“He has told me I am beautiful, that he loves certain parts of me; parts that I thought were unloveable.” “He’ll be lying in bed, staring at me – no makeup, messy hair, in pajamas, glasses on, just staring at me because ‘you’re so beautiful.’” “I didn’t think I looked beautiful, I didn’t feel beautiful.…
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This is an edited version of an actual letter I wrote to a close family member of mine. For years, I had tolerated unwanted comments about my size, my weight and my eating habits, and I was not ok with it. So I wrote a letter. It took courage to share it, but the response I received…
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Have you ever been to a simcha where no one at your table mentioned the newest diet they’re trying? Or attended a social even where no one commented one their size or weight? Yeah, me neither. We live in a society that has succumbed to diet culture and the pursuit of thinness. Theories abound as…
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Fat women get fewer dates. They do not get fewer marriages. Pause. Read this again: Fat women get fewer dates. They don’t get fewer marriages. I’ve been going back and forth on whether to write about this or not. On the one hand, I have so much to say… On the other hand, I’m sick…
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My doctor looked at me with a big smile on her face and declared, “It’s all normal. Your blood work looks great!” Surprising myself, I felt my face drop as I looked at her and almost begged, “Are you sure? Totally normal?” I felt disappointment course through me even as I knew that I should…
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The other night, my friend said something that really resonated with me: “Every morning, I ask G-d to help me feel compassionate towards others instead of judgemental.” I know that many of you want to lose weight and while this whole body positive movement is nice and everything… it doesn’t change the fact that you’re…
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“Chametz free” signs, bags of groceries, freshly lined shelves, lots and lots and lots of egg, stark white tablecloth, pillows at each chair, ke’orahs awaiting their contents and a large kos for Eliyahu haNavi taking center stage on the dining room table. Mixers are whirring, pots are bubbling, potato peels are raining, kids are chatting,…
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It was just another evening and I was scrolling through FaceBook, most likely distracting myself from the work I should have been doing when I came across a post from Rivka Malka Perlman regarding her upcoming Redemption Mini-Retreat and I realized that I was going to be in New York at the same time as…
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Dear Mommy, There’s something that’s been bothering me for about 15 years and I feel it’s time to bring it to your attention. I never said anything because of kibud eim and because I know you only want what’s best for me, but the more I learn about this, the more I realize how harmful…
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“Last night at the food and wine festival, when I mentioned to a group of lady acquaintances that Sara is my fitness coach, two of them jumped to the conclusion that it would be awkward to go to a food festival with her because I might worry about her judging my food choices. In that…
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