The princess saves herself

I’ve been following Mamamiaaus on Instagram and reading women’s posts about accepting yourself and baring it all in a bikini for summer no matter how you look. One post really resonated with me about ‘being brave’.

She has a really good point. Now I find myself criticising any reference of ‘brave’.

There’s a hilarious parody of The Greatest Showman ‘This is me’ by Mother’s. The lyrics include:

The laundry is piled all around

I’ll be brave

I’ll keep calm

And I’ll sing the clean up song

Laundry is not brave, to me. However, I think that brave is really personal -what’s brave to one person might not be brave to another. I’m not scared of spiders but to someone terrified of them, dealing with a spider probably required them to be brave!

I was given a book for Christmas: The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace. It’s a collection of poems spanning her life that includes loneliness, abuse, disorders, trauma, diseases and love! It has a trigger warning at the start and a dedication “thank you for inspiring me to be the girl who survived.” This princess was brave. Not only did she survive, she wrote a book:

Amanda Lovelace

Our personal definition of brave needs to evolve and develop over time. It’s only brave to deal with a spider for so long, maybe the first few times. I believe that as resilience and strength develops you can face more and more obstacles and become ‘braver.’

As per the description above from Mamamiaaus, I’m brave dealing with a incurable, complex disease (battling a chronic illness- type 1 diabetes). When people say they are terrified of needles, I feel brave. When I can’t get my blood sugars under control and I’m so sick of it all, I feel I’m strong, because I have to be. If I don’t do it, I die. Is that brave?

Did any of you watch Andrew Denton’s interview with Amanda Lindhout? She was a Canadian journalist in Somalia in 2008 and endured physical atrocities after being kidnapped and regularly abused. She was held in captivity for 15 months! She came out of it alive and now lives by the mantra “I choose peace. I choose freedom. I choose forgiveness.” The only way she made it through was with resilience and optimism. She was bloody brave. 

Fighting for a better life inspires bravery. These warrior women save others.

The princess can save herself but if you can be inspired by others I think you will find that your bravery will go off the chart!

Are these women being brave wearing a bikini? Yes, they are being brave for themselves. I’m proud of them for challenging the skinny social norms and being happy with who they are. They might inspire others to be brave to wear a bikini. You have to save yourself before you can save others. What’s more inspiring for me at the moment is the hardships that others have had to endure. Take Malala Yousafzai’s new book- We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World. Imagine what these women have had to endure! Thinking about their lives, I’m not brave injecting insulin each day. That’s easy in comparison, I’ve got this. Now, what else can I face…. onwards!

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Types of fish

OK, so we all know that if we kept fishing day in and day out we would eventually hook a fish. You might have also seen that there are still plenty of fish in the dating pool. HOWEVER, you might not catch the one that you like…

Puffer fish– they blow up all the time! Quite negative- road rages, hates slow drivers, also many TV shows and songs. They like to make out that others are really stupid.

Gold fish– they forget everything you’ve told them! They also don’t think to ask you many questions. They message you with one liners such as ‘good morning’ or ‘hey’.

Flake– you just can’t tie them down to commit. They are busy or late or like to live spontaneously (always taking the best offer), perhaps prioritising mates over dates.

Mudskipper– talking to so many girls at once. You may not hear from for a week but they will skip back to you… eventually, probably late on a Saturday night.

Common cod- the blokey type, loves footy all weekend. Watches it, plays it, replays it, has to check the footy fixture before making plans. Drinks, smokes and swears, usually has an Australia flag tattoo. Will pick sports bars over restaurants.

Blob fish– loves movies, TV, collectibles, Xbox and PlayStation games, but doesn’t like to go out much.

Flathead grey mullet- doesn’t really understand what you’re talking about. Texts ‘huh?’ Or ‘what you mean?’ Needs things explaining. May be a tradie (trying not to stereotype) or not word smart. You need to meet these ones in person!

Mahi Mahi – international men that have only lived in Australia for a few years. English is their second or third language so some messages are a bit strange. They don’t have a lot of friends so message a lot. Some think us Aussie women are too feminist these days (independent).

Guppy- flashes their money or brags about their job, bonuses or overtime rates. Looks neater than you, very well dressed. Puts neatness or hygiene in their profile as a priority.

Catfish– never meets up so could be anyone! They may have a partner and just be online for fun or out of boredom but has no intention to act on anything.

Clownfish– loves Dad jokes or anything to have a good laugh. May enjoy humorous British TV shows or Seinfeld. Can recite one liners from most comedies. Good for banter but doesn’t usually develop further.

You might accidentally hook –

Octopus– they will tell you want they want to do to you before you’ve even asked or responded to the first sexual detail. Can be very handsy and may try it on in the middle of the day.

Squid– can’t look you in the eye, very nervous, trying not to ink themselves.

Penguin– not over their ex I’m afraid. They often can’t perform, holding on to baggage, still trying to talk things through or separate belongings with their ex, too attached to the past. May also still be attached to parents or living at home, can’t look after themselves.

I’m looking, looking, looking and trying to hook:

Endlers Livebearer– these fish are adaptable, placid but vibrant, colourful, and popular in aquariums as good in a community.

Salmon– they’ll do the chasing as they know what they want. Active and adventurous- why else would they swim upstream? Often motivated and career driven or community minded to make a difference. Everyone loves a good salmon.

 

To any men that are reading this- what type of fish would you be if you were a fish?

Ladies, what other fish have you hooked?

Dating excuses- how quickly the tide turns

Photo by Pok Rie on Pexels.com

The tide of the ocean can seem to turn quickly at times. You may be walking along on a wide stretch of sturdy sand, feeling like you are walking straight ahead with a clear direction and the knowledge that one foot will follow the other at a repetitive and comfortable pace. Suddenly a big wave comes up to change the shoreline and chases you sideways while you desperately try to keep your shoes dry. You end up sidestepping or hop along with one wet shoe, having to scurry up the beach a bit more and jump over the seaweed or rotting jellyfish lying abandoned from an earlier tide. The wave may be so big it stops you from continuing and forces you to take a new path, moving off the beach altogether.