I’ve also been getting busy propelling myself back into my first entrepreneurial creative venture and making sweet love to my camera after a semi-photography sabbatical last year. But that’s a story for another day. ;)

I’ve been getting busy, and who doesn’t love to start (rather than end) their week with a link round-up? I jest, I jest; but I just wanted to share a few gems with you on this lovely Monday morning afternoon.

Two pieces that have been published recently elsewhere:

• This one dives lightly, for my first time, into what it’s been like to me as a hyphenated Asian with a history of eating disorders: “Losing Weight Will Not Fix Your Life” at Thick Dumpling Skin (because I had no idea for any other title– I wanted to mention dumplings but that’s already been taken! ;))
• Maybe you’re just hungry at Voice in Recovery– yet another post about hunger, because I love hunger and I’m grateful for hunger– because it means I’m listening to my body, and that I get yet another opportunity to nourish myself!

Other places I’ve been wandering that you may have missed:

• 5 Kind New Habits for an Awesome New Year at Yes and Yes– the year’s just started, and now is always the best time to implement more self-care into your life.
• Making a Difference with Writing: Self-love warrior Sui Solitaire talks about using writing to make a difference at Crystal Clarity Copywriting– the lovely Tanja interviewed me about how I use writing to change the world

Two reviews for my latest book The Thing About Thin that touched me and filled me with warm and fuzzy feelings:

• Happiness is not an end in itself. (Review: The Thing About Thin)

  What touched me most about this review:

  “…The book’s scope is far larger. While the reference point here is to body image and curing self-hate as expressed against our bodies, the teachings in this book could apply to anyone at all who has stifled the size of their inner self, whether through drinking, drugs, toxic relationships, zoneing out on the world… all of them forms of spiritual anaesthesia that prevents you (or me) from truly LIVING.

  It’s a deeply nourishing, soul-feeding book that explores how we resist ourselves from fear, and how that fear becomes an internalised limit on what we can feel and how we can be.”

  As I wrote on Google+ (speaking of which, are you hanging out with me and our fellow warriors there yet? ;)):

  I don’t just write about body image or eating disorders– I aim to write about our humanness and how we navigate the challenges that we face in our day-to-day lives. If you have time, please consider this book, even if you have never struggled with body image issues.

  The message that I’ve intended to impart has been gratefully understood: This isn’t just about body image or eating disorders. This is about life and all the ways we hold back from ourselves from being our most wonderful, truest selves.

• Inspirations (by Aimee Levesque)

  What touched me most about this “review”: (i.e. as Aimee writes: “I prefer writing so-called reviews that are, in fact, just a collection of reading notes.”)

  “The thing about this book is that it’s so revealing (of Sui’s as well as my life) that it has shaken me to the core. Focusing excessively on myself just doesn’t make that much sense anymore; In fact, instead of being an end, self-acceptance may be just a means. A means to justice, or whatever goal we have set for ourselves.

  But it might be still necessary, in order to be able to dig from our hearts.

  Reading this book, I literally felt beautiful…

  I knew what I had to do next: Acknowledge that I was already fulfilling my own purpose (the one I have for now), and that was making me more complete every day.

  (Being perfect is not a purpose. Who does it help anyway? Not even me, considering the imminent fall.)

  This book is not only for people recovering (or trying to recover) from eating disorders. If you are willing to move beyond the first pages, you will discover a unique voice, humble AND strong. That’s what I like about Sui and her website cynosure: At first I thought, “Oh, just another website on self-acceptance and self-love,” but I soon realized hers was way deeper than a lot of them. Her twist on things is always so unexpected, but it always makes so much sense. It resonates.”

I am so, so grateful to have you here, dear warrior.

Thank you for lighting up my journey the way that you do.

P.S.

Shout-out for stories!

Are you a male-identified sufferer/survivor of eating disorders? If so, I’d love to talk to you– email me at hello at sui-solitaire.com. I’d love to hear your story, publish your experience, or interview you. :)

Also, are there any Asian-American male recovery warriors (to borrow Kendra’s term) in the house? I’d like to talk to you, too. (Non-Asian males, I still love you! But this is for a separate project I’m working on with others.)

If you know anyone who fits either criterion, will you forward them this post? Thank you so much, dear warrior!