“Once, when my now sixteen-year-old son was a little guy and in a Target dressing room with me, he asked about the ‘stripes’ he saw on the sides of my stomach. I told my son I had those stretch marks because my body had stretched and grown so he could stretch and grow inside of me, before he was ready to be born. I liked his word — stripes. Much better than “stretch marks” which sounds like something a favorite sweater might have after many years of wear and wash. Even now, all these years later, I smile when thinking of my son’s innocent comment — stripes. Something I had earned. Like badges of honor.”

I would imagine most women have a story about their stomachs. Or breasts. Or bottoms. Or all of the above. 

HerStry has published mine, and the paragraph above is an excerpt from that personal essay. You can click here to read my personal essay, “I Earned My Stripes,” in its entirety.

And to my dear readers, I’m wishing you a happy, merry, joyful holiday season! And, if you’re not a holiday-season-celebrator, I’m wishing you a happy, merry, joyful Wednesday!