Can you feel the shift happening? I’m not talking about the fall weather, though that’s happening, and I love cool weather. I mean the shift in the atmosphere around here at The Lighthouse. One of my favorite and, simultaneously, most stressful things about being here is the growing pains. This is Lighthouse 6.0. What does that mean?
Visions are being actualized. The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects I was subconsciously trying to build when I worked at other places, the one I wrote about in my very first concept note that the NoVo Foundation funded, is appearing before me. It’s no longer just an ideal we’re working toward, it’s a thing we’re walking in.
Intentions are being spelled out. If you haven’t been in a meeting with me yet and I’ve asked you what your intention for our time together is, get ready. It’s not enough for me or for people who do this work to just show up and expect the thing—whatever the thing may be—to appear or wait for it to come to you. What is your intention to get to the thing? to acquire it? to create it?
Things are being defined. Liberation. Work. Balance. Grace. Accountability. Healing. Truth. Home.
Things are changing changing. That’s not a typo. I typed it twice for emphasis. Like, no, they’re really changing. I’m changing them. I’m changing. For the world in which we live to evolve more quickly, we must push it. We must poke and prod. We must ask tough questions of ourselves and the people we interact with, love and trust. We also must acknowledge those can be the toughest people to have conversations with about change—ourselves and those we love who love us back. Comfort is comfortable, though it’s not always best for growth.
Among many other things, I’m grateful for the revelations I’ve had this year. What could have destroyed me grew me. That’s grace. I hope you’ll meditate on the things you’re thankful for this month.