On this 120th day of writing, I am in awe of how I continue to write day by day. The details, the feelings, the mood that seem to flood in my mind and into words one day at a time, is humbling. Is this how those who call themselves writers begin? I really want to know. I am sort of now rooted in this, rooted in the experience of writing things down, no matter how small and even when tired. The most extraordinary thing about this experience is the cohesiveness with the themes. It’s all connected. Whether the need to focus on joy, choosing, keeping it, no matter what, or the idea of simplicity, it’s magnificence, when you keep it in mind. Then there are the daily struggles, something common among most people, most women in particular.

Just yesterday I read that of the 140,000 jobs lost in the US, almost all of them were held by women. Let that sink in for a moment. 140,000 women in the US, lost their jobs during a holiday season and in the middle of a pandemic.

Women, all of us have been on a daily assault for as long as I can remember, the past year being especially difficult. If it’s not the low wages, it the unfair laws for example with maternity leave. Imagine having no sleep at night but somehow retuning to work and folks expecting you to work in full capacity mode. And you do. With little sleep and a baby barely few months old, you return. You remain hopeful and find ways to make progress, oftentimes out of nothing. We find ways to make even our struggles seem beautiful, eloquent. The sheer strength of women, in the middle of so many impediments is simply amazing to me.

Like with my writing. The past 150 days have been amazing to me, truly life-giving. This idea of capturing one’s thought however one chooses on one’s own terms, with no limits. It’s liberating to me. The limits I placed on myself seem to dissipate everyday with each keep. I am wide open to live and write as I want in a space I have carved for myself (and my children) with the goal to showcase the true meaning of ‘and.’ The dual roles that make us who we are. Our authentic selves if we truly look inward. This is how I choose to live. One keep at a time, whether hopeful or full of impediments, whether joyful or full of struggles. It’s all mine and they matter and I intend to do all in my power to keep it. So for anyone reading this, here is what I have learnt from the past 120 days. Find that one space, that activity that you engage in wholly for yourself and keep it. Keep it for you. You. And when your 120th day arrives, may you take the time to celebrate doing what matters to you, celebrate how you kept it. Keep celebrating you, especially you, women. Keep what matters to you also, keep it for you, no matter how small.