“What would the world be like if women were safe?”

©2013 Nicole Bratt – Black Rock City, Nevada, ‘Truth is Beauty’ by Marco Cochrane

Dear friends,

When this email lands in your inbox, I’ll be on a long international flight. Nothing makes me want to stand up, stretch out freely, and take up all the space I want and need than being limited to an upright airplane seat for an extended period of time. Do you know this feeling, too?!

It’s one of those moments when I recognize how I take my daily unabated freedom of movement (or stillness) for granted. And that recognition, in turn, leads me to realize how many other freedoms I have come to take for granted in my lifetime – thanks to my ancestors and the mavericks of feminism / civil rights / labor rights / science.

This past week+, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to possess choice and autonomy over my body (or bodies) and its movements in the world… about who actually has such freedoms, who does not, and how often these freedoms may have an asterisk associated with them.

May we each recognize and cherish self-determination for our own selves; may we advocate for those being denied; and may we sound the alarm when these rights are again being threatened or further eroded – especially for women, people of color, and LGBTQIA2S+.

So today, in honor of the oft taken for granted liberty of self-sovereignty: rise up from wherever you are and recognize it! Stand tall! Take up space! S-T-R-E-T-C-H! Dance! Walk! Move! Listen to your body’s inherent wisdom! Support yourself (and others)! Advocate! Donate! Let gratitude and humility rise up to the surface of your skin.

Enjoy the gift that is your body, the bounty that is your breath, the power of choice, and your inherent human right to embrace each of those things to their fullest extent.

Take care and take action,
Nicole