Ok so it’s been a quite a while since I last posted. And that’s a good thing because it means I’ve been kinda busy focused on staying safe and some sparkly happenings in life. I won’t bore you with a long-winded list full of look-at-me stuff but I am detailing a few things that made me smile, revitalized my spirit, and spoke to my soul. A bit dramatic, perhaps but permission’s been granted to revel in all things me just for a moment…or from now on. That permission came from me and it was a process. I’m loving this new phase and season of life.
This season and phase comes along with friends called perimenopause and hormonal changes that sometimes include hot flashes. Fun stuff. It’s a mild party, presently. That could change. I hope the hot flash not though.
This past year was a mixed bag but mostly revelatory in many ways. I celebrated a milestone birthday, hitting the half-century mark and got to travel twice this year after not traveling for over 20 years because too much life got in the way. Too much life included means, mobility, parenting, caregiving, community-building, etc. And I have no regrets, only a mountain of wisdom and lessons that keep shaping my self-awareness and advocacy skills in so many ways I would never have conceived. I look forward to so much more.
As mentioned, I had a couple blasts of travel. The first was to NC for my eldest niece’s high school graduation where I beamed with pride and shed baby tears. Next, I darted off to NYC for a disability-related book event where I had the pleasure of attending as a co-panelist.
I can’t begin to tell you how much both of these sojourns lifted my spirits after being locked in for almost 3 years due to the pandemic. Not the entire 3 years but majority of those past years spent indoors to keep safe from the Covid-19 variants especially before being vaxxed and getting boosters. Boyyy did I miss socializing and taking in the sites, sounds, scenes, and whole ambiance of everything. Discovered that I really enjoyed the travel experience as a whole, and the train ride better than the plane. More travel elixir prescription please.
I also had the honor and pleasure of being part of some wonderful podcasts, panel discussions, interviews, forums, and even a poetry folio and performance. Other exciting opps included filming for a short documentary with my adult daughter, and also filmed for an online learning community centered on racial equity in arts and culture, and co-presented in a talk geared to medical professionals and personnel.
Much of these opps revolved around repro healthcare, employment, parenting, art & culture at the intersection of disability from lived experience as a Black disabled woman, mother, caregiver, and community-builder. Consultancy and advisory board work are ongoing collaborations that give me an opportunity to share insight and wisdom from my work and lens.
I always learn so much being part of such dynamic learning exchanges of stimulating conversations filled with a flurry of ideas and perspectives. I don’t anticipate that changing anytime soon and welcome more opportunities to collaborate and connect with like-minded effort toward beneficial change.
Oh and not to leave out completing my first year of peer researcher training for this upcoming study and also first-time homebuyers classes last fall offered by this wonderful org as I begin the search for an affordable accessible residence for purchase someday in the no-so-distant future.
Might be nice to own a piece of something and mess around and pass down some generational wealth. One can dream, take some actionable steps, and may the stars align in divine-timing and spotlight the right abode to lay down a welcome mat.
It was also a year with some very sad losses of loved ones. Lost an aunt who often brought the family together by throwing gatherings throughout the year. Another big loss that happened just weeks ago was a very dear friend of over 42 years, whom I’ve known since we were 2nd-graders through high school graduates.
This loss is still very fresh and comes in intermittent waves of grief. It’s a reminder of how much love and care you’ve amassed and that life and time move much faster than we may believe. It’s fleeting to say the least.
If the past three years have taught me anything it’s that take nothing for granted, be open to new possibilities that may take you in different directions that pull and sometimes snatch you out of your comfort zones. It can be transformative and reconfiguring in ways you may never have imagined.
Lastly, leaving you with this lovely pic of a sunrise we spied from our lofty hotel room symbolizing new beginnings and next days. Fresh starts, deep breaths, gentle stretches. Less baggage to bring with us, more elements that shape us, and propel us forward.
Some things we leave behind and select things stay with us in transit. It can well-prepare us on a very customized journey that doesn’t always give indicators to what’s around the bend and past the horizons.
