Warning: Contains Girl Parts

Just once, I'd like to make it through a 24 hour news cycle without becoming hopelessly despondent. 24 hours without a story about another suicide via bullying, or rape case turned victim blaming, or casual racism/sexism/homophobia being treated like something normal. Just once, I'd like to hear about stories about it getting better. Of people learning from past mistakes, of examining privilege and leveling up. I'd like to hear about things that don't make me wonder if anything is ever going to change, or if we're all just going to have to walk around with WARNING: CONTAINS GIRL PARTS signs around our necks forever.

Just once.

Here. I'll start.

Back in September, I spent a day in my hometown back east, running errands.

As I was hustling across the SEPTA parking lot towards my eyeglasses place, I had the following exchange with a stranger, a 40-something heavyset black man.

Me: {hustling}
Him: {across the street, yelling}Hey! HEY!
Me: {Oh god, what now.}
Him: Hey, sweetheart! I really like your green hair!
Me: Thank... thank you?
Him: You're welcome! Have a great day! {smiles, finishes crossing the parking lot}

//end scene

What's surprising about this is scene is that it's surprising. No woman expects her casual streetside encounters to be casual streetside encounters. We certainly don't expect them to be civil, earnest, or complimentary.

But man. How cool would it be if we could.

Blast From the Past: Strangers in Paradise

I wrote a super detailed post, then realized that all of the stories I was telling, weren't mine to tell.

I had an email exchange tonite with a dude that I haven't thought about in forever, about things that I hadn't thought about in just as long. I didn't think that there were loose ends surrounding any of it, but - well, I guess there were.

After spending the day with a low-level panic attack for about 12 hours, it's not what I was expecting, let alone expecting to snap me out of it. But there it was. Resolution over a situation that I hasn't even thought needed to be resolved.

It's strange, in some ways - I'm emotionally earnest with this dude in a lot of ways that I'm not with many other people. And really, we barely know each other, despite this huge thing we experienced together. Maybe that's why things worked out. I think we're both genuinely concerned about the things we're going through surrounding the way we met - and we can't really talk about them with anyone else. So if we're not honest with each other, who else is there?

As nervewracking as it was to actually write him back and to talk about all the stuff he's been going through, I'm glad I did it. I dealt with everything as carefully and respectfully as I know how to, and I'm pretty proud of me, for that. I don't think I'd've been able to do ANY of this a year ago.