Sunday Cortado, 13: Feminist Fire

I have been reading and chatting with you guys over quite a few cortados now.  And let's be real, sometimes it's all about the goods.  The links to something new, thoughtful, questionable, even yummy. 

Today's cortado is brought to you by the women.  I found that most of the articles I have read and bookmarked had a theme, and it was too good to ignore.  

Now with all the accusations and confessions of sexual harassment and assault being brought to light, the little representation of women in political office, and the history of how we have been treated in EVERY part of the world, I knew I wanted to spread the world in my own way... in my own space 

We are woman of different color and culture, talents and beliefs.  Stick together and stick it to them.  I believe in using where you came from and who you were born to be to your greatest advantage no matter what is to be expected.  Lately, and even looking back as a woman, I've noticed commentaries from men are way too common, sarcastic, and inappropriate to ignore.  You may play it off as that's just how they are, but no, that's how we allowed it.  

Every time I read an article of woman strength, bond, leadership, I can't help but think in the words of Kendrick, "We gonna be aight."

~~~ 

The Life and Death of A Radical Sisterhood, the history and commentaries that were brought to light right in my favorite city, New York.

The UN plans are making steps to help climate change, and female focused initiatives are leading the way.  

Free speech and abortion. California, what you going to decide?

The 2018 World Economic Forum will be co-chaired by seven women - and zero men.  BAM! 

Lady Gaga and Joe Biden coming together to help sexually assaulted and abused woman.  Add this to the list on why I admire these people. 

I did love the movie Wonder Woman, but now I really love Wonder Woman. 

We have the first Hijab wearing Barbie, and she has an amazing story. 

More men are marrying up now to successful educated women.  Future feminist families to come?

Now let's unwind.  This woman wants others to feel... a little more comfortable when doing yoga. I can dig it. 

Sunday Cortado, 10

Doughnut Plant, W 23 St

The last couple of weeks have ranged from completely booked and overworked, to a complete mental break filled with baked goods, home cooked meals, organization, and day dreams.  Ya'll, your girl was tired. 

I think the point of this wellness thing (yes sometimes it's still a thing to me) is to learn it doesn't ALWAYS have to be that way.  In reality, it may seem we are constantly busy and overbooked, but at the end of the day (or week), our bodies deserve that break, our minds deserve that sanity, and our souls deserve that peace.  Ya hear me?  I wanted nothing more than to come back to writing, serving delicious new recipes and ideas.  Consistently brainstorming and wanting to share, I had no choice but to wait.  That my dears, is okay.  

Grab a coffee or cortado, and a donut if your lucky.  

At such a young age, I don't think it's necessary to separate.  If girls and boys want to work together through challenges and lessons, let them.

Food Inequality in Venezuela.  Quick video to show perspective of what's really going on. 

Helping your former student through a prison cell.  When your job is truly your passion and heart. 

I've really been into literature of the Hispanic Culture.  A story that allows you to look back into their history, relate to our own culture, and be proud of where we came from.  Drown did not disappoint. 

If your a woman in business, finance, or any type of male dominated work-force, please read.  The Moment that Made Me A Feminist.  

More important than ever for minorities to have a face in world of wellness.  Black Women and Wellness: What it means to be Well in 2017.

Inner Life of an Introvert.  Simple drawings to let you know what's really going on in our head.  We still love you!

Fall Kitchen Guide.  Bring this list with you to your nearest Home Goods.  They always know the way to my heart. 

One of my biggest dreams is to have a small gathering on a rustic table to serve amazing food in a creative ambiance.  How To Throw a Fall Party is pinned 

Anti-Inflammatory Diet on a Budget.  I can dig it. 

Chocolate Mint Matcha Cups.  I have matcha sitting in my cupboard and this seems like the only logical use for it right now. 

I'm still a believer and still a lover.  The 10th Anniversary of the Kale Salad, where has the time gone!

Feminine Fire Pt. 4: Recognizing Your Feminine Truth

Asbury Park Boardwalk, NJ.

So we finally made it.  Happy Summer Solstice, my dears.

The last month has been somewhat of an eye-opener.   I knew for sure I wanted to get this off my chest and out to you all.  By "this" I mean these posts filled with everything I believe in and love.  From Feminism, to the beauty given by mother earth, to even a little beauty cheat sheet, I had one more topic to bring into this series.  I wanted to talk about the beauty possible in every woman.  That energy.  That soul.  It is what I believe truly connects us all.

The universe. Our planet.

I am no more than lover of the Sun.  I'm a worshipper of the moon.  I do not look for the stars to tell me how to live, but rather understand how I am already doing so.  Our bodies are mostly made up of the same water that embodies most of Mother Earth.  Her waves run through us, and though her currents may be strong at times, she is only following the cycle of the moon.  Every month we have the opportunity to cleanse and release.   Internally our body, just as strong as the currents of the ocean, sometimes painfully, pushes out what does not belong.  Like every month, the moon becomes New.  Not a coincidence, but a cycle of miracles. 

We are given the opportunity to live in sync with the universe.  Once we work towards that, I believe we get closer to understanding the powerful connection within us all.  Just like we follow the patterns of night and day, we can live consciously within the seasons of our community.  We are gatherers, care-givers, and providers.  She grows the grass, raises the cattle, and feeds the earth.  How amazing is she?  How amazing are we? 

Compassion.  Ahimsa.  To do no harm.

Words and practices I always try and live by.  Even when I go astray, I have another woman there to remind me.  When I don't have her, I have the permanent ink engraved on my skin, on top of my ribs that protects my heart.  For to understand pain, is to live through it ourselves.  We have the power to go past sympathy.  We have the power of empathy.

I wanted to have this post as a conclusion.  I wanted to leave this series as a beginning.  I only hope that one day all women will have the courage to realize we are all in this together.  We are powerful and strong, sometimes so much so we scare ourselves.  I don't want to confuse our great gifts with what society has named us.  Emotional. Crazy. Dramatic. Spiteful.  Do not speak about yourself what you wouldn't want to hear from others.  

If I am emotional, then I am privileged to feel.  Crazy?  I am crazy in love with Mother Earth.  So much so, that I revolved my whole life to make it a better place.  I am dramatic for the injustice and hurt that people endure from the those who are fearful of the unknown.  Sometimes we need to make a bigger fuss for the bigger things.  And I will never try to get even, but only make you realize that there was a better way.

So here is to a better way.  

My women, the ones who came before me, the ones who walked beside me, and the ones I may admire from a far,  I hope you always keep your beauty unique, your privilege honest, and your FEMININE FIRE always burning. 

Not only with love... with respect and pride.  

Feminine Fire Pt. 1: What Being a Feminist Means to Me

DISCLAIMER: I am not a life coach, psychiatrist, or currently participating in any activist group. 

Feminism - The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.

My dears, this post was a long time coming.  I have given little hints and sneak peaks, but I thought in honor of the summer and birthday to come, I want to express what I find beautiful.

I found myself talking to my mom one night, confiding how I want to speak more about womanhood, current politics, and all those "taboo" subjects that aren't to be spoken about at work, public place, and sometimes even between friends.  So, with who then? When is it okay? I know there are communities and organizations who focus on the real big stuff.  But damn, I just wanna have some deep inspiring conversation, unafraid, and authentic, about presidencies, war, the environment, white privilege, and woman empowerment.  Yes, ALL THAT. 

Then, on the other hand, I find myself thinking, "WHO THE HELL AM I?" I talk about avocados and salads, the importance of mindfulness and kindness.  The uncomfortable stuff, even words, I dare not speak or avoid, because well, I created a healthy-living wellness blog with a focus on food. But, if I must classify and justify myself, I'm just a woman who believes in her potential and the potential of this crazy beautiful world we live in.  With that said, here we go.

I believe that being a feminist is nothing more than being a human being.  Nobody is better than you and you are better than no one else.  There are certain reminders and ways I keep myself humble, open, and female as fuck.

Lay Off the Judgement

Whether you practice modesty or religious dress, a doctor or stay at home mother, a woman who shaves her armpits or not, or a man who resonates with the female soul, there are so many difference between us all, you will never hear about many at all.  It's okay to be curious and ask, even maybe just wonder.  But, when I hear that someone is not good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough, it breaks my heart. There are so many different beliefs it has become too easy to pass judgement onto one another.  What makes us unique and human, especially in a place I call home, has created so much DRAMA.  

Because I choose to wear revealing clothing and no bra make me seem I have less self respect?  Because I choose to refrain from sex in time when women sexual liberation is becoming well acknowledged and accepted, make me a prude?  Does me not smiling make you uncomfortable?  I heard women are prettier when they smile.  Are you automatically intelligent and worthy of work because you went on to higher education?  If I didn't, would you think I was ignorant? When did clothing, job choice, education, or looks define a person?  Those things were meant to empower us, not put us down. 

You never know what someone else has went through or done to get where they are.  When it comes to woman I see this way to often, even within themselves.  What we do is usually for ourselves, not attention or praise.  And if it is, I say this with sincerity, it is time for you seek something greater than approval.  So please, be mindful of automatic judgement and be open to see what really makes that individual beautifully being.

Stand for Everyone

It's not just women rights, it's every individual's birth right to feel free and unafraid in the skin they are in.  Whether it is indigenous Latinos being seen as illegal (correct term - undocumented), Muslims suspected as terrorist, blacks perceived as violent, or women seen as too sensitive or inad (forever far from), we have segregated ourselves greatly.  There are men of different races violating women in the same way and when being prosecuted, they have different sentences. Why? Because one "will not be able handle the devastating impact." Oh, and the woman? Well, she should have never put herself in such a position to be abused in the first place.  

Stand up for our children who are open and ready to receive so much love and knowledge, but maybe can't because politics say lower budget schools are not priority when it comes to education.  Stand up for the woman next to you being harassed for wearing too little AND for the one made uncomfortable for wearing too much, stand up for the colored men who are being seen as a threat.  Use your voice. Not your phone.  Your voice is the greatest tool you have to make up for the women and children who are silenced.  Ignorance may seem like bliss, until it affects you.  

Shit Happens. Don't Get Over it. 

I recently received came across a quote by Gloria Steinem. "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."

Get mad, get upset, send prayers, and love.  Understand that this is the Universe we live in.  It's hard to see the good in so much bad and hurt that happens EVERY DAY, but it's possible.  Talk about it.  Read about it and don't let anyone ever tell you, you are one person.  There was once only one vegan, only one farmer, one female politician, and one company donating their products to young women in need of feminine hygiene products so they may go to school.  

Do you see where I'm going with this?  Don't stop with "that's the way it is." 

Always with love and a big fucking heart.

PS.  We are all a work in progress.  To say I haven't classified myself once or twice as a chonga, or thought any man I met may be worth my time, would be lie.  Take note on your own thoughts and words.  They mean a ton whether spoken to yourself or to others. 

I Choose To Lead With The Heart

and let go of fear. 

A lot of different issues and emotions came up in the last couple months.  Whether affecting me directly or having felt the commotion of my surroundings, I couldn't help but think, a lot.  

Through it all, I saw myself trying to live and work towards what I had already found, what I have felt for a while now.  Not rocket science, but fatefully possible.  

I want to love what I do.  I want to embrace who I am.  I want to accept MY path.  

I have embraced my body as a woman.  The emotions and feelings are from my own being, with more of a feminine touch.  My desires come from so deep within, they consume me until I get exactly that.  I want no other type of love, no other type of freedom.

I have owned my strengths and faults.  

I take most pride in my abilities, my badass womanly strengths.  We bleed to cleanse.  We bleed so you may exist.  I let my feelings come from the divine.  Mother nature herself gave me this gift.  Silent and still like the moon, we can be as powerful as the ocean tides.  

I may cry a little more and love a bit greater.  The loyalty I have for you, is the same loyalty I have for my beliefs.  The trust I hesitate to give, is the same trust I doubted in my purpose.  

So I chose not to constrict myself any longer. I let my breasts that can feed the being from me, stay free.  No pressure on the cage that protects my heart, the one I choose to lead with.  This heart that lets me feel and feel for you, is the same that allows me to breath.  Did you know I can breath like the ocean? Like a lion?

Slowly the fear will creep, stare, and wait for me to cave.  I will let it pass. 

To love with passion, teach with humility, and live authentically.  

This is for the beings of the feminine.  ________ like a girl.