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Jodi Sh. Doff's avatar

Whoa. I feel like I’ve been knocked off my feet. All of that released with one little act of rebellion against the culture that defines what a woman is and is not. Beautiful, just beautiful, and strong, like a butterfly with wings of leather.

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Prairie Librarian's avatar

What an extraordinary essay!! So much resonated with me, drew me in. This: "Over and over, I said thank you for something that hadn’t happened yet. In desperate confusion, I kept saying thank you." This is something I have felt myself, in moments of chaos and grief -- reaching for gratitude like a lifeline, faking it in the anguished hope of making it.

The older I get, the more I understand just how illusory that sense of control, of stability, has always been; the more comfortable I get with being unmoored, with un-grasping what I perceive as anchors; and I feel all of that in this piece. Thank you, Joy! (And I *love* the beautiful silver hair, in all lengths.)

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