My life is Mine

About a month ago, I attended my auntie Oprah’s 2020 Vision tour. The day was electric y’all. It was a day filled with laughs, dancing, meditation and conversations centered on having clarity in your life. The American Airlines center was immersed in a field of love.

In the latter part of the day, the phenomenal style icon, Traces Ellis Ross graced us with her presence. Her conversation with Oprah touched on a variety of topics. Topics centered around success, courage, marriage, hair and owning the rights to your life. Tracee spoke on a topic that I’ve never really thought about, or at least not from this particular perspective. She stated that: “As women we are taught to plan for marriage and our wedding day, but never the chance to plan for our actual life.”

This statement took my breath away, and I came to this realization: We have orchestrated an entire culture of counterfeit lives. People are living fake lives that have been constructed based on the opinions of others. Sometimes I wonder, as women, is marriage something we really want? Or, do we simply want to feel that we are worthy to be asked?

Here’s the thing: WE get to decide what we WANT! We get to decide if we really want to be married, if we want to have children, or even If going to college is something we actually want to do. WE GET TO DECIDE! Why? Because, damn it, my life is mine; no one else’s.

” It takes a lot of courage to discover who you are and trust who that is, and then allow that person to actually come out.”– Tracee Ellis Ross

So, there’s this rumor that one day we will die. Crazy right? And at the end of your life, do you want to say that you lived a life for other people or that you lived a life that was unapologetic-ally yours?? Either way, you get to decide. Choose wisely.

Edited by: Aleshia Webber

Photo Credit: Tracee Ellis Ross