Becca

Hanging by the skin of my teeth [Being 69-ish]

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Sometimes it seems I live in a hall of mirrors where brilliant white light flashes back at me whenever someone opens their mouth and smiles. White, white, white teeth are everywhere!

And this observation is yet another one of my little (not so little?) comparing and contrasting to others. This is only my 3rd week installment to uncover the countless ways I catch myself judging my appearance – and much of it is sizing myself up to others.

A special word for my US readers (+ 69-ish)

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I just want to take a moment and speak to my readers in the United States and say that my respect and compassion go out to everyone who’s genuinely wrestling with how best to resist what’s coming in the wake of Monday’s presidential inauguration. As you know I now live in Portugal for nearly 3 years, so I’m not in the frying pan. But, regardless of where you are in the world, we are all to some degree going to be held hostage to the man’s cruel whims and tantrums. At this point, the U.S. is a wobbling behemoth – the real question is when it topples who will be left in the wreckage? 

Mind the (thigh) gap! Being 69-ish

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This is the 2nd week installment of my mission over 52 weeks (all of 2025) to uncover the countless ways I catch myself judging my appearance – or how I imagine others might judge me. This week: Thigh gap phobia. In earlier years, it use to be a morning ritual. I’d get out of bed, stand up, put my legs together and look down to see if I had “space” between my thighs – that coveted thigh gap.

The bodies of beautiful others

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Even though I just started documenting my awareness of the comparing and self-body shaming I do, I’m seeing that often my attention is focused on the figures of other women. Now that, in and of itself, is benign but it’s the cascade of thoughts associated with my observations.

Defying dystopia & being 69-ish

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I’ve had a strange compulsion since Trump won the White House – I’m drawn to dystopian films and series. And, at the same time, I find myself reflecting deeply on what can be done when faced with overwhelming societal challenges.

My journey of body UNshaming

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As I shared last week on my 69th birthday, I’m embarking on an experiment this year: cataloging all the ways I engage in my own body shaming. Criticizing myself for how I look – or how I believe others perceive me – remains one of the last persistent and nagging patterns that hasn’t caught up with my emotional growth and maturity.

My Naughty B-day: Can you say 69?

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My assistant Carsey has a master’s degree in public health and used to teach a sex ed class. On the first day of class she would ask her high schoolers to name the dirtiest sex word they knew (a very clever gauge to find out their knowledge level). The most common answer, she laughs, was always “69.”

Cannabis: Cruelty vs. Inspiration – Elevation Ceremony this Saturday

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I hear from many people about their view of meditation. The most common sentiment, especially among driven professionals, is that despite knowing the benefits, they struggle to slow down and sit for mindfulness meditation. Even guided meditation, where the narrative takes you somewhere calm and peaceful, like a walk in the woods, seems challenging for them. They get itchy and twitchy – and it makes sense.

Plant Power: Canna Elevation Ceremony scheduled

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There’s a lot more going on here than simply firing up the plant – but she’s a mighty potent friend when we want to go deep! Oh sure, I work with mushrooms too but when you simply want a powerful but simple session to release whatever is knocking loudest on your head, pair canna with my emotional release work and voila! – you launch yourself into a different zone of being. I call it an exquisite state of being.

Want to check-out Portugal?

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This is a little off-topic from my usual letters, but – not really – as you’ll see. I invite you to just keep reading. The week after the presidential election, Ron and I got a lot of comments (along with assorted emoticons!) in emails from friends. I guess you could say it was in a congratulatory vein.

BECCA WILLIAMS

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