Young, Black and Broken: A Colorful Journey to Healing

"I've been on the low key grinding
(Grinding, grinding, grinding)
Learning on the low key, shining
Tryin' to keep to myself
But you bring me out of character
Every time again" -SZA, Go, Gina,

Happy New Year! What can I say about 2017? Well, it was filled with trials, tribulations, and triumphs. Yet, I've managed to survive and thrive. I became the poster child for the "Young, Black, and Broken" because I was that person in 2017! How Sway?

I was diagnosed with Chronic Anemia. Anemia is a condition in which you don't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body's tissues. Having anemia may make you feel tired and weak. On top of being diagnosed with anemia, I was also diagnosed with Uterine Fibroids. Yikes. Uterine fibroids are benign lumps that grow on the uterus. Symptoms may include heavy periods, cramping, painful sex, and an urge to urinate. Over 80% of African-American women will suffer from fibroids by the age of 50. 

Yo, I felt as if my life came crashing down at the same damn time. I had to cancel numerously speaking engagements and outings because I was that ill and broken. I had to schedule things around my menstrual cycle because my cycles were uncontrollable. My illness debilitated my whole life, to the point I suffered from depression and anxiety. I couldn't get out of bed. Some days I would just cry my heart out. There would be days, weeks, and some months that I couldn't look at myself in the mirror because I was broken and traumatized. When you can't enjoy, love, and trust the eyes looking back at you, that's brokenness, Flyness. 

Besides being broken, you also have others who take advantage of your brokenness. I had to go "hot ham hoe here we go again" on a few people who have taken advantage of my broken nature during this junction of my life. I just had enough of dealing with people, especially women who violated the sisterhood code. I was sick and tired of the f^&kery, thievery, and dishonesty. 

Literally, everything around me was falling apart. In February, my husband lost his job. Agh! When a man loses his career, he loses his confidence in providing for his family. The bad news kept coming, which included being denied into a program for 1st home buyers. We took the Ls and kept it moving. I figured we weren't meant to lay our foundation down in New England. Why force something when things are supposed to flow?

While our world came crashing down, my husband and I made a difficult decision to get the eff outta Providence and relocate Down South! Let's recap, shall we! My husband became unemployed in February. The surgery took place on March 31st; we packed our apartment and relocated on April 30th. Yes, we are still sane. 

I notified ten people about our relocation. On the other hand, my husband went and broadcasted all of our business on the Book! (Insert side-eye forever) Guess what? Everyone, including the fakers, snakes, fair-weather folks, and their Mama, reached out to be nosy! Mind you. These folks don't care about us! All of a sudden, you have a change of heart. Nah!

Dear God, I'm Here!

What Did I Learn During the 2017 Transition:
"Healing Hurts, Healing Sucks"  Since I've been on this journey of healing internally, I have realized life and recovery aren't linear! One minute you are completely okay; the next, you may be rocking back and forth doing the ugly cry because something triggered that unhealed situation.  You have to be vulnerable and ready to heal. Sometimes, healing includes sitting silently! Recovery involves honesty with yourself.  We are never prepared to hear the truth and often try to find an alternative way to heal instead of pain. Hence, we see many people self-medicate because many are in a state of trauma and can't bear to deal with reality. During my healing process, I got to reconnect with some dope people. I still cry from time to time. My marriage almost went to hell, but we are working on being better people and more divine spouses for one another. Another funny and strange thing about healing is when randoms such as exes, users, and old friends try to creep back into your life. Chile, who are you and what do you want?  I had to regain my strength, independence, and my holistic life. God is taking the wheel. I am letting ish go. I had to let my life crumble and rebuild. I am rebuilding and trusting the process like the Philadelphia 76ers. 

I Am Learning How to Love Drea Once Again! Loving yourself is a long-suffering, everlasting, cold, warm, FLY, humbling experience. Yo, self-love, and healing are scary. AF is exciting, carefree, ugly at times, sassy, FLY, rhythmic, Divine, spiritual, and Godly. Self-love is vital but complicated.  Self-love is a learned behavior that is somewhat innate. You would think it is natural, but somehow down the line, we often unlearn how to love ourselves because we are thrown into this abyss of self-sacrificing and putting ourselves last. 

People don't truly trust themselves because they don't recognize themselves, and often they don't love themselves. We get caught up with social media's controlled content, chasing the bag, chasing an illusion, and chasing nonsense. We get caught up with all these things and truly forget about our daily purpose: self-preservation, self-care, self-esteem, self-love, and self-respect. When we neglect these things, we often cheat ourselves and lessen ourselves to accept any low and basic behavior and habits.  Loving myself looks different daily. Loving myself consist of going to a Rapsody concert and allowing the boom-bap rap to uplift my spirit. Loving myself consist of walking away from negativity and toxicity. Loving myself standing on my square and speaking my truth to power. Loving myself consist of rocking me, accepting me, validating myself first in a cold world that often diminishes, degrade, dismiss, and disrespect the Black Woman, the Black Man, and Black Child. Loving myself consist of living an unapologetic, compassionate, and purposeful life. 

I also want to give flowers to the following people because they were instrumental in my healing process, and I bet they haven't known until now! So, giving flowers to My Mom, Jaquetta, Barby, Shemika, Markita, Michelle B., Michelle D., Chantal, Walter (My Mentor) and his wife Josefina, and Ms. Marilyn. 

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me via email and social media to offer light, support, and encouragement during a rough time in my life. I see you, baby, and keep shining. 

Thank you for reading this honest, raw, and unapologetic blog post. I hope you will take the time to tap into some unhealed spaces within to heal the pain. Remember to trust your colorful progress and process. 

Need to help with healing: Sign up for a free complimentary healing session: http://bit.ly/coachingwithbrowngirl

#MoneyMakingMonday: What Are You Bringing to The Table?

My Biggest Aha Moment!

"I just got hit with the biggest aha moment known to mankind." -Drea Camille

God has a sense of humor and I discovered it today while making breakfast. Yes, during breakfast!  I was recreating a delicious and healthy breakfast that I had in Reston, Virginia this past weekend in my own kitchen in Providence. While preparing my breakfast, I was talking to myself and of course to God. I uttered my infamous and most common question to myself and God, "What is my purpose and who do you want me to serve?" As soon as I asked my question loudly, three individuals were revealed to me. Two of my friends from undergraduate and graduate school and one of my dear friends here in Providence.

Now let me give you the commonality of my three friends and myself. First, we are all college educated with at least a master degree, we are all within our late twenties and early thirties, young professionals, and African Americans. My three friends live in various places, one live in Birmingham, AL, one in Houston, Texas and the other in Providence, Rhode Island where I reside as well. I also forgot to mention that all four of us have or currently experiencing underemployment, unemployment or over-employment (over-qualified for one's person).  Let me remind you that none of my friends that I have mentioned know one another but we are interconnected through our friendship, education status, and employment status. Let me digress and stick with the subject matter!

Yesterday, two out of three of my friends called me for some coaching, conversation and comedy. I call it the three Cs from Drea. In both conversations, I went into both blindly not knowing that both conversations with two friends who only connection they have are knowing me was the same story of the struggle of unemployment.  *Disclaimer* Both conversations, I had yesterday were with my guy friends. Men usually don't discuss their emotions and feelings centering around losing something. They usually withdraw or deny their feelings. I must commend these two guys because they allowed me in their hearts and explore their vulnerabilities.

Both of my friends were both laid off from their well respected jobs within this year. Both dealing with the loss, picking up the pieces and receiving moral support from me. Yesterday, was the most I ever talked on the phone in a while to two people. LOL! While talking to my friends, I realize that these guys are so courageous, strong, and resilient for telling me their struggle in regard to being laid off. I even disclose to them my battle with chronic unemployment  within the last five years which led me to starting my first business as a professional resume writer in 2010 while living in Chicago. I encouraged them both to start thinking of alternative ways to generate income in the meantime to sustain their livelihood.

The moral to the blog post is that I went through my experience for a reason.  My purpose in life is to assist women and men of color who are young professionals, over achiever,  college educated to maximize their potential to live out loud and boldly by recognizing their God given talents, gifts and strengths. We are not taught in college nor in society to go after our dreams and passions. We are taught to be conformist and think instead the box.  I realize that I had to get out of my own way, stop over-analyzing, and share my story to people who are going through a temporary, tough time. I am thankful to God because without asking him the questions of  "what's my purpose", I wouldn't have recognize my purpose nor realize that I am serving people my tribe of people already.

"Be still and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10

Thank you for reading Brown Girl From Boston! Please feel free to comment, share your aha moment, or simple say hello. Look forward to hearing from you all.

Drea,
XOXO