By Imani Nash-Bey
Let’s face it there simply aren’t enough hours in a day to make it all happen but somehow that reality never seems to stop me from trying…and on most days succeeding. I’m a mom, a wife, an educator, a business owner, a student, a daughter, a friend…most of the time and all at once; I am so many things to so many people. I often have to take time out to ask myself who am I for myself. In my role as an educator, I have my students complete an “I Am” poster at the beginning of each school year. This past academic year I decided to participate and do a poster alongside my students; I really wanted to get to the heart of who I am as a woman, independent of the many hats that I wear. It was a daunting task. I spend so much time looking outward that when it came time to sit down and focus on myself it became the thing that overwhelmed me…the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back; imagine that! Much like this blog post, that poster forced me to remove the hats and allow space for vulnerability and introspection to reveal what’s real. It was the epitome of all challenges but I’ve never been one to shy away from a good challenge and I wasn’t willing to start now.
And so began this journey toward self discovery…well…sort of. Turning forty a couple of years back was the true catalyst; with this milestone came a heightened sense of self awareness and a re-commitment to honoring my whole self. I, like most of the women in my life, tend to define ourselves by what we do rather than who we are. It was time to peel back some layers, get deep down in there and roll around in the muck a bit. Someone once told me that as women, “If we’re not careful, the hats we wear can very easily become our greatest barriers to living our best lives.” I’ve carried that with me for much of my adult life. Each of my hats calls on different parts of myself, often to the point of stretching me thin. I’m working on prioritizing self care along with showing myself kindness, compassion and forgiveness especially in those times when I don’t get it right. I prioritize these things for myself because my well being is equally as important as a completed to-do list. I won’t pretend it’s easy, in fact some days the only self care I can reward myself with is sleep and so I’m learning to be o.k.with this too.
People ask me all the time how I balance it all; the truth is I’m not entirely sure. I suppose it helps that I love my life and family, I’m passionate about my work, and I’m learning to fully love myself for the woman I am and the woman I’m becoming. I’m a mom, a wife, an educator, a business owner, a student, a daughter, a friend but I’m also a talented black Muslim woman that’s humble, thankful, entrepreneurial, and incredibly strong willed who’s simply trying, just as we all are, to get it right.
Beautifully stated by a Woman who is so phenomenal!
Well said. I’m extremely proud of this Black Talented Muslim women, Who remains humble, and thankful.
Sincerely
Sylvia Baker