#quitters

Obligation is not inherent in every activity. (When you have only yourself to be accountable to) there’s no rule that says you need to commit X years to a hobby or activity. (Something like making a child is different.) Quitting something that hurts you or simply doesn’t bring you happiness isn’t a sign of weakness.

My sib is watching Survivor and two women at day 28 (of 40) wanted to go home. Other players were extremely derisive of their decision, because surely they could make it the other 11 days. A mom told one young woman that “[she] didn’t let her daughter quit cross country,” “there will be worse things in life than this,” so the younger woman needed to suck it up.

When I said I couldn’t do karate while menstruating, my Karate Sensei and a classmate (a mom) told me that it would only get worse with time; I needed to suck it up. But it turns out that kind of pain isn’t normal, and now, later, I know I have Fibromyalgia. My body was going to give if I wasn’t granted accessibility options.

This mindset demands you disrespect your body’s limitations. Sucking it up when you’re at your breaking point is always at the cost of something else, and the rewards, if any, don’t always outweigh the consequences. It is not important to be able to do everything, and the things that we are able to do are important.