mary a olson

“When I was around Sunny, there was no time to dream about some easier, prettier, more comprehensible, less fucked-up existence. Now was all we had: Sunny lifting her eyes to meet mine. Cupping water in my own hands to rinse the blood off her head. Sunny’s tongue on my nose, her tail thudding on my leg. The reach of my hand across her spine. The words of comfort and rage and fear and sadness and hope that I spoke only in her presence.”
― Shannon Kopp, Pound for Pound: A Story of One Woman's Recovery and the Shelter Dogs Who Loved Her Back to Life

“Aging in women is 'unbeautiful' since women grow more powerful with time, and since the links between generations of women must always be broken.”
― Naomi Wolf

“Sometimes we take leaps of faith, and sometimes we take tiny steps. Even the tiniest step can require a lot of courage. Like climbing out of denial and admitting my real need for help. Like trusting someone who said I wouldn’t die from eating a bowl of pasta, and taking another bite. Like reaching for a pen or a yoga mat when what I really wanted to do was reach for a cookie. Like searching for a smile in my heart when my mind was busy screaming about how sad and serious I should be.”
― Shannon Kopp, Pound for Pound: A Story of One Woman's Recovery and the Shelter Dogs Who Loved Her Back to Life

“Because the truth is, while bulimia is a devastating illness I would wish upon no one, it has taught me about the fragility of life and the vital need for compassion. Today, I’m quick to love and throw my arms around any girl who has ever stared at a puddle of her own vomit and questioned the point of her life. Or who has ever let a Photoshopped image on a glossy magazine preach to her about her own self-worth, her own beauty. Or who has ever been afraid to face the pain and suffering, within and outside of herself.

Today, I’m quick to love.”
― Shannon Kopp, Pound for Pound: A Story of One Woman's Recovery and the Shelter Dogs Who Loved Her Back to Life