I Come Bearing Orange Drink

Dear friends! I have not abandoned you, nor have I abandoned Hay Ladies!. I am, however, have a fudge of a summer trying to keep everything together, and alas, Hay Ladies has floundered over the last week. But! I have been writing, of course, and I invite you to read my piece today on RH Reality Check about how I’m horrified of the prospect of getting pregnant.

It’s also about Jesus and some things:

What does God want for your life? What is God’s plan for you? Want some orange drink?

These were the questions people asked me on Sundays when I was growing up as a teenager in church. We wondered about what God wanted for us, and wondered how we all could hold ourselves and our friends accountable for our behavior to keep us walking in the path of holiness. All, of course, discussed over the ubiquitous orange drink served at youth meetings across the country. Orange drink is the most righteous of bulk beverages.

Now, a decade removed from the religious enthusiasm of my teenage years, I wonder if all that wondering about God’s plan didn’t encourage me to forget I had a plan—and a life and a body—of my own. You see, I am terrified by the prospect of unwanted pregnancy.

My best friend is the one who noticed it. Even though I’ve been on hormonal birth control for years, rarely miss a pill and take emergency contraception when I do, I still worried that a recent wonky menstrual cycle meant I was pregnant. So I told my best friend. And she comforted me but also kind of laughed and said Andrea, you are pretty weird when it comes to pregnancy.

She’s right. I am.

Read the rest here.