C+RL Enthusiast: SZA Said It First I’ll be honest: when SZA dropped Ctrl, I thought she was talking to everyone but me. Because I’ve got it together. Color-coded planners, matching fonts, “just right” angles on my selfies… control is my comfort food. But the more I listened, the more I realized SZA wasn’t singing about … Continue reading

bronze skinned girl

For so long, the world has spoken in opposites: black or white.As if His image could ever be reduced to two extremes. But when I think about bronze, I see something different. Bronze is strength refined in fire.It’s warmth that carries both earth and sun.It’s a glow that doesn’t apologize for existing...it just is. If … Continue reading bronze skinned girl

Some days, I really do love my job. The kids are comedy. My lessons are starting to hit. And (on good days) I feel like I’m actually making a difference... But then there are those days: The no-water, just coffee and TikTok kind.The kind where your to-do list grows legs and sprints past you in … Continue reading

Mascara

I don’t need waterproof—I need cry proof. Something that stops the tears in their tracks like, “Not today… not while you’re wearing this.” Because sometimes, the brush in my hand feels more like armor than art. One stroke of mascara to lift the lash is really a whisper to myself: You’re still her. Still divine, … Continue reading Mascara

Rambling… I think I’m too hard on myself. Like we’re supposed to hold ourselves to a higher regard but then there’s that bit of grace. Where you don’t have to be perfect, and you never will be. And that’s okay? And realizing I can’t control everything. I sure as hell can’t control other people… I can control myself. I can’t regulate my emotions and hold myself accountable. It’s okay to admit when you were wrong to admit you had your walls too high for the wrong people. It’s okay to let people in. It’s also scary. The people who know you the best are the ones you spend your time with. Partners. They see parts of you that other people don’t and never will. They become your mirror. If you don’t like what you see, then fix it. No one else is going to. No one is coming to save you. You have to start yourself.. start messy, start guessing.. but don’t be stagnant. If they see you aren’t moving then they can’t even meet you half way, and it’s not anyone’s job to meet you where you are. It’s a privilege to be loved by someone who sees beyond your faults and wants to work through them not drive over them like a pothole.. don’t miss out on the life of your dreams because you’re too comfortable in your own bullshit. And if that’s your decision to stay there, then don’t be so quick to invite people to sit with you.

The difference

You spent too much time worrying about what everyone else thought… if they liked you, if you were too much, if they’d walk away.But the real loss wasn’t their opinion. It was the way you started to see yourself. That’s what passive living does. It teaches you to stay small, stay quiet, stay agreeable. It … Continue reading The difference

Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger.

Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger. Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger. Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger. Your next level of … Continue reading Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger.

On purpose

I don’t want to rush through mornings like they owe me something. I want to taste my coffee, not just drink it. To notice the way light filters through the blinds, how the day stretches its arms before it begins. I want to ask “how are you? and mean it, not just pass the question … Continue reading On purpose

ChatGPT mean the death of creativity/originality? I always say what bothers me about my students using ai/chat gpt, is they aren’t working their creative muscles, just relying on a computer. Short term to pass a class, great. Long term to navigate life… not so great. I think this speaks to the “you’ll never use this,” … Continue reading

note to self

Welcome back: I don’t want another year of this. I don’t want another year or making other people’s wildest dreams come true. That’s what happens when you don’t go after yours. You become the background character in someone else’s story. A supporting actor. Being your highest self means letting go of your lowest… You have … Continue reading note to self