criticism, Overreacting

I was listening to Pod Save America “MEGAN RAPINOE!!!” and as many of you are likely aware, she is a kick ass soccer player and  has been very vocal in her fight for women’s equality, particularly equal pay for women.  When asked if she would visit the White House if they won the World Cup she also famously said "I'm not going to the fucking White House."  Needless to say, on the podcast they discussed Megan’s “criticism/thoughts” on America, politics etc and I really liked her response. Ultimately she said that she didn’t understand why people get so angry at the criticism she has given - that through criticism we can learn, become aware of issues and ultimately improve.  Does anyone enjoy being criticized? No, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve really tried to embrace criticism and use the feedback to improve. And yes, I think there are ways that criticism can/should be given to be more effective - to be accepted/embraced rather than upsetting others. I don’t think we need to always handle people/situations with kid gloves every time we have criticism to provide though.  I do think we should be aware that how the criticism is given will likely impact how it is received, handled, etc.

When listening to Hysteria “The Creep Community” it was brought up how women often overreact - or at least are often accused of overreacting.  I like that it was said that it is okay to overreact and that “I would love us to all give each other permission to overreact.”  They were speaking to women speaking up when men do something that makes them uncomfortable (e.g. touches them,) but I really think this applies to all situations.  Yes, we all overreact, but also, I think much of the time we should just look at it as a woman reacting. Just because a woman doesn’t like something, doesn’t mean it is “over” reacting, she very likely just may be reacting and we should respect her feelings.