As I was scrolling through Instagram this morning looking for inspiration, I stumbled across this quote by Leslie Dwight.
"What if 2020 isn't cancelled? What if 2020 is the year we've been waiting for?
A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw--that it finally forces us to grow.
A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.
A year we finally accept the need for change.
Declare change. Work for change. Become the change.
A year we finally band together, instead of pushing each other further apart.
2020 isn't cancelled, but rather the most important year of them all."
It was such a powerful message, that I had to reflect on this statement for a moment. Many of us bought brand new. shiny planners to input all of our important dates and events, and then in March...CANCELLED. Plans to marry our best friend, plans to finally take that family vacation we've been saving for, plans to network in hopes of growing our businesses, really, plans just put on hold, until further notice. Many of us were saddened by this, some angry, some frustrated and some hurting. We never expected any of this to happen to us...and then at the height of it all, controversy, hate, crimes elevating, unlawful murders, riots uprising and people dying. Did that last statement resonate with anyone, because it did for me.
What a way to start this year, huh? First a deadly and contagious virus that killed thousands of people, to an unlawful lynching in public of an innocent man, pleading for his life. So much sadness, so much fear, just so much emotion in general. It's inevitable, change is most certainly happening all around us, some good and some bad. But here's the thing, what is change if we simply cannot search deep within ourselves and find true meaning and value for what we believe, what we stand for? Have we lost it? Here's the real question... do we fully understand what is happening? If you don't, educate yourself, show up and be that voice we all need to hear right now. I will continue to show up imperfectly, because now more than ever, our black community of brothers and sisters need our courage, our strength, and our support.
If we're lost, we need to find our momentum again. Momentum is what propels us forward, and guides us in the direction of who we want to show up as. Seeking courage and showing up as our most authentic self, using that power for good to fight for what we believe is unjust and inhumane. I found this quote by Martin Luther King Jr. while searching for solidarity, “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” We need to stand together in unison, plain and simple.
Your intentions, however heroic or valiant they may seem, won't do anybody any good if you aren't completely aware of who or what you stand for. We need to find that fight within us, and use that as a driving force and take action. Making changes that inspire and teach a valuable lesson, for our future generation, so we can live to see a better tomorrow. We need to find a way to create peace in our part of the world that is so full of rage, chaos and violence.
So yes, 2020 is the year of change...The kind of change that can make a difference in this world. The change we need to stand along side our brothers and sisters and support them through all the pain and suffering. The change we all need to unite as one species, the human race. 2020 is not cancelled, it's the time we need to pray for peace and see justice being served for the men responsible of wrongfully killing George Floyd, using unnecessary force. "Momma, I can't breathe...8:46." RIP, George Floyd-May 25th, 2020.