Chapter Twenty Seven
The part where we give ourselves grace...
Hey you,
How are things? How’s your health? I hope you’re hydrating and not skipping your meals. We’re getting older, you know. We, unfortunately, need to be more intentional about these things.
I really hope you’re well. It’s been a while since you read from me and that’s because I’ve been battling demons and principalities but I begged them for a break because I missed you so much. Also, I really needed a break from this damn adulthood nonsense.
I’m writing to you today to remind you to give yourself some grace. I was inspired by a chat I had with a friend of mine who is a new mother struggling to “snap back.” I really detest this phenomenon of expecting women who just brought a whole human being into the world to go back to being the way they were. While her husband is super supportive(bless his heart), Instagram and her mummy groups won’t let her breathe. We had a long chat about giving ourselves grace and I hope I was able to get through to her, fingers crossed. A lot of us are experiencing the same thing but to varying degrees and I need you to recognize that there's a lot more to this life than having it all together.
Our world puts a huge emphasis on making it seem like we have our lives together. I am easily my worst critic, and I realize that some of the expectations I hold for myself are unrealistic. Yes, by all means, I hope you set goals for yourself. I hope you strive for excellence, but I hope you realize that no one is asking for you to be perfect. We're all messy humans with strengths and weaknesses, but more importantly, we're all humans with a story. Embrace yours, even when it isn't perfect. I've found that the things we consider our greatest weaknesses are often the things that make us the most relatable.
Understand that people are learning from you in ways that you may never know. Other people need you to be human to the fullest. More importantly, you need yourself to be human to the fullest. There are a whole lot better things to be than perfect. I hope you choose to be kind. I hope you choose to be empathetic. I hope you choose to be good. It's much better than being perfect, anyway.
Finally, a huge part of giving yourself grace is realizing that your story isn't over yet. If you messed up today, you can try again tomorrow. If you succeeded today, you can try again tomorrow. I’m challenging you to look beyond your immediate situation and into the long-term. I hope you take your time to feel what you need to feel, but I hope you also realize when it's time to move on into the rest of your story.
How’s your reading life? I’ve noticed that at this time of the year, a lot of people experience reading slumps and I’m here to remind you that if you haven’t been able to pick up or finish a book, it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up. Do something else. It’s never too late to try a new activity. There’s sudoku. (what the hell is that game even about?)
As a busybody, I want to recommend a book from my August reads to you. Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan is a romance that is set in the audiobook production world, the main couple are both narrators and the banter in the novel is beautiful. Also, my favourite part of this novel is that there’s no third-act breakup. I usually hate it when a couple experiences a conflict when the book has 15 pages left. I don’t want to give too much away so, just read this book when you can. I recommend the audiobook because the author, also the narrator, gave a Grammy-worthy performance. Feel free to use my Scribd 60-day free trial link.
I have revived the podcast with a brand new episode where I interviewed the author of Tomorrow I Become A Woman, Aiwanose Odafen. Her story is such a fascinating journey from being a reader to a published author. The Indulgent Bibliophile will read the book in October and she has promised to join us for the book chat. While we’re on the topic of book club reads, this September, we’re reading Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa. We’d be discussing it on the 25th of September at 5 pm WAT, this is the link to join.
I made this pretty graphic to show you how deep I am in K-Dramas. I’m always
looking for recommendations, so feel free to share your faves with me. If you use an android phone, there’s an app I found to watch K-dramas that are not available on Netflix. It’s called HiTV and you can download it here. No need to register, you can stream any show you want, even the popular House Of The Dragon is on there.
Before I leave, don’t forget to give yourself the grace you always extend to others. You need it too, okay?
If you love my content, please do consider supporting me by giving me a shout-out on social media or in real life (prayers are fine too).
See you on the other side, Dearest.
XOXO
Ugh thank you Amyn for the movie app recommendation 🥺
Still giving myself grace and I think I'll send all the unedited newsletters I've written that I didn't send out.
I hope you're fine!