September 11, 2022
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is ẸniafẹBiafẹ Isis Adewale. The ‘I Am’ statement always feels to be somewhat of a loaded one because I am a woman evolving so, I am many things, some permanent but mostly I am in process, and changing. For present purposes, the truest statement, at the moment, is that I am a woman breaking into herself. I am also a writer, and the Founder and the founder of a journey-telling platform, ALL HER WORDS. She is my heart work. And, I am a writer. I say that, though the words pour from me, it is more so that they come through me. I am their channel, their vessel, a pathway. And for these words that are share, where this pathway leads is partly up to the words, and also up to you, the reader and receiver.
There are many words that, over the course of this lifetime, have reached me so deeply, and felt so familiar, it is as as if I have always known them. Of these words is this quote from nayyirah waheed, "pick a word like you pick a melon. examine its skin. its weight. its viscosity. its sound. its texture. its ability to be juice and meat." it is these words that have inspired the name of this journal.
I try to pick words ripe enough to deliver nectar, pure, sweet, and thick enough to turn pain into wisdom. As one woman once wrote to me, “these words are salve for any wounds left open." - @therootpause
The purpose of this journal is multifaceted. First, it is to create a more sacred and private space outside of photo squares and algorithms. And Second, it is to share not only my words, voice and language but the voices, language and words of others around me. As for these Sunday letters, which will release once monthly, on the second Sunday, I will endeavour to dive deep into places and spaces we hesitate to go publicly. I will endeavour to share reflections that have both unsettled, rearranged and adjusted me. Reflections that have helped me to navigate and grow though this life thing, keeping my heart clean and making peace along the way.
And now, for the Pièce de Résistance, the reflection.
On March 10, 2019 the words, "give the vision some space to grow its own wings" came through me. Recently, these words have returned, and they have led me to these questions, which now I pose to you:
What if you are the vision? And the time spent waiting to unfold, and steps taken back, closing doors, clearing and releasing, praying, wondering, seeking, wandering, starting, stoping, trying and trying again - what if this time has been the time it takes for your wings to grow in? Would you become more willing to go slow, instead of fast, to take your time instead of rush, or be rushed? Would you become more open to trusting and allowing life, and its parts, to flow on their own time?
What if where you are, right now, is the position and place you are meant to be in, in order for you to build the muscles, and gain the strength that will enable you to use your wings, maneuver the atmosphere, and soar the sky?
What if?
Reflective melody: Try Your Wings, Amel Larrieux
- ẹniafẹ isis