Are you sure?
Thank you for joining me. I hope to share what I consider to be my authentic life with you through my photographs, books, stories, and words. Our journey is never the same as it began, and there are no right ways to get to a starting point. What matters is that we arrive at our intended destination. It's scary to reject a belief and expectations placed on who we are, what we're supposed to be, and who we're supposed to be, whether it's enforcing normative behaviors, our career, or life itself, even more so when we feel as if we no longer belong. "I'm disappointed," "I expected," and "Are you sure?" "What are your plans?" "This isn't you." "Be realistic." "How come you can't just..." These words, these questions, which are undoubtedly asked with genuine love and concern, can weaken our resolve. After all, we are human; we begin to ponder, analyze, and even doubt ourselves, "Am I on the right path?" but wouldn't we rather hear these words a thousand times than consent to expectations that do not align with who we are or our essence?
So far, my journey has been a rollercoaster ride. I've had to push myself out of my comfort zone, gamble on relationships, take risks, and reject the norm. I've cried, been happy, then cried again, feeling dejected, ready to give up, and doubting myself to the point where I needed to evaluate myself. So I climbed Ireland's highest mountain (1,038.6 meters). Pushing myself physically and mentally, I kept telling myself, "You're insane, Sherdley!" and "Why are you doing this to yourself?" (that is a story for another time). But, as difficult as the climb was, I knew that if I could make it to the top despite feeling overwhelmed by the mountain, then I had no reason to doubt anything else I was pursuing.
I'm trying to say that even though I'm taking a different route to my destination today, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be for the time being. "You have to decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you," one of my favorite authors, James Baldwin, beautifully stated. So, create your world, stay true to who you are as a being, and live your authentic life.
Until next time, Xoxo.
Sherdley S
