Sometimes its Not the Crystals that hurt. Darkside of Mining 2.

There is an unspoken truth about being a woman. (Men rolling their eyes at that) Many times men think that they can say what they want about us. I guess, you can say that people can be cruel and it isn't a gender thing but the incidents I am going to tell you about were made because I am a woman. In hind sight, this person was more than likely attacking me for a reason I will not get into.

During the Area 51 time, when I first started digging, there was a person who I will give no telling details about. This person thought it would be okay to comment about my chest, almost weekly which is a lot considering I only dug on weekends. Either he said something about the size or said something about how I must behave sexually (calling me slutty in a round about way). It was mortifying. Anyone who really knows me, knows I am very up-tight about this type of thing to begin with.

When I objected to his distasteful comments, he responded by telling me that he failed the sexual harassment training at work. Can you imagine? Saying that, meaning that, and his wife was right there. No one said anything to him. Nor did they do a thing. They just laughed along not realizing how wrong he was. Again, this happened every single weekend for an entire season.

Another time, the same person called me the "fat girl" of the claim. He laughed while I sat on his couch trying to smile through it, as if it were a joke. He looked and said, Oops I called you the fat girl, haha I said you're that fat girl. Hey---- I just called her the fat girl at the claim".

I walked away to find Shane. Yea, I know (smiling) I am not a size zero. I am a curvy gal and honestly, there are many factors to why that is. I am always working on my health but there is a ton working against me.

If you know me you know I went years without eating more than a bagel every few days. You would know that I am concerned with my weight. Even at a size 4, I worked out 6 hours a day. So this really affected me. Now, my heart, my joints won't let me do that. But why do I feel I need to explain this and make excuses for my weight? I guess, it still bothers me. Years later he told Shane why bring up the past, everyone did things they regret.

Well, I bring it up because his behavior shocked me. It was so inconsistent with everyone else. After pulling into 51 and chatting with the other miners, I was always so happy. That part of the day was always so wonderful. I have written about Shane, taking an hour to get off the hill because the other miners were so friendly; such great people that conversations lasted much further than what did you find?

Now this is not a boo hoo. This is not me trying to make waves. This is me saying that the mining community is very small and it is imperative for us to take care of each other, to help each other and protect each other. Please think about that during your next interaction with fellow miners and people. Building someone up can change their day and their outlook, but tearing them down can really do so much harm. Who knows? They may, like me, be frowning, tearing up at the thought, years later.

Remember,

Minerals=love!