Thank you
Just a short note to thank you all for reading Pocket-sized this year.
This year I wrote even more stories about weightlifting. Having two trips to the US – Hawaii and the East Coast – I spent a lot of time wrestling with what that country is becoming and how conflicted I feel about this. I also tried to make sense of a visit to Tonga, the birthplace of my former neighbour, and the home of a new friend.
What you read
The top five stories that took your fancy this year were:
1.
The most read story of this year was not about weightlifting or the US, it was the open letter to the Giants regarding their women’s program. I think this story reached far beyond the regular readers of this newsletter. I received many comments and messages from people who agreed but did not want to say anything publicly. This made me very sad. I do not regret writing what I did and I stand by it. I have taken a very large step back from supporting the club, which has been a relief. Perhaps one day I’ll be back, but for now, my world is quite a bit less orange than it once was.
“Does the club – from the top down – care about the program? If so, why does it appear that they are willing to accept mediocrity, or worse? I doubt very much this would be the same in the men’s program.
As a dedicated supporter of this team, I am no longer willing to accept mediocrity. It’s not good enough to merely have a women’s team. As an inaugural W club, we should be in a better position. I hate to admit it publicly, but it’s incredibly galling to watch Sydney move ahead, while we continue to languish.”
2.
Following that was my story about our New York/Boston trip and the book stores and libraries that gave me hope. Visiting the NYPL was one of the highlights of my year. Not so much because of the building itself, but for what it stands for.
“While seeing this library was emotional and significant, it was the sharp reminder of the role of libraries in resistance, and justice, that lifted me.
It was Banned Books Week. The library was making a big deal out of it, as was every bookshop I visited. The stores had tables of books labelled “Banned” or “Under threat” and these tables were heavily browsed. I heard exasperated people asking, “Why is THIS banned?” many times.”
3.
In Hawaii (for – checks notes – the sixth time) we watched the Martin Luther King parade joyfully pass by our hotel, while Trump was inaugurated on television. It was head-spinningly contradictory, but typical for this nation.
“Many people would question my sanity. Consider: the utter hypocrisy of the place, the grasping, vicious domination of capital, the promotion of corporations above civil government, the primacy of the individual at all costs, the guns, the lack of healthcare.
Driving up the island yesterday, past the sodden fields of taro that made me think, inevitably, of my neighbour and her eternal struggle to grow the stuff in Tempe, was a lesson in the contradictions of this place.”
4.
I started weightlifting at 48. In this piece I considered what that meant and it seemed to strike a chord with a lot of women, of all ages.
“Starting something at this age can be a case of making an agreement with yourself: you are going to do what you want, not what you think other people want, or expect you to do…
Starting something new, like lifting, can give you back those parts of yourself that you thought lost. The bits of the child you that maybe didn’t fit, or you supressed. The unfiltered joy felt in physical activity, before bodies and society and politics and decorum got in the way.”
5
A story about another Pacific island, Tonga, and my visit to a friend there. I met Moala when she came to provide palliative care for my neighbour last year. We formed an unlikely friendship – she is deeply religious and speaks rudimentary English, I am not religious at all and speak barely any Tongan – and it has been life changing. The title means “In peace”. (My current favourite Tongan phrase is ‘Hiki me’a mamafa’. Lift heavy things).
I was unsure about my clothing. I went out the back to show M and check with her.
“Is that what you’re going to wear to church?” she asked.
“Yes, I don’t really have anything else. Is it ok?”
“Yes, is ok”.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to…” I wanted to say “be inappropriate” but I didn’t know if she would know that word or if it was the right word for what I was trying to say.
“God sees what is in your heart, not what you wear”.
I’m also proud to note that I had two stories about weightlifting and women published by the ABC.
· No longer invisible, weightlifting is empowering women of all ages
· Domestic violence survivors using strength training for trauma recovery
As always, thank you for reading. I value every comment, every like and of course, every ‘coffee’. I hope you can find some quiet time over the next few weeks. I have a manuscript to complete. I’m hoping to be busy.
Georg x
A big year for a whole lot of reasons. The challenge to the Giants re their women's team deserves to be the widest read. It was heartfelt and needed to be said, I hope it makes a difference.