I used to walk in long strides, up and down mountain hills and hollers in Appalachia, in Central America, on Capitol Hill. Women's bodies are not for industrial sewing jobs. We are not fragile. We are not easily broken. When I put on my trousers this morning, these jeans I barely could put on before, were loose at the waste. I could stick both of my palms down them if I had to. Jessica says cutting flour, gluten, and sugar helped her loose 150 pounds. She used to weigh what I weigh now.

I am so energetic now. The other day, I was walking and it felt like I was flying, coasting, gliding along. I already feel so liberated, so light on my feet. I am getting a regular workout in Walking for Fitness too, and that is good for me. Women are built for rugged mountain climbing, just like men. I used to scale trees, walk on logs that carried me over streams that ran deep in the orifices of coves. And now, just walking here and there around this campus of life, I am learning to fly.