WordPlay #3 : Liberty/Library/Libra | Freedom/Books/Justice
If you live across cultures you can stumble on language quirks– words your brain hears or sees differently than intended simply because you’re not a native speaker.
Last time I flagged Vote/Stem/Stemmen/Tuning –where “Stem” is Dutch for “vote,” and multiple votes is the equivalent of the English “tuning.” Our votes should thus “tune” the instruments in power. (but how many Listen?).
Wordplay #2 Vote/Stem/Voice/Tuning
Whoa Election Day! I know the whole world isn’t daily watching or reeling from what America has been going these past years, but wow, major human milestone!
Because America has power and clout far beyond her borders.
But these Wordplays are supposed to be light and encouraging so let’s get to it!
10 Life & Sex Lessons Mom Never Told Me: #10. Sex = A-Bomb, for Better or Worse
Final post in #UnashamedList series. Written especially for youth navigating issues like sexual integrity, porn addiction, (sexual) abuse, etc.
Series intro and full 10 Day list here.
Sex was a massive part of my youth. I’ve shared snapshots of how hard it is being sexualized at an early age throughout this series. I’ve come out about the insidiousness of porn, upsides of “waiting,” and consequences of just doing everything you think is right.
But everything is more complicated Today.
That’s me on my 17th Birthday. No Instagram, Twitter or Tinder back in the 90’s. No Selfies or Filters to daily challenge my self-esteem. If a party got crazy, any d* pics were probably taken with a throwaway camera. There was no Social Media to torch a reputation or courage.
And when I went through a “tomboy” phase, LGBTQ wasn’t even on the radar…
There’s so much pressure on youth today. Few places to just Be. #MadRespect for all walking through it daily…
10 Life & Sex Lessons Mom Never Told Me: #9- Get Yourself Checked w/a Friend
Day 9 from the #UnashamedList. Written especially to support eg youth navigating issues like sexual integrity, porn addiction, sexual abuse, etc… Series intro here.
You’ve got to do it sometime.
I’m going to be honest. I don’t know if getting tested for STD’s is so normal now that it’s trend. I heard Trevor Noah (The Daily Show) joke once about Chlamydia and how everyone has it.
Oh really?
But if you’ve never been checked out and have been sexually active–from intercourse, to just oral sex– Get. Yourself. Checked.
10 Life & Sex Lessons Mom Never Told Me: #8- Your Body Means Something, It’s OK to Wait
Day 8 from the #UnashamedList, a special series written to support any youth navigating issues like sexual integrity, porn addiction, etc… Series intro here.
We live in an instant gratification society.
Almost everything is at our fingertips, with a click or swipe. Waiting is a special skill.
Especially with sex: how foreign the idea of waiting might be…
Still, I wish I did. What’s more, I wish someone told me this was even an option. Waiting, sexual integrity, and my body as valuable property weren’t topics I was busy with.
Music, crushing and fun was.
Kids.
10 Life & Sex Lessons Mom Never Told Me: #7- It’s Not Cool for Teachers or Parents to Hit On You
Day 7 from the #UnashamedList series. Written to be a resource for any youth navigating issues like sexual integrity, porn addiction,.. Series intro here.
After reading Day 5, my husband dropped this:
“Op een oude fiets moet je het leren.”
Apparently it’s an old Dutch phrase meaning, literally: ‘You’ve got to learn it on an old bike.‘
The cultural meaning is: get your sexual practice with someone with experience.