Truth moment: lately, I've been feeling totally, completely, and utterly off. I'm talking disjointed from reality, swirling around in the after-effects of the worst planetary retrograde ever, frustrated with nearly anything breathing or inanimate, and living under the unrelenting stare of grown-up decisions waiting to be made. I've been feeling like I'm pushing against a force that refuses to let up and let me be great - and I just really want to be great, dammit.
I've at least identified that force, which I guess is half the battle, right? Change. That’s the beast I'm up against, and it’s putting up a hell of a fight.
There’s the most apparent one, which is Little Magician’s rapidly advancing “Hey, world! Here I am!” date. At 26 weeks, I've shifted from counting up to milestones and find myself counting down to the biggest one yet. With less than 100 days to go, the realness of the situation is hitting me in a brand new way, and I feel fully unprepared. Are we moving? Have I registered for the shower yet? Am I up on the latest and greatest must-haves for the baby? Do I even know what I want to name this child? Every day, my to-do list multiplies.
I'm in the throes of the biggest transition period of my life, and while Little Magician is a catalyst to that, he or she isn't fully to blame. I've been blessed to receive some incredible opportunities this year that have me viewing myself and my world in entirely new ways. Solidifying some excellent freelance writing partnerships; flexing my developing public speaking muscles with workshop facilitation, event hosting, and TV appearances; and being urged to embrace my entrepreneurial side by HomieLuva all have me looking at my reflection in the mirror, almost able to see my cells and molecules shifting and taking new shape under my skin. I'm becoming a new woman with new skills and new possibilities at my fingertips, and the biggest question that comes to mind is, “So, whatchu gon’ do with it all?”
One thing I've unfortunately learned NOT to do is talk to certain folks about my plans, fears, goals, and ideas. I was listening to Jay Electronica and Jay Z’s “We Made It” remix and heard a line from the show Eastbound & Down that made me pause:
Kinda makes me wonder why the hell so many people are tryna tell me to slow down. Seems like motherf*ckers should be shutting the hell up and enjoying the show.
Slowing down is something I've heard over and over - either in being told I should "slow down" now, or tinged with the salt of a snide chuckle when someone tells me I'll be "forced" to "slow down" later.
Life transitions come with the possibility of disappointment and your high hopes crumbling and having to switch directions at a moments' notice. Life transitions are also deeply personal and no two journeys are the same. I know this. I just wish more people would be cognizant of that fact before trying to save or stifle me.
Who knows what I'll think or feel in the next 3 months/6 months/1 year - maybe I'll realize that I was totally naive in my aspirations - but for now, I'm combating my fears of the unknown by holding on to my hopes, dreams, and goals. I can rest, but I can't slow down. I can be realistic, but I can't be pessimistic. I can get caught up in self-doubt, but I cannot afford to stay stuck there. Housing twice the life in one body has granted me my second wind in life, and has motivated me to live twice as fully going forward. So, slowing down? Not an option. I'm just getting started, so shut up and enjoy the show.