on starting new.

Saying goodbye to my hosted blog, and introducing myself to Substack.

As I begin the last quarter of the first year of my 30s, I am reflecting on the incredible season of newness that I’m in. My life looks and feels so different than it did just a few years ago, and the growth and change has been as exhilarating as it it is uncomfortable. I wouldn’t change a thing! Living with intention, literally watching the life I once imagined manifest, and becoming the woman of my own dreams has been quite the ride. There have been losses and there have definitely been lessons, but what I’ve gained, I can’t even begin to quantify.

In 2020, I started from the city, with love. My baby. My passion project. This blog wasn’t about views or subscriptions, but was a way to share pieces of me with the world — musings on nursing, navigating life as a 20something, and radical, intentional self care. I had just turned 25 and felt called to push beyond the limits of my comfort zone, to allow my writing, story, and creativity the space to exist without fear of acceptance and judgement. I felt inspired.

Well, things slowed down as Covid progressed and the weight of being educated, aware and Black circa George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in a country that despised people who look like me began to take its mental toll. I didn’t stop writing completely, but I definitely lost a bit of that spark. Content creating felt futile and superficial. I was tired, and doubt about my purpose and impact began to creep in.

fast forward.

Now, five years later, married to the love of this life and every one after, expecting my first child, and building a life of love and legacy, I feel ready to open myself up again. To create again. To share again.

This season feels so full, so fruitful. In the words of Jhene Aiko, “it ain’t perfect but everything’s beautiful here.” Since graduating from Howard University in 2018 with a degree in nursing, I have since earned a master’s and become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, gotten married, moved from Washington, DC to Greenville, SC, where my husband is finishing his training as a surgeon, bought our first home, and now I’m preparing to welcome a baby girl that I am already so insanely in love with.

I’m learning to slowly release my perfectionist shackles and let the mess of the process be as joyful and meaningful as the end result. My faith has always been a guiding force, and despite the plot twists, it’s as strong as ever.

So, here I am! from the city, with love lives on — she is simply becoming refined, as I am. My priorities have obviously shifted over the past five years, and as I navigate marriage and motherhood while maintaining and nurturing my own sense of self, I once again feel called to share what I’ve learned along the way. Thank you for joining me here. I’m so happy to have you, and to hopefully know and be inspired by you too.

with love, ri