The year I turned thirty four
I came of age, again
My best friend then called it a midlife crisis
I knew I was transitioning
My life mirrored the journey of adolescence
My intellectual diet changed
My spirit craved for strong meat
It was a season of great discomfort,
But then, it ushered me into the best season of my life,
I was becoming.
This coming of age was not about
Puberty and the secrets I now know
There were mood swings triggered by deep revelations
I traveled many lanes of healing from childhood into adulthood
I was “growing up and shedding fear as I become
Coming of age doesn’t ask for permission.
It simply happens, whether you’re ready or not
It cannot be controlled or postponed
Your Becoming, is a never-ending journey
It’s a gradual process that continues all of life
For we are never done becoming,
we are promises unfolding,
journeying from unraveling to enlightening,
to revealing”
When did you stop growing?
When did you stifle wonder and embrace conformity?
You are coming of age, again
Elevating to the next best version of you
God’s design is your only truth
This coming age is a call, to take yourself seriously,
yet wear life loosely
to not hug your traumas close to your chest
and discard limited views and perspectives.
It starts by taking your individual responsibility
to think freely as a gift
Knowing our actions and non-actions brought us here
Forgive yourself for the things you couldn’t achieve
So you can be well to bring them forth
Laugh at heartbreak, dance in the rain again
You are much more than what happened to you
You are much more than now
and you are not who you were yesterday
You are a river flowing fluidly, watering seeds along your path
Blessing each detour with your essence
Now Tune into you
Embrace all of your experiences, everything is serving you
As diverse threads harmonize in a beautiful fabric
Each step is a reach for more
These lessons sieved out of chaos,
They are leading you somewhere too
A step at a time, a tear at a time
It’s all part of your song Fly,
When did you stop pursuing your heart’s call?
Nevertheless, you will become more
Know that In becoming you might bleed
Life would pierce you, you would bleed love,
Heavy like blood and the pain of birthing victories
You will find strength to become
It’s Exciting, scary, rewarding and risky
Yet we deserve to come of age more than once.
To outgrow childishness and explore a new kind of wisdom
to squeeze meaning the experiences of our lives,
to befriend patience, action, compassion,
and even slow down a bit
Knowing when to talk and when to listen,
Some kind of wisdom takes a while to learn and
We are here for all of it.
Welcome to into adulthood of living and expression
And this is not scam
You are witnessing the next evolution of you
for we are never done becoming…
we are promises unfolding,
journeying from unraveling to enlightening,
to revealing”
THE END
(copyright Shola Amaraibi 2024)
