For at least the past 10 years or so, I’ve told my friends that “we’re too young to be old”! And I wasn’t talking about our chronological ages. I was describing our collective internal energy that leaps when we walk in our purpose and live in our joy! Too young to be old means that we still have a sense of adventure to walk new paths and make new discoveries that get us closer to our purpose and the joys of life! It’s still so much of this world for us to discover and enjoy.

Purpose and Joy

The path to purpose and joy can be filled with hard earned and painful lessons. Some leave scars and wounds that tarnish our joy and make us live in a dimmed state of a new normal. It seems like we’re looking at life through smudgy lenses until we take them off and rediscover the joy that couldn’t be seen.

I’m in this place of discovery and invite you to join me.

Opening the portal of my creative and blooming technical abilities has opened my mind up in a better and more imaginative way. I now envision myself as the HBCU Majorette of “Women of a Certain Age”.

“Women of a Certain Age is a phrase used to avoid saying a person usually a woman is no longer young, but not yet old.”

Free dictionary

Sidebar: I discovered “Women of a Certain Age” during an internet search for words to describe middle aged women. It tickles me to find old school words and use them in a sentence. Kinda like preparing for my weekly spelling test in elementary school. I think that “certain age” is kinda dope. It’s an old school way of saying – “too young to be old and too old to be young”. We’re in the marvelous and evolving middle!

Now back to my dream, I see myself talking about Grown Woman…ish! and my book on stages, in podcasts and during uplifting conversations that are filled with finger snaps, nodding heads and high-fives. We’ve all heard the UNCF tagline, “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste”. Well, the “Mind is a Beautiful Thing to Heal”!

Heal, Learn, Grow and Restore!

We have the ability to heal, learn, grow AND restore. Yes, we can be an “old, new me”! She is a healed and whole person who has evolved into the optimal state of herself. The old, new me sounds like an oxymoron. How can we be old, but new at the same time? It’s called evolution, Sis!

evolution – the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form.

New oxford americAN DICTIONARY

As I read the definition of evolution, my eyes fixate on the phrase, “from a simple to a more complex form”. Evolution is complex because the foundation remains the same. However, our redevelopment is built from weaknesses that are optimized into our greatest strengths. My transition from “simple to complex” feels like a thrilling drive on an uphill, winding road. I don’t know what’s around the corner until making the turn. And I’m still evolving!

Women In Transition

Recently, I was asked to deliver the morning keynote address at the Cuyahoga Community College Women In Transition Summer Conference on August 13, 2022. Although I’ve see myself speaking in big spaces and places, my hand shook as I typed my acceptance to the invitation. It felt as if someone peaked into my imagination and kickstarted my new reality. Public speaking doesn’t bother me, in fact I feel energized by it. However, this time will be different because I won’t be talking about my work. I am going to share about my self-work of healing, learning, growing and restoring. I’m also going to allow my fellow Women In Transition to hold my baby girl who I named, Grown Woman…ish! and her growth stages in the rediscovery of living in my joy. Here’s another fast turn to the unknown on my uphill, winding road.

I joyfully accepted this speaking opportunity because I am a Woman In Transition. I’m in a space where I’m evolving into a more advanced and developed version of myself in a dynamic world of change. Ooh that sounds like a description of a science fiction movie. Think about it, we are always in a constant state of change in a changing world.

Transition isn’t a bad thing. I get it, we’re all creatures of habit and change feels scary. Just remember that the space between fear and action is growth. And I’m all in for “healing, learning and growing to find and live in my joy”!

If I describe my journey of evolution as a checklist, it would read as follows –

My Evolution Checklist

Showing UP as the old, new me!

I am the old, new me! And guess what, she’s confident, fun-loving, young at heart, wise and is finding and living in her joy. The old, new me shows up differently in my marriage; work; friendships and in the world. For my close girlfriends in my life, I’m received with “Welcome, back! Girl, we missed you.”! For co-workers, it’s the grand reaction, “Wow, Girl you’re on fire in these meetings!” And for my husband, it’s the good night with “I love you, Babe. I’m happy to see you happy again”. And as they say on social media, “it was the you look so joyful” comment from one of my social media friends for me!

Late Night Revelations

I had a revelation before falling asleep the other night. It came to me as my eyes fluttered with drowsiness and the ceiling fan created a gentle, cool breeze in the room. As I drifted into a deeper state of relaxation, I was lulled by my husband’s deep breaths of sleep and warmth emanating from his body. I felt happy….actually it was joy-infused gratitude for my journey and its peaceful destination. Then I smiled to myself and wished my old, new me “good night” and looked forward to greeting her in the morning.

What is on your evolution checklist? Drop a comment below – let’s talk!