No BS
Most Australians know the story of Turia Pitt... A 20-something mining engineer who, while running an ultramarathon, was caught in a bushfire suffering burns to 65% of her body.
Five years on she's smashing her goals and despite her ongoing recovery she has refreshing a "no bullshit, no nonsense" attitude.
This surprised me.
I'd seen plenty of media items on Turia over the past couple of years but it wasn't until I heard her speak at a Screen Queensland event last week that I understood her charm.
Firstly, she swears. A lot. But it's somehow exhilerating to hear someone open up a talk saying, "For some reason after the accident the media thought I was really interesting, but I was really fucking interesting before the burns too."
Secondly, she doesn't care what you think. The moment she stepped on stage she lifted off her stylish jacket unashamedly revealing her marked skin. Many of us try to hide the trivial parts of our bodies we're embarrassed about but she was putting it on show, a display of her battle scars.
I thought it was a good point for the rest of us to remember.
It helps to be vulnerable, to let your guard down. People by nature want to connect, not to talk to someone who conceals their true identity. They want someone who's real, with scars (internal or external) and who's proud of the story that's lead them to be who they are today.
A deviation from my food blogging, but it was something that really touched me.
Be proud.
