Today marks my first week back to Feministing after a month (mostly) off to take care of a health problem. It was a weird time, in large part because breaks aren’t really my thing. I like work. It sustains me, fits me; a friend once told me my spirit animal is an overcommitted pit bull. And while I’ve always understood the importance of self-care in theory, I’d also seen the idea invoked to shirk commitments and knew how that could burden others. But the month was necessary, and I’m extremely grateful to the people with whom I write and organize for stepping up so I could step back (I see you Maya, Dana, Suzbob, Kate, etc.).

It was also a ...