25.

Quarter of a century and counting! I am so grateful to have made it around the sun, my ruling planet, 25 times. 25 years of beautiful brown skin, in possession of my grandfather’s eyes, my grandmother’s smile and loving spirit, and all of my hopes and dreams. I’m so happy to still be here. I’m still here…still breathing, still learning, still loving, still smiling—sometimes too much but that’s okay—still crying, like all the time and that’s okay too. These eyes and smile that I love so much are not just for show. They often tell my secrets and display my emotions. I’m happy to still be here and able to learn, everyday, more about my emotions and to listen to what my emotions are telling me. So emotions and all, I’m welcoming this new year and am prepared for the blessings and lessons that are in store for me.

I acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments I’ve made over the past year, like earning my Masters and recommitting to while also being consistent with how I love and take care of myself. The past year also taught me a lot and lessons, some painful and some funny, have been useful. I learned more over the past year about loss, letting go, healing and recovery. In this new year I’m continuing to welcome lessons, continued growth, and unapologetic self-love.

I’m on a mission to become more in harmony with my spirit. For me, this looks like learning more about my emotions and paying attention to them. Becoming more in harmony with my spirit has been calling for me to be more mindful and pay attention to what’s coming up in my life. I’m focusing more on connecting with the universe and with my higher self. I am paying attention. I’m listening. I’m listening to the universe, to my body, and to my mind. I feel like this new year calls for being mindful, living in the moment, and being grateful. I’m getting better at the way I practice gratitude. I need to be more consistent in my practice of gratitude. When I do practice gratitude, I tend to feel more at peace and I honestly feel softer and more open. I’d like to feel that more often.

This year I am nicer to myself. I believe in myself. I love myself and others. I am open and listening. I welcome new challenges. My heart is filled with love and understanding. I am deserving. I am soft. I am strong. I am loving. I am grateful. I am complicated and complex. I am enough and I deserve to be here.

“A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination to be prepared to be herself and only herself.”

-Maya Angelou