Remembering: "You your best thing"
"You your best thing, Sethe. You are."- Paul D, Beloved by Toni Morrison
Confession:
One thing I’ve done as a Black woman is look externally for validation and permission and instruction. While that tendency helped me meet financial goals and climb the career ladder, it often left me feeling afraid of my own voice, unsure about my own desires, not trusting my own power.
However,
One way I found through all of this murkiness was to study ME. Literally. I go back in my journals, look for themes, take note of habits and rituals that have served me, get still, and listen to my Orí. Through all of that, I’ve gained a powerful connection to Source, to my Ancestors, to my Self, to MY power. I’ve discovered that I have the muthafuckin JUICE.
Why am I sharing this?
Because we all stumble and forget who we are. Too many of us believe that suffering is noble and will lead to “earning blessings.” So many of us look to gurus and coaches and mediums to tell us what is already inside of us. Yes, those are all GREAT tools (hell, I’m a coach and diviner myself) but nothing, NOT ONE THING, can replace you listening, learning, and loving your own Head.
Like Paul D told Sethe when she was mourning the loss of her “beloved” daughter and said that she was the best part of herself: “You your best thing.”
Just for today, remind yourself of your own truth and your own voice.
I hope I’m not preaching to myself. Touch your neighbor and repeat after me: I am my own plug.
Cue the organ and pass the collection plate.
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