Everything changes except Grandma’s recipes.
We change. The world changes. Both are inevitable. Embracing yourself is the best recipe, as is being flexible and grateful.
My older sister hated her flat breasts. She grew up in the 1950s when movie stars, such as Jayne Mansfield, had big bosoms. Some women felt so much pressure to be buxom that they had breast implants. Others, such as my sister, felt embarrassment. Is either an example of embracing yourself?
My big crush in the 1960s was on actor Robert Conrad who had the best developed body of any actor at the time, minus, of course, Steve Reeves. Today, every male actor has a body that makes Conrad’s seem average, and Steve Reeves has been outdone. High school boys feel a lot of pressure today to have great abs. At their age, I didn’t know what an “ab” was.
My younger brother wore braces. “Tin grin.” Not a lot of adolescents wore braces then. It was torture, and was thought to be unbecoming, but not today. Whitening one’s teeth was unheard of, but not today. It’s hilarious to watch movies where Vikings are rowing big boats, and they all have bright, white teeth.
Change happens, lots of times for the good, such as smaller breasts being “in.” We can’t stop cultural evolution, despite the President’s efforts to eliminate all awareness of transgender people. We humans eventually come to our senses, even when terrorized by one who has none. Women vote. Slavery in the U.S. is illegal. Gay and lesbian people can legally marry.
MAGA and Project 2025 adherents want the country to go back in time to the 1950s when straight, white men ruled. No more gym bodies. They make most MAGA men feel inferior. No more interest in the lives of people who aren’t white Christians. Minorities challenge their sense of superiority. Bring back the big breasts and keep them at home raising the children. No more homosexuals getting married. The Ten Commandments will be prominently displayed. No more interracial couples or gay characters in TV series or movies.
All of this change might happen, but not for long. I’m not afraid of change. I’ve changed dramatically in awareness, appearance, lifestyle and desires. Change is part of the natural order. I’m part of the natural order.
A big part of my path to happiness has been not to be intimidated by cultural pressure or the norm. I never believed homosexuality was a sin, nor that to be truly gay you had to enjoy anal sex. When the teachings of the Catholic Church were no longer meaningful, I found spiritual thought that was. I’ve never had a gym boy’s body, nor allowed myself to feel embarrassment because of it.
When we proudly claim our space in life, and accept our whole selves with gratitude, no matter how the wind blows, we bend and not break; we flourish and not wither.
