The countdown

Paris

My muse is a drug addict. 

Girls Be Poetic and Dirty

Feminism

“Are you a feminist?” His questioned appeared at the bottom of our chat box.
“Of course.” I replied, without hesitation. “To say that I am not a feminist would mean that I don't care about living as a woman. As a woman, you have to be proud of who you are.”

Being a feminist means living everyday life as an independent thinking woman. It is having a voice that I am not afraid to use. It is my ability to express my thoughts. It is thinking differently, not being scared to say what I think, even if I'm the only one in the room who thinks differently. Feminism isn't about argument, it’s about explanation. It’s keeping my mind open, and nurturing it so that it continues to grow and bloom. It's feeling empowered to follow my dreams and chase my passions, where ever they may take me in life. 

Feminism is power over my body to use it as I want. It is the respect I have for my body. Feminism is the power to share my body as I want, with those who respect it and who treat it right. Feminism is finding comfort and confidence in my body. It is finding beauty in myself, even in the imperfections. It is the comfort I have in being clothed or being naked. It is the free choice I have to exercise my sexuality. To claim authority over my body and never let it be used in a way I don't agree with. 

Feminism is being able to articulate myself. It is knowing when I'm right, and standing up for my beliefs, and knowing when I'm wrong, and accepting the opinions of others. It is speech as much as it is listening. It is not argument, it is explanation. It's not about confrontation, but cohesion. It's about being creative and constructive and always looking for ways to positively affect my environment.

Feminism is community. It is support. It is strength. It is acceptance. Feminism means working with those around you to improve the status-quo. It is friendship and it is family. It is leadership. Feminism is not being afraid to guide others, and not being opposed to allowing others to guide and help you. 

Feminism is education. It is the desire to be educated as well as to educate. The passion to keep learning, to keep feeding the mind. Feminism is encouragement. The unsatisfied craving for more in life. The desire to continue growing and changing.

Feminism is art. It is the beautiful color in your life. It is the unique and creative way you see the world. It is the ability to see something familiar in a different way. Feminism is creating. It is building. It is doing things yourself. It is combining what's around you to make new structures, new relationships, and add new energy to the world you live in. 

But as much as it is a movement of birth and growth, it is also one of destruction. As a feminist, you are responsible for destroying the thoughts and practices in place that oppress others, that make life difficult for other women, and for other people. Being a feminist means caring for the natural world as much as you do the human world. It means applying change to any situation where there is mistreatment, corruption, exploitation or patterns of abuse and violence. 

Feminism is identifying what makes you happy, and incorporating that into yourself. It is living as an optimist and seeing the world for the magical place that it is, while still being informed and aware of the ugliness that exists. It is knowing when to be a day dreamer and a free spirit, and knowing when to take an issue seriously. Knowing when to stand up for the causes you love and when to get involved. Feminism is recognizing the needs of others in your community, and finding ways to help them. 

Feminism is love. For yourself. For other women. For everyone you share this life with. 

Wanderlust

This Beautiful World

Thinking Outside Ourselves

Typhoon in Tokyo

Once I began the ride home, I could only focus on the drops of water hitting my skin. With each pedal forward, more water collected on my face and ran along my jawbone and streamed from my neck  into my shirt. They felt like sparks as they hit my cheeks and lips, sending tingling messages to my brain. 

I pushed my wet hair off my forehead and rubbed one side of my face dry with the back of my hand.

It was useless.

From above, more water fell. 

Collected on my eyelashes were raindrops which formed a border around my vision of the world.

Each drop of water collected the lights from the city night, and shot them back out as little rays which blurred my vision.

I pedaled forward and through the streets of the sleepless city.

Reality appeared as if it were slipping into a dream.

Sometimes this life doesn't feel real.

Running Sticks Along Chain-link Fences

Sleeping on forbidden rooftops and walking barefoot through city streets, I'll think of him with the ending of my Tokyo summer.