It's been five hundred and fifty-two days since the last time I sat down to type a post. 552.
That's crazy.
So many things have changed since then, and I can't wait to dive into them all. But today?
I celebrate myself, an all too rare occurrence. It shouldn't be, but it has been.
I feel like I've spent the greater part of my last 30 years on this Earth striving.
Striving to be an excellent student. Striving to get a great job.
Striving to be the perfect woman for a man (listen, navigating contentment in singleness was an interesting journey — more on that at some point?).
Striving to be a phenomenal wife. Striving to be a present and dutiful mother.
Striving to secure a financial inheritance for future children to come.
Striving to understand what God has called me to do and be.
Striving to not lose myself in the midst of a life of transitions.
Just... constantly striving.
While all of these things were surely admirable and profitable endeavors, the problem with constant striving was that it left little room to celebrate the current successes. I constantly found myself constantly worrying and thinking, "so, what comes next?" rather than simply basking in the joy of the now. I measured the fruitfulness of my striving in comparison to others and their visible highlight reels.
They say if you observe children long enough, you can learn a thing or two. One of my greatest joys is watching my daughter hype herself up lol. If sis sings happy birthday, she's applauding herself. If she completes a task she once thought wasn't possible, there's a resounding "I did it mommy!" Something about that makes me wonder why don't we celebrate ourselves more? Why don't we hype the "little" wins more? Because is there really such a thing as a little win? invisibleinkNOinvisibleink. If there's one thing life has shown me thus far, it is that I am worthy of celebrating myself and of being celebrated. And so are you.
As I enter what I believe will be my best decade yet, I am bent on being intentionally slow in my living. Numbering my days one by one and consuming the daily bread that was meant just for today, just for me. Enjoying today to the best of my ability and leaving tomorrow's anxieties there.
It has taken me time to truly learn, but I can now fully attest to the fact that this life is not a race. Why was I even in a hurry to begin with? Why was I worried? Why was I pressed? lol. I am taking the days as they come and is simply living for now with eternity in focus. What does that look like? For me, it looks like prioritizing walk with the Lord, things like my mental health and rest, and doing more of what makes me smile, blogging being one of them. I'm getting back to the why of why I even started As Told By Moyo (ATBM) to begin with.
If you're new here, welcome. Thank you for taking the time out to read and share in this journey. If you're an OG supporter, thank you for giving me a little piece of your day for the almost the last 10 years. I don't take it for granted.
If you've gotten this far, I love you. I have one birthday request. Send this to that ever striving friend, constantly focused on and worried about the next big thing of their life. When you share it with them, send this caption: "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? - Matt 6:27 NLT. Period"
Cheers to 30!
