Hello, love.
I’m late, but I didn’t want to get too far into a new month without acknowledging my 33rd birthday. I celebrated it on October 6th. And when I say celebrated, I mean ate burgers from a cute old-school drive-in for dinner…in Dallas.
Oh yeah!
Life update: I moved to Texas.
More on that later, but for now, know that my 33rd birthday was perfect. From the moment I woke up, I felt loved and supported, which means even more now that I’m in a new city. I still can’t believe that my love and I made the move, but it’s true. We’ve lived in Texas for over a month now.
Anyway, I entered my 33rd birthday full of happiness, gratitude and wonder to embark on a new adventure. Say what you want about 2020, this year has provided such clarity about what I hold dear and what I want to achieve. To hear my friend Celeste tell it, that’s what 2020 (as in 20/20 vision) is all about despite the challenges.
On that note, here are 33 things I’m taking into chapter 33:
- Grace and mercy for myself because I deserve it as much as friends and loved ones
- Time to heal from past and lingering trauma — whether it’s personal or societal
- The wisdom to know that the unexpected is part of the process
- Inner peace to no longer pit the woman I’ve been against the woman I’m becoming
- Patience to witness my blooming in every season, environment and city
- The stamina to map my own course when it doesn’t abide by society’s unspoken timeline
- The knowledge that it takes strength to lay down my burdens
- …and to recognize when I’m too weak to carry the burdens of others
- The discernment to know that open mind + open heart = closed-off negativity
- An unyielding commitment to freedom
- …and the power to release negative thoughts and emotions, which have only held me hostage
- The courage to allow others to care for me in my time of need
- …and the awareness that allowing others to do so is a form of self-care
- Respect for words knowing that speaking and writing my truth is a form of advocacy
- …and a way to prove to other women that she can and she will. She is me. She is you.
- Compassion for others regardless if I know their story or struggles
- …and the authenticity to learn more on their time
- The insight that forgiveness is ever-evolving and it doesn’t have to be a process; it can be an “I’m here if you need me” text
- The willingness to act AND change to achieve my goals
- Foresight to know that starting over with experience is the perfect starting place
- …and it’s A LOT different than starting over from scratch
- The creativity to build new structures in my life knowing that it will force stubborn walls to fall around me
- Complete faith that unexpected life turns are all apart of a bigger plan
- Self-awareness to know that growth requires you to get comfortable with being uncomfortable
- A go-getter mentality that recognizes progression outranks perfection every. single day.
- Mental maturity to know that success begins and ends within your mind
- …and ideas of success will change the moment you swap “failure” for “lesson learned”
- The problem-solving skills to know it’s better to ask “what if” instead of “how”
- Bravery to be my authentic self regardless of the circle
- Self-love and support for all that I say and do
- …and the selflessness to give it to others freely
- The drive to stay the course no matter how jagged the journey
- …and the gratitude to appreciate every curve, pothole and scene along the way
