The Resolute Woman

Author: resolutewoman

  • Content with silence

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    by

    resolutewoman
    in ,

    I found this short poem by Ansel Adams during the silent retreat I attended recently. When words become unclear, I shall focus on photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. –Joy

  • Silence

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    by

    resolutewoman
    in

    I went on a six-hour silent retreat at the Blue Spring Retreat Center in Richardson. I didn’t talk for hours—except when I puzzled over the box lunch choices from Jimmy John’s and a woman finally asked me if I wanted a turkey sandwich. “Sure,” I said. I sat in a large room at the lodge…

  • Equal in politics?

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    resolutewoman
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    Most people see women as equal to men in politics, The Dallas Morning News reported in its March, 30, 2019, issue. An all-time high of 84 percent of Americans think women are just as suited emotionally for politics as men. That’s according to the General Social Survey, which has been measuring view of gender and…

  • Talk and talk and talk

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    resolutewoman
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    What can we do to help rid our own communities of the shame surrounding menstruation? That’s the question that Megan Lierley, managing editor of the blog Blood and Milk, asks Anna Dahlqvist, author of It’s Only Blood. “Talk and talk and talk,” Dahlqvist answers. “For me, it took the longest time to even say the…

  • A sign they’re ready to marry

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    resolutewoman
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    Anna Dahlqvist, author of It’s Only Blood, talked to girls in Kenya, and they explained that the first period is seen as a sign that they’re ready to marry. Then, the girls asked Dahlqvist how they could hide their period so that they could delay marriage. “What happens when menstrual shame clashes with poverty?” Dahlqvist…

  • Cockroaches and other insects

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    resolutewoman
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    In Bangladesh, women take a fistful of joot—the small leftover pieces of fabric that end up on the floor of textile factories—and push it down their panties,” reports Anna Dahlqvist in her book It’s Only Blood. The joot is like a hothouse for bacteria, fungi and mold. Moreover, there are cockroaches and other insects crawling…

  • The shame of menstruation

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    resolutewoman
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    Because of the shame associated with menstruation, students in Malawi reported that they dry their menstrual protection under their matresses. When they have no water, unwashed cloth, hardened by dried blood is reused. This dirty and moist menstrual protection is a breeding ground for bacteria, writes Anna Dahlqvist in her book It’s Only Blood. “Many…

  • The right to education

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    resolutewoman
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    In Uganda, we found that around 50 percent of girls are missing school several days every month because of their periods, reports Anna Dahlqvist in her book It’s Only Blood. “In studies in which the students explain why they do not go to school, the same reasons are repeated: fear of leakage. The smell. Shame…

  • Her role model

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    resolutewoman
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    Karen Uhlenbeck, a University of Texas at Austin professor emeritus, recently was named the first woman to win the highest prize in mathematics—the Abel Prize. Who was her role model? “Looking back now, I realize that I was very lucky. I was in the forefront of a generation of women who actually could get real…

  • I go to the sea again

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    resolutewoman
    in ,

    In Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote, “Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses….then, I account it high time to get to the sea as soon as I can.” Some of us go to the…