Fun fact: "Bra" comes from the French word "brassiere" meaning "a soldier's arm guard or shield." At times, life can be more than stressful, it's painful. Things can happen that deeply wound and bewilder us. We'll not feel quite ourselves for a long time, maybe a very long time. Our self image becomes distorted. We can become alarmingly unsure of things that used to be easy to believe. Sometimes being in our own skin becomes very hard or even scary. And things that felt familiar grow to seem unwelcoming.
For the past several months, eh, year(s), I haven't felt totally myself and my beliefs have been wracked and my head and my heart and pretty much all of my insides have been aching ruthlessly in some ways. And I promise this has to do with bras because I've been desperately trying to surround myself with positive messages. Not the kind of annoying positivity printed on dollar store notebooks, but ones that change something about me because they go nearly as deep as my hurts. Messages that respect pain and the realness of being broken but still give hope and healing a fighting chance. Symbols that remind me of who I am and Who my life belongs to.
As I was painting this picture, I was thinking about a friend who's dealing with some not nice stuff right now and wanting so badly for them to be well. I was reflecting on my own labors with pain and loss and sadness. I thought of other folks who have walked really really really hard roads. There are people I'm worried about and friends I want to hug and strangers that are dealing with rough shit and I wish they weren't. So, I find myself on the lookout at all times for reminders of real strength. That means there are days I listen to "Anything" by Hedley four times on my way to work. Some times, I need to specifically drink "Big Joy" coffee (@camber, you're a life saver) in the morning, probably in an extra large mug. And some times, I need to know the etymology of a term used to describe a lady's undergarment, so when I get dressed every miserable and/or merciful morning, I'm reminded that I'm strong and alive and able and loved and everyone else is too. Thank you, @darling and @melaniespoon for coming up with the best ideas first.