love your life

“your life. love it. from the hurt to the wonder. from the bone to the flower. love it. with everything you’ve got. it’s yours.” - Nayyirah Waheed

Many people see what I post and think my life is this beautiful, carefree, magazine editorial full of stunning dinners and beautiful art, and it is. I love my life. I love what I’ve created and the collisions of beautiful circumstances that has led to the humans who are my loves and community and friends. But I also choose to love my life. Because it’s full of dark, trauma, scratching to survive and pulling myself up from the depths of things I thought I might never recover from. I’ve been exhausted since the day I was born. My life is beautiful, because I know the other side. If you’re jealous, know that I work every day. Infants have more money in their bank accounts because everything I have I pour back into my business or collaborations or friends. I haven’t shut off my email or not worked on a trip or vacation in 3 years. Networking, promoting, dreaming and scheming is constant for all aspects of my jobs. At the end of the day, I have no one to rely on, my parents don’t financially support (as they shouldn’t) or partner who has a stable job or health insurance where if my own work falls away it’s ok because there is backup. My life has never been safe or secure.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve always had that insatiable feeling that has me running towards it, towards more and knowing I’m creating something more. Chase the light. Creating it.

So, love your life. Love the way your sheets feel as you crawl into bed, the way the light filters through your bathroom window. Love the way therapy wrecked you this week or the hard decision you had to make for your family. Love delving into the dark depths you keep shutting away so that the light can shine brighter. Love the fact you can leave your desk job at 5pm on Friday and not think about it until Monday morning, or the way you work on your passion project every chance you get. Love letting yourself play, create to create. Love your life. It’s yours.