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A Quarter Century’s Worth of Summers

 

I did a fun birthday shoot with Chichi of TwoTwenty Photography and I recently decided to share a few images with my readers (at the risk of seeming narcissistic – yikes). No “birthday post” is not complete without some reflections, right? So y’all are gonna have to put up with the words accompanying this post, ha!

My mum likes to say that I was her easiest delivery, and I believe that has translated into my easy-going life. For the most part of 25 years I’ve been that girl to “let it go” simply because I never really learned to stress. But there are countless times that I did panic and stress, and those times brought me some of the most important lessons. Just hang with me for a second, I’m going somewhere with this.

I was stressed out when I started my blog, and when I transitioned to a website. I couldn’t understand why, because I was extremely organized at these moments and I had a game plan for every situation. I was meeting my personal deadlines and most of my goals (gotta admit this is not a very frequent occurrence with me, lol). So why could I not be calm? It was months later that I came to realize that it was because pursuing these goals had woken something in me. When you discover a passion – especially when you aren’t expecting it – you become restless. Your physical and mental being is woken up to a new ability of yours that you also enjoy, and the feeling is electric.

The first time that I met the students that were being helped by a non-profit I co-founded – Imagine Ghana – I panicked. I couldn’t think of why I thought my small group of people could take on a big problem in Ghana. Who did we think we were? And how far were we even going to get? My chill was out the window so fast. I asked one very young girl what she wanted to be in the future, and she said me. In my head I was like “girrrl take that back – I literally am still a child myself”, but I asked her why. And she told me it was because “I was helping”. She didn’t know me or who I was or the fact that I snooze my alarm more than regular people every morning, all she knew that I was helping. Then it dawned on me that I panicked because I wanted so badly to effect mass change, but all that really matters was that I helped. If that’s not a good life lesson then I don’t know what is!

On the morning of my birthday today, I woke up stressed. I was stressed because I had forgotten important lessons like the ones above, and instead I was feeling unaccomplished. So I decided to take stock and count my blessing and this post was birthed out of that. I hope my mini-reflections are at the very least, thought-provoking to you.

Fear and stress go away, but the lessons they teach you don’t. Take these, and remember them, and arm yourself with them. And as you live (what I hope is) your easygoing/occasionally stressful life I hope you never forget to also live everyday as if it is summer. Happy 25th birthday to me and thank you all for sticking around for my randomness!

xo,

Essie

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Photography: Chichi Agbim

Makeup: Evelyn Garcia

Styling + Props: Essie Does Summer