Why I'm Starting "The Unlearning List"

Over the past few years, I have had a quiet rumbling inside. I started questioning things that I had been doing for years without pause, everything from drinking relatively frequently with family and friends to getting others' permission before making decisions that I knew were right for me. This is not a blog on whether you should or should not drink or engage in a certain activity, but it is more about the art of questioning norms that we have engrained in us from when we were young and deciding if those are conducive to the life you want to live, or if they detract from them.

I recently found out that my husband and I are having a daughter, which has led me to focus on what kind of mom I want to be and what I want to teach her. But, to teach her how she can find and embody the essence of who she is, I have to closely (and honestly) examine the lessons that I have unlearned or am attempting to unlearn as I figure out how to navigate this next chapter of my life and truly step into my own. I do not want to pass moral judgment on how others live their life; that is exactly the point of this. I want us to stop judging. I want to celebrate people who walk to the beat of their own drum, embrace alternative ways of living, or find joy in living a more traditional life. There isn't a right or wrong way to live your life (as long as you aren't harming yourself or anyone). This is about finding the courage and inner wisdom to pursue a life that invigorates you and speaks to your essence.

I do not have the answers, but writing this series is an attempt to start to unravel and unlearn the values or behaviors that don't serve me so I can focus on the ones that elevate who I am and hopefully help my daughter do the same.

End scene.