And just like that, another weekend is in the books. Already, we are in the third week of January. 2022 is moving on much like 2021. Covid is taking the lives of so many more lives of our brothers and sisters, more of us are contracting Covid regardless of being vaccinated, and lives are being lost daily on our city streets. In my mind, 2022 is continuing exactly like 2021 ended.
Although what I see around me is the same, I am determined to make things different for myself. For a healthy mental state, I have to be in a better place at the end of this year than I was in 2021. As difficult as it is, I know that it is only right to encourage those around me to do the same. When I have discussions with people whom I’ve never spoken with before about personal matters, they disclose some intimate details about life experiences as words of encouragement for me. They talk about all they went through and how they understand what I’m going through, and how what I’m feeling is normal, etc. The difference is, they didn’t open up about it. Still now, they aren’t even comfortable in being an anonymous guest on my podcast. This proves the point that there is still a stigma associated with mental health.
If we are to ever become better people as a whole…A BETTER COMMUNITY…we have to face the fact that it is ok if we are not perfect. It is ok to be left…dumped…cheated on. It is not ok to accept less than we want or deserve. We should not allow anyone to give us any less than what we want. We must stop allowing what others do to us to shame us. Taking on that shame and hiding in it devalues who we are and causes our mental health to be taxed along the way.
It is time to break the cycle. We owe it to ourselves…to our children…to speak our truth. The time is now. We cannot continue to keep secrets of generational mental illness. If we are in therapy, let’s talk about it. If we aren’t, we should be. We must get our children help in order to get to the root of their issues. If we fail them, we then are responsible, in part, for the 337 people murdered in Baltimore city. What’s more embarrassing? to continue to sweep secrets under the rug that could save generations, or sharing secrets that finally free minds and break generational curses and save lives for generations to come?
Dying to be Perfect 