It’s been a month and one day since my last confession (LMAO!) I feel I have more to talk about when some time has passed. February is almost over and we’ll be in the swing of March before long. I have so many things I want to accomplish before the Summer rolls around. I’m talking about those today. 🙂

I feel selfish for this blog title, but there honestly is no other way to put it. If I don’t start making myself a priority, I won’t be much use to the ones around me that I love and care for. Here’s what I mean about making myself a priority:

Health + Fitness

I’m so proud of how far I’ve come with my mental health in the last 6+ months. It wasn’t an easy road to get here, but I am glad I took the steps necessary to reach this space. With everything that has happened to me in the last couple of years, it’s been a struggle. I urge any black woman who is having a hard time to seek guidance when it comes to mental health. The Black community is so stigmatized into thinking our women are strong, courageous and fearless 100% of the time. That mindset is dangerous. We deserve gentleness, kindness and a time for rest, too. I show myself grace when it’s needed and pat myself on the back when I’ve worked hard. It took me a long while to learn to be my own supporter.

With that being said, it’s definitely time that my attention now focuses to my physical health and fitness. I’ve fallen off this bandwagon so many times! I don’t know what shifted, but it seems physical health and overall activity got a lot harder for me once I reached mid-30’s. I’m not that old! However, I find if you don’t make time for your health now, you’ll be forced to in the long run…and sadly that is where I am now.

I visited my PCP for my annual check-up. As usual, they order lab work for blood test and urinary analysis; routine stuff. I know last year a Vitamin D deficiency was recognized. Since then, that has been rectified with consistent daily supplement of the vitamin. However, my glucose levels were concerning. I ended up getting an AC1 Test for Diabetes and I’m in the 5.8% range. Normal levels are 5.7% and below…which means I’m in the range of Type 2 pre-diabetes. 🙁 What a wake up call ❗

Mr. Right has been telling me for awhile now that a healthier diet and exercise needs to be a priority. After this, I need to make a much better effort to take care of myself. I will admit, I’ve made excuses in the past to skip exercise, or to have that delicious calorie filled meal…but I can’t afford to continue this way. I pray for strength to make the change that is necessary.

My Art & Career

I’ve been slowly making changes to put more of my free time and effort into my artwork; after all it is what I do for a living. When I’m not working my full-time job I want to be more creative with my personal art. In the future I’d like to offer prints, stickers and pins of my illustrations. Solidifying just what those illustrations would be is also a priority on this list. In the meantime I have been working towards creating a work space that will cultivate this creativity. After moving back home after Hurricane Ida, I decided to redesign my hobby room into more of an art studio. I still have a ways to go with new furnishings (computer desk, drawing desk and work chair), but I am pleased with how it is going thus far. My ultimate goal is to diversify my art content. I don’t only want to produce YouTube videos, but I’d also like to try my hand at live streaming on TwitchTV. Mr. Right has had such success with it and many great opportunities because of it, so I’d like to try it for myself as well. Wish me luck!

On the Career front, its without a doubt that I have outgrown my current employer and it’s time for me to find a new place to learn and grow. It saddens me to think how happy I was at my current position almost 4 years ago, but in recent years there has been such a decline in the quality and care here of employees. The work environment here isn’t safe for my health any longer (both physically and mentally) and it’s just time for me to go! I won’t stifle myself and put a halt to my own goals for the sake of a company who is only concerned about their bottom line. I’d like to plan for children in the near future and this job is coming in between that.

That’s all for now, I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about soon. At the end of April, Mr. Right and I are going to PAX East, a convention in Boston. We’ve never been before (or traveled to Boston) so I am super excited!