Lovely Day

My mind is swirling. Nearly two months of wondrous cray cray in my life have transpired and I didn’t write any of it down. Then again that was par for the course after May of this year as my goal of releasing an article a week on this site went to shit by my third city stop out of the country. I was exhausted. I needed to pace myself.

In my quest to embrace life and share as I experienced things, I lost control. My emotions at various points in this beautiful complexity called 2022 became overwhelming. I had to break. I began to think, and then overthink. My plans went out the window.

I laughed. I cried. I consoled. I wailed. I got drunk. I cursed. I got cursed at. I cursed at myself. I lamented. I rejoiced. I cried again. I cried some more. I wiped away more tears than I cared to admit. And then, I took a deep breath and shut the world out for a few weeks. Autopilot kicked in and I functioned, and you know what? I was okay.

It’s one of the most beautiful things I came to terms with this year. I had to learn that some things are made to be experienced and not chronicled. Some things were purposefully designed for me to relish alone. Others were set in motion just so I could recover from it. All, at the end of the day, were meant for me to take note and appreciate this life that I have.

I made two lists for myself. The first is a highlight reel of everything I can remember experiencing this year. I’m pretty sure some things will come to mind AFTER I publish this piece, which will definitely grind my gears, but I’ll be sure to insert them, unapologetically, at the end of the original doc just for posterity’s sake.

The second is a list of the life lessons that either slowly crept their way into this noggin of mine or sucker punched my ass into a course correction mode for a spell.

Both lists shaped my 2022.

The Experiences…

Accepted a role I don’t think I ever fully understood until now as a Godmother.
Traveled to Trinidad for the first time since 2009 to do it.
Had dick cut me off.
Saw Jamaica in real life for the first time traveling back home thanks to the flight needing to refuel and offload passengers. The mountainscapes are amazing!
Lost an editing gig because I wasn’t fully committed.
Met a guy, went into his studio and created a podcast for this blog. (yeah, more on that in 2023)
Pulled off a successful 2-day multi-national, hybrid symposium.
Visited Sacramento, Napa, Sonoma, and San Francisco, California.
Visited Humble, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas.
Spent time with my Uncle Mark & family.
Quit my sole income job without a backup plan.
Took on my first contracted client that didn’t fit the 9-5 in office mold six weeks later.
Spent two weeks in Doral with a close friend.
Met a local icon and began working with her.
Cut off dick.
Became certified to write grants.
Conducted my first solo training for effective communication.
Developed my third communications plan. Super proud about this one. I’m still working out the kinks of it all but it’s shaping up to be awesome.
Met new dick that I will probably cut off by February.
Successfully validated my first national communications strategy for climate change.
Went on my first girls’ trip. realized it was the second trip for the year I didn’t pay for. God is marvelous!
Learned some great lessons while there
Began writing my first novel
Realized I spent three months out of the country while working remotely.

The Lessons…

Taking better care of my body is essential. Sweet Jesus if Western Air seats could talk. (I’ll dwell on this for a post in the new year to explain)
I am healthy. Thank GOD!
My boundaries are important and I must enforce them, even with my parents.
God doesn’t give you more than He can trust you with.
Stepping out in faith is a good thing.
I do best when I approach life in sprints to achieve my goals. If I have too much time on my hands I tend to overthink things. I need to continuously execute.
Even no decision is a decision
I have wonderful friends who care about me and want what’s best for me.
I should not feel left behind or in competition with anyone.
I am a brilliant woman.
I am gifted by God.
I miss 100% of the shots I do not take.
The mulberry bush is not the place to reside anymore.
A backpack for my laptops is better than a shoulder bag. My Lord.
When filling out the customs form itemize everything so I can get a better deal with paying.
Networking pays off.
Alone time is essential for some travel.
When negotiating a contract, make sure clients know what will and will not be covered in my services.
Just because someone is angry in my sphere, doesn’t mean I have to be angry too.
Kill the haters with kindness. It pisses them the fuck off.
Past behaviour is the best predictor of human performance.
I must change some of my fucking behaviour.
Keep my vibration high always.
Stay in my vortex until there’s nowhere else to go.
Requesting and releasing both require open hands.
God is in every detail.

What’s on tap for 2023? Only The Big Guy knows but the word ‘faith’ has moved from a passive role in my life to an active one and I’m nervous about the moves I’m about to make. I’m not afraid though.

I just have to remember to breathe and take this shit one day at a time.

Farewell 2022! It’s been real.

—

Artist: Bill Withers
Song: Lovely Day
Album: Menagerie
Release Date: 1977