My daughter loves science and we’ve been reading a lot about groundbreaking women scientists lately, particularly Mary Anning, the pioneering paleontologist. Hers was the first that came to mind when I was recently asked to name a woman who has inspired me. I’m inspired by women who have faced adversity and done it anyway, like Ms. Anning. The women who keep moving, with strong backs and soft hearts. The ones who discover something new.
Life is a practice of self-excavation, of digging deep to find what’s buried underneath. Sometimes I feel like a bit like Mary, looking for fossils, chipping away at the cliffs with only the crudest of tools, searching for evidence of the past. Only I’m excavating my body, searching for what’s buried under the layers of fascia and muscle. What stories do my bones tell? What can I discard and what is worth saving? What is worth rebuilding and putting on display? How do I exhibit myself?
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