My Body is a Temple

The pandemic was a disruption in so many people’s lives. In a way it really tested humanity to see what kind of people we really were on the insides because for the first time in decades the whole family got to know each other on a really close intimate level. I was fortunate to be an essential worker. I don’t really like the term essential worker and quite frankly it didn’t feel very fortunate in a sense. I was an archaeologist and since our presence was required on the infrastructure city construction, business was big booming. It was an interesting time. Most of my time working in my 10 years of archaeology off and on was pretty interesting though. Some projects could have literally been a reality show with all of the drama on and off the clock. That story is for another day. At the time I worked for a small growing archaeology/paleontology company and it was probably one of the best times in the field I’ve had. I was able to work projects near my home and since I was living in the heart of Koreatown, most of the time that meant you could find me downtown in the middle of the street somewhere. Well we had gotten so big that we had caught the eye of a bigger tech company so like many companies, we were acquiesced. I never fully integrated because at the time I was working from home. I had just had a baby so I just did like a lot of work on reports, data entry, paperwork, etc. I didn’t get vaccination and am not vaccinated. I don’t care how you feel about that. I didn’t want to participate in a drug trial and I stand by that decision today. Anyways, I was no longer in the field so I don’t know why it was necessary for me to have it. I literally never went into the office. All my work was remote. So I filed for a religious exemption. I listed I was spiritual and I don’t put things into my body that were literally created in a lab last week. Now I grew up Southern Baptist. Like real Southern Baptist from the small tiny churches with only like 50 people in the congregation. I went to Baylor University which is a private Baptist University and after all that I really feel more spiritual. I believe we all have our own journeys to God and that he talks to each of us separately in a language we can each understand so I don’t claim to have any knowledge about anyone else’s path. I’m just letting you guys know what works for me so far. Anyways, I don’t know what about that sounds crazy. Like people really out here trying to find shortcuts to logic and common sense. Can I really wait to see how y’all turn out with the side effects before I go putting something into my body that I am not comfortable doing? So that’s a NO for me for right now. Well anyways, I had to interview with a panel and pretty much explain why I believed my body to be a temple. I’m like, do you guys just eat or put anything into it? Do you just watch any ol’ thing or listen to any kind of music? You are literally a compilation of the things you consume and the energy you are around. So no I do not want to participate. No, I don’t feel guilty about it. In 20 years if you can prove this is safe in the long term in the human body we can revisit this conversation. Within days I ended up quitting after this meeting. They denied my religious exemption. Being apart of a big company is like being a number. One that is easily replaceable. I have value. I didn’t feel valued, heard or respected so I chose to walk away.

In a way that helped push me into pursuing the things that make me happy. If I have to explain why my body is a temple and why I valued myself, then to not be heard… well then that was just somewhere I didn’t belong! It was also stressful trying to balance being back at work with a newborn. I had had a high risk pregnancy, was hospitalized a couple of times for severe morning sickness and my recovery was rough after my emergency c-section. It was a lot. But when it comes to walking away, I don’t regret any of it. Just like that I had joined the workforce exodus and now I’m out her mom-preneuring trying to figure it out like everyone else. Life is so wild. I am grateful for everything. I’m grateful to be able to be supported enough to be allowed to spend my time on my arts, side hustles and being a better, more present mommy. It’s not easy. I just have to live in my moment, every moment and figure out the things I can do within my control to propel me towards the happily ever after that I can see in my mind’s eye and can even feel so clearly….

Happy hustling out there! Make sure you rest when you can. Everyone is entitled to their own bodily autonomy at the end of the day. As women, we are getting really tired of people telling us what to do with our bodies. I don’t plan to work for anyone but myself again. I REFUSE to explain to another company why I think my body is a temple. Like if they aren’t Intelligent enough to understand symbolisms and metaphors, I’m going to pass. My body, my choice. It’s wild because now it’s like it doesn’t even matter anymore. So like really what tf was that…I’m not going to get into any conspiracies or anything. Really I just want to encourage people to be a little more conscious of what they are putting into their bodies. When we start diving in and looking at the correlation on the effect of the environment/diet has on the human body it’s pretty astonishing. According to some experts the gut health is linked to most of the diseases that people are suffering from today. I will have to get into another blog about this and the lymphatic system but yeah… Just be more aware. The things you read, watch, listen to, and immerse yourself with all have an effect on not just your mentality, values, thoughts but also your emotional state. Some of these medications they are giving us have worst side effects than the things they are claiming to cure. Take the time to read the ingredients in the things you’re consuming. Take a more active role in your health. Take the time to educate yourself. No one is required to teach you how to “treat your own body like a temple” and these days most people would allow you to blindly walk astray. Make your own educated decisions, follow your own council and stand by the decisions you make 10 toes down. So yeah, you might make a mistake. We all do. They suck and then we have to get through them. Move on. Find a way. You only get one life. One time for the one time.

-C Money, the Muse