The look on my face when I realize that my clothing (pajamas, actually, but that's a different point) inadvertently nearly-almost-but-not-quite matches a backdrop in the studio—and I realize, well, THAT'S a perfect metaphor.

Meaning that if I ever "match" adult milestones or whatever the hell projections people insist I "should" want—it's neither by aspiration nor design. Definitely by happenstance, like this photo.

Some of my clearest memories of childhood are the repeated instances of adults and peers telling me what my life was going to look like. Beyond "shoulds"—the absolute certainty of a future that I didn't even want.

Not that most people asked. And none of them believed my answers—which, by the way, are still accurate, all these years later.

I had a couple miserable decades of being bullied into trying to conform. Partly because I have rarely had examples of people living a life I wanted to emulate, so it was much easier to doubt what I desired.

But those days are long gone, and I have never missed them. Not for a day, an hour, a moment, a breath. I'm at peace trusting the unknown, trusting mySelf, trusting Source.

And listen, I'm not hating on anyone's aspirations or desires, however conventional or not. We want what we want; we are who we are. I have never craved traditional milestones, but, equally, I have never craved Sameness. I'm grateful to live in a diverse world, for opportunities to connect and share space with people who are not like me.

So, I hope this finds you honoring yourSelf, surrounded by Grace and Magic and Beauty and Love and Mystery and Joy and Mirth.

And if you need encouragement, let me know.

photo by Emerald Dove Photography