This has been quite the year… During this holiday season my days have been spent fighting back the welled tears in my eyes. Some of those tears are of sadness. So many more are of gratitude and appreciation, deep love and hope. As we move into a new year, I am spending a lot of time in reflection. My perpetual growth has taught me to look at hardships and disappointments in a different light. And, while I’m far from having the ideal life, the life I’ve got is pretty phenomenal. I realize I don’t give myself enough shine for being the incredible person I have evolved into being. I’ve made so many strides and those things deserve to be talked about. I also realize that I am the poster child for the phrase “delayed does not mean denied”.
I completed a Masters in Education from my beloved University of Miami, the school I wanted to attend since I graduated from high school in Coral Gables. I figured my life would lead me to finish law school there once I completed my degree in Political Science at Tuskegee University. However, life dealt a blow that upended my world when my mom died during my sophomore year at Tuskegee. I didn’t recover well. I spiraled into an existence of confusion and blindness. All the plans I had for my life seemed to die with her. It took a long time and a lot of fumbling to get it together.
When I emerged from the fog back in Miami, I was equipped with degrees in Marketing, Entertainment Business, and Public Relations but no idea what I was going to do. I was compelled to the classroom and I became a middle school teacher. Suddenly, I was using all of my strengths to influence the lives of young people. I will not lie and say it was my dream job. Far from it. I had never envisioned my life as a teacher. However, it has been one of the most rewarding things that has happened in my life. It also allowed me to again realize that I have a huge purpose and that purpose does not yield because there have been hardships and setbacks.
So, here I am, uncertain of what lies ahead but putting one foot in front of the other. I’m excited to see what is next as I embrace the future. I’m hoping that it is better than I can even imagine it will be. I am claiming every good thing, right now, in this moment. And, I’m vowing to make sure that the tears I shed are still more of gratitude and appreciation, deep love and hope. Here’s to 2021, whatever it may bring.