I know I’ve probably been blocked, muted, unfriended, unfollowed, and any other social media term there is. For the last month, my posts have been nonstop California. I went to Los Angeles for interviews and got offered two jobs out of three. It was like something out of a movie. Then I went to celebrate with wine and the fake Bill Clinton at the Fresh Market. Maybe people thought it was over because I changed my hashtag from The Win to Winning. Little did they know that it was only the beginning.
When I made up my mind on which job suited me better, it was an uphill journey from there. But I was okay with the climb because the TOP was my goal from the start. To let off steam and vent, I used social media as my outlet. I vented and celebrated each milestone from having to travel alone to my housing venture. Clearly I don’t know much about Los Angeles because I live half way across the country in Tennessee. I had to rely on hearsay, strangers, and networking. Through it all, I was determined. But you can tell when people aren’t up for your journey by the things they say or how they react (or not react) to your posts.
People celebrate engagements, marriages, pregnancy, and babies without much thought. But it’s another thing to celebrate a single black woman who has no kids, no proposals, and no marriage. She’s only moving! Why is it that we don’t celebrate women who are following their dreams? Why are we looked over because we go against the grain of the norm? I’m not sure the answer, but I know we deserve it. It’s hard to get out of your comfort zone and be bold in your faith walk towards your destiny. I think we need applause even more because we decided to take a different path.
I’m not knocking anyone who has gotten married and had children, I just know that with what I have in mind, those things would make going after my dream harder. That’s just me personally because I had a real heart to heart with myself earlier this year. I literally asked God why I was still single. I kid you not, I opened a book that I had never read and the answer was as plain as day: God hasn’t allowed me to meet my husband because I would put him before God and that would cause my wonderful destiny to be forfeited. Y’all, that hit me in the back of my spirit! Ain’t no way I’m letting any man make me give up the great things God has in store for me. So I stopped dating and from that moment on, I started towards the California dreaming to make it reality.
The hardest part of this journey was to see the people you thought would root you on, be silent. It was like I hit the winning shot in the last seconds of the game (December metaphor) and the cheerleaders walked out. Maybe they walked out in disbelief that it happened or maybe they were upset that the spotlight wasn’t on them. Either way, it was disheartening. People I barely knew were more excited that my support system. But I quickly had to get over that because I can’t, no won’t let anyone make me feel bad for doing what’s right for my life. So to be clear, I’m not just moving, I’m stepping out on faith. I’m seeing what the world has to offer. I’m following my dreams, which most people never do in a lifetime. I’m trying to be a beacon of light to show others that no matter the circumstances, you too can do great things. You owe it to yourself to at least TRY! Be Sweet.
Be Sweet 