KUMBUKUMBU | HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! (An Open letter to myself)

Dear Bakari JR

Motivational Quote by Dr. Seuss: “I am what I am. That’s a great thing to be. If I say to myself, “Happy Birthday to me!” it means a great deal to me!

It’s been many years now that you’ve been alive. This was a long bumpy road. We’ve had some ups and unfortunately quite a few downs. Throughout those years you’ve learned about yourself and who you really are. It took you some time to understand yourself but eventually you accepted that person wholeheartedly. And now, there is nothing but self-love. Sure, you might still be an awful lot insecure. But you know who you truly are and that’s the most important part. 

Now, you know that you are a little bit weird but that’s ok. You are maybe a little bit short but that’s ok. You are a little bit flawed but that’s ok. You are a little bit behind compared to some others regarding your sex life but that’s ok. You are also very much alone sometimes but that’s ok. You’re a little bit all over the place regarding your creativity and artistry and therefore you cannot really have what people would call a “real job” but that’s ok. You have dreams that are sometimes bigger than this universe but that’s ok.

For me 

I trust that in the next year, we will either decide to add it to our family, we will come to a place of peace that is ‘this is what our family looks like.’

I trust that my next book is on its way to me–Even as I write this, I can see that my own voice has shifted and changed. Perhaps a new level, the deeper unfolding of wisdom.

As I step into my another year, I hope to continue practicing compassion for myself first, knowing that it is the only way I can give it to anyone else. I also want to take with me into another year and exhale of trust that I can continue to have the power to ground and center myself. And that through this grounding, there will be a faith and fearlessness that will arise and fortify me in doing the work I am meant to do.

You need to do this too Bakari.

Stop seeking approval. Stop trying to make sure that everyone is OK. Trust that everyone is better when you take care of yourself first. Don’t wait for your birthday, start today.