The Great Hill.

My bike was not this chic,  but it was a champion

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day in NYC. Dr. H announced that he wanted to go for a run in the park and I immediately decided to grab a bike and do some outdoor exercise as well. Though we once circled Central Park running together, it's been (only?!) eight weeks since my knee reconstruction and biking is all I'm "up to". Determined to enjoy the spring air, I took off on the 6 mile loop, including The Great Hill in the park's northwest corner. Initially nervous to leave the security of a timed ride on a stationary bike behind, I'm happy to report that I hauled my booty up that hill and have lived to tell the tale.

For me, yesterday was a mini-milestone. It's not that riding a bike up The Great Hill was particularly remarkable (just ask the people whisking past me!), but it was a small goal and a small victory and achieving it rocked. So, take a moment this week to find your own Great Hill and celebrate (with Tasti D-light?!) when you reach the top of it. It doesn't matter if anyone else thinks the milestone is a big deal, all that matters is how the accomplishment feels to you. Happy riding!

A girl power moment

Have you ever heard a news broadcaster ask a male politician if he’s had cosmetic surgery? When was the last time a powerful male executive was asked how he balances work and fatherhood? If a young male public figure gains some weight, it must be because he’s pregnant! How come the media dialogue is so different when it comes to high profile women vs. men?

The issues of women’s rights and gender norms are important to me and I’ve had “feminist tendencies” for as long as I can remember. I dream of a time when the opportunities, success and equality of my gender are no longer topics of concern.

For me, a key problem with the women’s “equality dialog,” is that many want recognition for their woman-hood. They want an extra round of applause (an entire gendered history month!) to celebrate overcoming the obstacle of being born female. I think this is the wrong approach. While women should network to encourage, foster and support the success of other women (because significant gender-related obstacles do exist) what our end-goal should be is to be treated like “one of the boys”. For me, a successful women’s movement would be one where being a woman who accomplished something is impressive for the accomplishment itself, not because a woman managed to succeed where no woman has before.

How do we get the media to be less gendered? Do you have habits which you could change for the benefit of greater equality? If this topic interests you at all, this is worth watching and this is worth reading.

Image Via Pinterest