The Reason Behind My Voice

As 2022 ends, I greet it with nothing but sheer gratitude. This year was not without its challenges, but there was also the moments of joy.                                                                       Photo captured in September 2022 I am grateful for the good, the bad and everything in between. I am also grateful for this space where I get to show up as my authentic self and where my writing doesn't have to be perfect.  There are a few things I will remember most about 2022 - Surviving Covid-19. My family and friends surviving Covid-19. Fighting acne.  Loving and losing.  Finding a skincare routine that works.  Learning to let go of what wasn't mine.  Shedding dead weight. I took my meditation practice seriously.  I took my healing seriously...

                                                                      Photo by  Simon Berger  on  Unsplash One lesson I have been avoiding is how temporary everything can be. I thought that the longer I evaded this lesson, is the longer it would not apply to me.  Unfortunately, that impermanence also extends to our bonds and relationships. My good friend Novie says, "We do not own people." And that is very true. We do not own their human experiences nor do we get to dictate how long people stay in our lives . They can walk away when the need arises. We are allowed to go our separate ways. We often want to stay longer than we should and want to fight for love and relationships, when these things should come easy. We often give in to the urge to stay even when th...

Photo by  Karl Magnuson  on  Unsplash  What makes a woman?  Here is a question I have been asking myself and some around me for years. I have struggled to define womanhood, and to an extent, so have those around me.  If we look back at history and compare it to the present, one thing is for sure, the definition of a woman has changed over time. The definition of a woman is no longer what it used to be. It is safe to say that the nuances of “woman” have evolved, as they should.  The pre-contemporary woman was identified by her temperament and demeanor. A good woman submitted to patriarchy, was docile and fertile. There was no place for a woman to be her person much less to take up space or have a voice.  The modern woman, on the other hand, is nothing short of revolutionary. She is strong-willed and does whatever she puts her mind to. The primitive will call her selfish but the millennials call her admirable. Photo by  Junior REIS  on...

Photo credit: Cash Macanaya on Unsplash Do you write people off or do you take them as they? While on my much-needed hiatus, I was able to do some introspection about life, people, and the spaces I occupy presently.  Photo by Dom Aguiar on Unsplash Earlier this year, I experienced a great betrayal (at one point or another, most of us have experienced this or will - it is part of life). I won't go into much detail, but it was from someone I held very dear and in high esteem. In the end, I realized that not everyone sees you as you see them.  People are complex - not complicated but dynamic.  Photo by Jeffery Erhunse on Unsplash If we are honest, we will admit that the people in our lives hold different roles for different folks. Someone we may deem as a hero in our story may very well be a villain in someone else's. I am sure that you have played a villainous role in someone's life. And that is perfectly fine because people are complex - multifaceted.   Take a ...