The Jet Ski Incident

“Can you believe she just did that?” I mouthed to my best friend.

We were at the lake and my brother’s new girlfriend had just pulled herself onto a standing jet ski, planted her feet, and proceeded to zip around the lake in a teeny bikini. I on the other hand, had just tried to get my not-quite-as-toned body up on the same jet ski but instead spent 20 minutes being dragged around in the water with my white t-shirt billowing up with the wind, giving me the appearance of a baby beluga whale frolicking in the waves.

As I sat watching her with the rest of the group, I thought, “Maybe she’ll fall and suffer a non-life-threatening and mildly disfiguring injury.” I also thought that all the women there were thinking that exact same thought. I was wrong. I looked around and there was not an inkling of jealousy or resentment among our group – in fact, there was encouragement and cheering.

I found out that these women are healthy.

And me? Not so much.

In the weeks ahead, I’ll be introducing a project I call The Inner-Sisters. These are the parts of me I lovingly (and sometimes begrudgingly) blame for my more questionable life choices. Who are they, exactly? Some might call them coping mechanisms—I call them sisters. They’re the ones that show up when life feels too big, too painful, or too confusing. They don’t think things through—they move with instinct. They fight. They freeze. They people-please. They twist themselves into whatever shape they think will keep me safe. They meant well but somewhere along the way, I was losing myself.

Meet Enid - she’s an instigator, the Inner-Sisters’ ringleader. I blame her for the Jet Ski Incident…

As I introduce each Inner-Sister, I hope you’ll begin to recognize a few of your own. The more of mine I’ve met, the more I understand why every woman in size 2 jeans used to turn me into the Queen of Mean—just for existing. Yes, my sisters made me do it. But they had their reasons. And listening to them has given me the chance to embrace them—because they’re not bad… just a little misunderstood.