Why a women's forum?

[channlluv]

Well, now we're all curious, Jess.

I come here because even though I'm 80lbs overweight and have food issues, every single person here has been supportive of my cycling and swimming. Yeah, I get the occasional much-needed tough love kick in the butt about food and regular exercise. I don't take that as judging. I take that as "Come on, you can do this -- don't lose sight of your goals." A lot of women here have been through similar life experiences.

I can ask questions about food sensitivities, get great recipes I'd never have thought to try otherwise, get advice on cross training, and so much more, and not a bit of judgement with any of it. And here's a key thing: I can also OFFER advice based on my own experience and you women listen and take what I have to contribute as something valuable and you don't discount it because I'm "too fat to bike" or whatever. That actually happens in other forums. Those of you who are very fit may never know what it feels like to be made invisible and completely disregarded because of your appearance, but even so, most of the women on this board will make supportive comments, even if that's never, and will probably never, happened to them.

I was a member of BikeForums for a while and I felt relegated to their large women's Athena forum, which was hardly ever posted in when I was there, and then it was mostly people saying "Hi, I'm here." There was no real discussion, and when I tried to participate in the regular forums, I felt like I'd dropped into the middle of a frat house or something.

As for Mr. Bloom, it's nice that you like to hang out here and you've made friends here, but Silver does, too, and she has friends on the board who have missed her presence since you two split. When she said she felt like you "got TE" in the divorce, I felt her pain on that one. I think a lot of us here did. When you said you intended to keep your interactions with her civil on this board, the tone of it rankled me. I'll be honest and say it's never bothered me until right then that you are a regular on the board.

The only other male I notice on a regular basis is PsyclePath, and I appreciate his comments on bike safety issues. In fact, I'm probably wrong on this, but I can't remember him posting about much else. Although I do recall a story about him having a flat in Mobile while visiting family and having to take the tire in for repair, and the lbs wrench asking him how the Madone was, and PsyclePath asking how the guy knew he rode a Madone, and the guy saying it was because of the quality of the tire.

That's also where I learned you can fix a hole in a tire with a dollar bill long enough to get it to a shop for repair. That was you, wasn't it, Psycle?

Okay, so, yeah, open communication, tough love, non-judgmental, great recipes, great advice, lots of rah-rah support when I need it. And I love that I have virtual friends from all over the world. I feel so eclectic. <g>

Roxy