Wow! I can’t believe 2021 is over and we are now ushering in a new year filled with so many wonders.
Thank you to everyone who showed their support of Wendy Williams: The Movie, The Oval, The Manor, and now The In Trive! (Psst…The Michael’s Daughter Foundation announcement is coming soon). You made 2021 such an incredible year and I am forever grateful for you.
As I thought about writing this year-end review, I bounced back and forth on whether to keep it cute and simple or get real with you. I chose the latter because sharing my story with you is what The In Trive is all about. So with one big breath, here’s a little bit about what I learned in 2021.
Looking back over this year and as I write the accomplishments above, I must say there was a lot to be grateful for, but I’m also reminded of the many challenges that were presented as well. Discovering my voice and who I am, was one of the biggest challenges this past year. Let’s be real though, self-discovery is an ongoing adventure that I feel one never truly masters but only gets better with time and practice. 2021 led me on a boat ride journey with both smooth sails and thunderous crashing waves. She built me up, knocked me down, chewed me up, and nestled in her arms me like a newborn baby. How pleasant and confusing?!?
It was beautiful and daunting all at the same time. There was a purging of the past, people’s expectations, and my own egoic haze. All of which slowly started to reveal an atrophied form of my true self. I asked myself often, where are you, Ciera? My inability to answer that question led to my retreating and turning off my own light in order to make sense of the strange darkness.
However, just asking that question allowed the reset, rest, and self-care to take place which in turn became fuel needed to continue on my journey of 2021. Through that, I began to understand the meaning of presence, self-autonomy, who I am, and yeah those things which they call “boundaries”. It was scary, difficult, and yet empowering to discover and explore those “grown-up” parts of me. But now, coming out on the other side, I truly see how all of that has made me appreciate, even more, the unknown and unfamiliar. All of which has allowed me to truly stop and exercise awareness of all that is and dare I say, appreciate it all?
All this to say, it was a rollercoaster of a year with failures and mistakes along with lots of wins and celebrations. Every moment of 2021 taught me to strengthen my backbone, exercise my awareness, and be thankful for the present moment.
As this year closes out, the temperatures falling, and a subtle quiet fills the air, I want to encourage us to acknowledge the healing and growth that took place in 2021 while embracing the unknowing journey ahead. Which will be marked as a new chapter in my book, named, 2022. In the meantime, my wish for you, my fellow In Triver, is that whatever you learned, gained, experienced, or lost in 2021, may it be the fuel used to light your flame and set you flying high in 2022. And remember, life will mirror the seasons, so stay steady, know that there is a gestation period as you grow, and be prepared for all the harvests that are to come.
In Joy,
Ciera
- Photos: Emily Sandifer Photography
- Hair: Matilde Campos
- Make Up: Carissa Ferri
- Wardrobe: Jessica Pastor
