Heading back to Kingston today. Please read this article by my brilliant colleague Jaevion Nelson. He has written a sentiment I always try to express with less success: people from low income communities (or “the poor” or whatever other euphemism you want to use- basically code to separate us from them and create “the other”) are blamed for many of society’s problems.

This point of view fails to account for the fact that this could be any of us at any given time. It also fails to account for the fact that we live in a society, which means to a certain extent, we are responsible for one another’s well-being. Please read it at this link and enjoy your day.

Prior to moving to Jamaica, as someone who works in media, I bought just about every publication on the newsstands. Including the fashion magazines. Literally every title you see.

I enjoyed reading about fashion and beauty trends, or at least, I thought I did. I think now that I was actually just caught up in a harmful and wasteful habit.

I now see that despite the fact that these magazines are produced on a monthly basis, there is little new revealed in each issue. The colour of the outfits might change, the technology of the creams might advance, the heels of the shoes might shift, but fundamentally, not much is different from issue to issue. Rather, the editors are caught up in the cycle of consumerism, which encourages conspicuous consumption and contributes to the belief that we always need more and better. I see this now.

What I also see is just how damaging seeing the images of these emaciated girls, otherwise known as the models, on a regular basis, are to women and girls. But until I moved to Jamaica, where these magazines aren’t as readily available, nor are they affordable to me, I had no perception of just how much this conditioned my psyche and trained my eye to believe that just one type of beauty is acceptable.

In Jamaica, women’s bodies are celebrated for what they are, not what they are not. (I will state that Jamaica has its own issues with image, mostly in terms of skin colour, but I do not feel qualified to comment on that aspect. I will also state that I have been wanting to write this post for awhile, more extensively, but perhaps I will expand on it later. Another caveat: the downside to this atmosphere – I’m not certain if it is a by-product or not- is a highly sexualized atmosphere in which young people- mainly girls and women- are objectified, but that is a matter for another post.)

In Jamaica, at least in terms of shape, there does not exist a standard to achieve. Rather, the shape is revered for whatever it happens to be. Curvy (or “fluffy” in Jamaican terms), skinny (“slimmaz”), whatever you are is fine just the way it is, and Jamaican women tend to wear clothes that fit close to the body, free of the shame endemic to Western society, where we are constantly told we are not acceptable unless we meet a certain standard.

I have been in the U.S. and Canada for a couple of weeks now, and have bought a few magazines. With this altered perspective, I am reading them differently. I realize that I am given a plethora of information, but the fundamental message is that I am not good enough. I need to be better.

And here are all the ways in which I need to be better:

-skinnier, but not too skinny
-more toned, but not too muscular
-white skin is best, but you must be tanned, but not too orange
-whiter teeth
-smoother, younger, more dewy skin, but not too shiny
-light-coloured eyes
-light, smooth, long, straight, shiny hair, but not too greasy
-tall, but not too tall
-free of hair on your body
-perfectly manicured nails
And under any circumstances, you must not age. If you do, you must spend lots of money to combat this natural process.

In Jamaica, I am relatively immune to the messages of North American media, whether it be from editorial fashion shoots or advertisements or television, so my eye is being retrained to accept and embrace different images of beauty. In fact, when I read the fashion magazines now, the images of the models shock me. They look unhealthy and unhappy and unattainable and unappealing.

As someone who has struggled with body image and acceptance (who hasn’t?), I am grateful for this. I am grateful to Jamaica. These are just some initial thoughts, I hope to develop them more.

This morning I woke early, before the sun rose, to get in a long run. I looked out the window and almost went back to bed. Pitch black and snowing. Ugh. But my desire to run outweighed my fear of the weather. It was worth it. I set out on the run in the dawn, as the light turns from black to purple to blue. The snow was gently falling so it was like running through powder. Lovely.

I ran downtown, got to survey all the new construction going up, and said many “Good mornings” to people, out of habit. Ottawans apparently do not like this, as only one person out of about a dozen responded. Everyone else looked at me in shock, it seemed. Or maybe they were just disgusted by the weather and the roads. I was driving around today, not many people out there. Now I am home and trying to warm up. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.

Ewww. It is way too cold here. Needless to say, my body is unaccustomed this type of cold. It is the kind of cold in which you have trouble breathing and pain to extremities is imminent. It is quite beautiful here, however, which is a small consolation. A bigger consolation is seeing family and friends. Glorious! Have a wonderful day, stay safe and warm wherever you are.

This morning I set out to run before the sun rose. In fact, the purple light of dusk had just started to emerge. From where I started, I could not see the horizon, the eastern coastline of Florida. I thought the sky was fully covered by clouds. It was not. And I discovered this when I rounded the corner.

Displayed before me was a purple sky, bruised and dark, but with ribbons of orange and pink breaking through where the sun was coming up. The ribbons glowed with the warm light of the sun through these streaks. It took my breath away and gave me goosebumps. And reminded me that our perspective is everything. Before beholding this sight, I assessed the weather situation right away when I left the house. I made a rather pessimistic conclusion (that the sky was dark and cloudy and that it would rain) and started my run.

The reality hit me, however, a few seconds later. I was reminded of the magic of nature, as well as the fact that we can continue to be surprised, that our expectations can be smashed. I was expecting a dark day, maybe some rain, based on the limited perspective I had when I left the house. When I was able to see the whole picture, literally, I was pleasantly shocked, my perspective broadened, and humbled. A good reminder.

It is the last day of 2013, today, of course. It has been an eventful year for me in so many ways. At the same time, it is just another day, if we remember that we are only given one day at a time.

I did not get a picture of the sunrise this morning, but this picture is an equally inspiring shot of what nature can do. It was taken in Ocho Rios. Enjoy your day and stay safe as you usher in a new year.

Sunrise in Florida, hope you have a wonderful and safe day, celebrating with family and friends.

This is a small town in Florida, on the East coast, in its central park. We took pictures last night and then visited a home at which the retired owner sets up a light show in conjunction with music playing on a radio station he commissions just for this display.

It is bustling here in this small town, a good sign of the economic recovery. Houses are selling again, tourists are back in town and license plates from all over the US can be seen. This is in contrast to the past few years, when ‘For sale’ signs languished on front lawns, the parking lots were bare and retailers were struggling.

Enjoy your Christmas Eve!

Despite a gigantic storm striking much of the East cost yesterday, both my sister and I made it to Florida. It is sunny and warm here and I am grateful, both for that, and to be safe and with family.

Pictured is some jerk spice I brought back with me, along with a lot of other Jamaican food products, like coffee, banana chips and hot sauce, all requested by people back home. In fact, it all took up a good portion of my suitcase.

But back to the jerk. It was brought to me by a friend who is from the parish of St. Thomas, who knows a chef who makes this spice from scratch. It is all natural and contains no preservatives and the smell is unbelievably intoxicating. Can’t wait to try it. Enjoy your day.