Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo I am back peeps!!!! Would you believe that it has almost been 6 years to the day when I kicked-off my very first blog post under my original blog ‘Diary of a Mom.’ Not sure if some of you remember that blog where I talked about the highs and lows of being a fairly new mom to two daughters. Well fast forward six years and I upped and had another baby who is now a three-year old boy! So truth be told the real title of this new blog should be “Yas(the contraception) owes me money”…lol.. but because I want to demonstrate my more grown up side…lol.. I have opted for this far more mature blog title!
I literally feel like I could write a novel right now – the sheer enjoyment I get from writing/blogging is quickly coming back to me as I think about all that I want to say right now. What I will say right off the bat is that what I write about is based SOLELY on my personal life experiences. If what I have to say resonates with you – amazing! If what I have to say rubs you the wrong way or does not align with your beliefs or your experiences – bye Felicia (Ice Cube’s voice (six years may have passed but my charm has remained in tact..lol))
As we move into a new 365 day cycle, many of us are reflective about how we aspire to make this year different from the year before (whatever that means for you). I am not one who believes in resolutions, but I do believe in becoming a better version of who you were the year before. I am also cognizant that self-improvement requires a great deal of selfreflection, self-work with a touch of selfishness. Though selfishness is not a revered attitude and somewhat of an oxymoron when combined with the word ‘woman’, I am of the position that selfishness (within reason) is both needed and fundamental to creating a space and opportunity for self-awareness, self-actualization and self-care.
As mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, partners, workers and friends more often than not we find ourselves giving to others more than we give unto ourselves. As a working mother of three I have become pretty proficient in the art of selfishness. Certainly not to the detriment of my family and those close to me, but certainly to the benefit of my self-care. As I continue to transition through the next phase of my life journey (countdown to 40 is on!) I find myself being studied and questioned (sometimes positively and sometimes negatively) for the time I take by myself and for myself. I recognize that perhaps this is not the norm and an area of struggle for many women and so part of this blog is to explore the art of selfishness for the purpose of self-care.
I do not assign myself to be an expert of any kind – only a master of my own life as I move through being me to we to moi. While I am compelled to explain the rationale behind this blog title, I hope that what I share with all of you sheds light on not just the title (unless you have already figured it out) but starts a conversation about the importance of self-care (for you) in its rawest and most honest state.
“Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others” ~ Parker Palmer
I welcome and look forward to all that my blogs conjure up – the good, the bad and the ugly!
Aisha
