Bold

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." 
W.H. Murray
I cannot believe another year has come and gone. This year was one of the most memorable yet.. This post marks the 8th birthday of this blog. 857 posts, 1.25M words, and just over 450K pageviews - it has been an absolute journey. I have learned a great deal this year about the world, about the people in it, and most of all myself. I am so grateful for this space to share my thoughts, express my feelings, and figure it all out. I don't know who I would be, or where I would be without this blog. It has kept me sane, grounded, and thoughtful. I get to be free here, to explore, and to wonder. I get to be bold, brave, and unapologetically me. I get to exist, resist, and persist. This place is my sanctuary, my solace, and my refuge. Thank you for sharing it with me, honoring it, and embracing me as I am. With that, I want to share my annual tradition of my favorite posts from the year. 
Favorite Posts of 2018:
December: Choice 
January: Breadcrumbs  February: Emote
March: Literate April: Heal
May: Alone June: King
July: Guest August: Inquire
September: Unrequited  October: Affinity
November: Expectation


I love rereading posts from the year. It takes me back to how I felt during those times, and what I learned from those experiences. I have been through a whole lot this year, and while I don't subscribe to the ideology that people need to experience trauma to build resilience, I will say that I gained an increased fortitude for all that occurred. I came to understand the power of relationships, but even more so what it means to show up for other people. Giving has to cost us something, time, energy, effort, money, etc.  - it's in losing that we gain. I learned what I did, and did not want in relationships, the things that irked me, and how to communicate more effectively. I challenged myself to get explicit, give up on people, let people go, and be more decisive. I was less attached, less gullible/forgiving, and less accommodating. I strove to stop letting others take advantage of my compassion and instead be kind by holding them accountable. Lastly, I took up more space, planted my feet, and refused to move. I did things to enjoy life, to have fun, and to make myself happy. I prioritized me. I chose me, and combated feeling guilty about it. I did what I needed to be okay, and learned to be okay with just being okay. 

What emerged were threads on topics that I was navigating so I sorted them out there:
Social Issues: Vibranium, Hyperbole, 
Dating/Relationships: Mismatch, Indirect, Expectation,
Self-Care: Anti-Toxin, Stress, Slow, Fallout, Okay,
Socializing: Home, Out, Awkward, Flimsy, Know


My biggest lessons from this year - kindness is not the same as being nice - kindness is accountability; not everyone is worth it, worthwhile, or worthy of you; stop chasing after people who have no intention of being caught - some people just enjoy being chased; self-care is more than just bath bombs and chicken nuggets, it's doing your self-work to be emotionally literate in the language of you; and lastly above all else, choose you, as often as you are able, without hesitation, without remorse, without concern, choose you. You have to matter before you can ensure others matter.

I want to say thank you for following along with my life story. I am so appreciative of your time and effort in taking in my words and photography. It's been deeply moving that people have had major revelations, found some comfort, or had a laugh because of my stories. What a gift it is to be able to do something you love and for others to be able to partake in that passion along with you. This blog would not nearly be as special without you all. Thank you for the commentary, feedback, sharing, etc. Be sure to subscribe to always keep up to date, and I hope to connect even more with you in the next year of blog posts. My social media is on the homepage. Thanks for being part of my life story, and for allowing me and my blog to be part of yours. X

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