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The humidity hangs heavy this morning. Sweat is running down my back while my hair slowly creeps up my neck, into a damp, frizzy mess. I have 15 things on my to-do list to accomplish before my kids perform at a neighbourhood music festival this evening.
We’re planning to picnic in the park, if the thunderstorms hold off. I’m making a greek orzo salad and slicing up watermelon and focaccia. Lemonade, Prosecco, and cornflake-filled chocolate will get tucked in with the napkins, mason jars, and plates, for our first grassy, ant-filled - incredibly itchy but beautiful - meal of the season. I can’t wait.
The past two weeks have been chocka-block with emotional release. Seeing my daughters in their first dance show of two years - on a stage, with their friends, TOUCHING each other - after years of fear and not being able to play in each other's houses. Being pushed and stretched, and a wee bit stressed, in a safe and perfect way that’s growing them, exponentially.
Stepping foot in my eldest daughter’s middle school for THE FIRST TIME since she started there in 2020 to watch an epic variety show of talent and sweetness and vulnerability. To remember how hard it is to be 13… and the bravery required to get up on stage - hands wringing, cheeks red - and sing or dance or speak poetry, in front of your peers.
And then this weekend - the local music festival returns. I’ll be there tonight and all day Saturday - and once again on Sunday evening - to celebrate father’s day with my family, Ron Sexsmith, another basket of nibbles, and a banana cake.
Summer, and a more hopeful version of life, has arrived.
But what I really want to talk about today is potential - and the things in our lives that have the potential to both build us and break us.
It occurred to me, as I watched the dance show from the wings last weekend, how peculiar it is that I, as a body image coach and promoter of health at every size, have found myself and my children entrenched in the world of dance. Along with running, figure skating, and cheerleading - dance is one of the most problematic pursuits when it comes to girls, women, and bodies.
It has the potential to do so much damage.
My experience has been that dance - contemporary dance in particular - has offered my girls and me the opportunity to work through stress and tough emotions and connect to our bodies in a very tangible way. I see a deep and unwavering body confidence in both my daughters and I feel it in myself. The music, the movement, the exposure, and the physical challenge - boosts our mood and is often “the” game changer on tough days in our home.
It has the potential to do so much damage but in the right environment, with powerful teachers, and perspective that potential can be transformed into something wholly different.
I saw a heated conversation on a blog about summer make-up tips yesterday.
“Why should we feel like we need to wear makeup? Enough with articles like this!”
“The WHOLE beauty industry is a sexist, billion dollar industry that panders to women, and stirs fear of ageing, imperfections, etc!”
Between the dance and the beauty convo - I got to thinking about the many things in our lives that have the potential to bring joy or pain, depending on the approach and the perspective:
Healthy eating
Exercise
Wellness
Dressing our bodies
Beauty
Even weight loss strategies (Yup, I’m saying it… this is a very complicated topic and there are many reason why weight loss tactics - while not at all necessary or recommended, and definitely not right for me - might be helpful for someone in a completely different life than mine)
…and how it is so human to want to live in the binary: this is all good or all bad. This is right. That is wrong.
I am right.
You are wrong.
But the truth is - what’s right for you is highly individual, nuanced, and a direct reflection of your values and lived experience.
It’s the main reason I created the Juicy Body Blueprint.
When it comes to food and exercise, and feeling juicy and connected: what’s right for you might not be right for your best friend or sister or mom.
This summer I’m shifting up the format and adding on a few new components, including The Guide to Intentional Intuitive Eating (an e-book), the Your Juicy Body Blueprint workbook, and Sensuality as Self-Care (an e-book).
The new format includes 1:1 sessions with me and you’ll get a chance to beta-test the above offerings. If you’re interested in arriving at September with a clear picture of what you need to be doing in order to feel amazing in your body and life - you can purchase HERE or book a call with me if you have questions. I’m opening up 6 spots for summer and I’d love for you to grab one.
XO
Jill
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