I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by RISKING, by giving, by losing – Anais Nin
I have contemplated these words a lot over the years. At various places in my life, when I’m stuck and asking myself what I’m living for, they pop into my mind. They remind me that even when I’m losing, I live.
We postpone death by living! In the mundane and in the profound, we find the moments that make up our existence. It’s not always rainbows and butterflies, sometimes it’s financial instability and a boss we hate. We live anyway because we matter, even in you’re suffering, you matter!
Living is messy and full of “mistakes” and moments we wish we could take back. Living is playing the fool and the genius in equal parts and learning from both. Living is risking heartache in order to love deeply. We risk parts of ourselves every time we breakdown a wall and let others in.
Death is, in my opinion, simple. You die, that’s it. Life is infinitely more complicated and so damn ugly, some days, I wonder why I bother postponing death at all. I live anyway, I wake up and I keep living. In this way, my life becomes a radical expression of self love, even through the drudgery.
Even when I lose, I give anyway. I come out on the other side, wiser, if not battle worn and weary. Postponing death means taking it on the chin sometimes and putting your heart on the line.
Live this week, brown girls! Be unafraid to err and in doing so be unafraid to grow.
Postponing death means living with your flaws as readily as you live with your blessings. Live this week fearlessly and unapologetically. In the week ahead let us all be so brave and live!
Brown Girls Out Loud 