Permission to Pause & Progress

It's 2025, and somewhere between the last time I wrote to you & the New Year's confetti, I found myself sitting in a familiar corner of the crowded strip club once again. The music was thumping, the lights were flashing — the world felt like it was sprinting past in time-lapse & I was stuck in slow motion, as if I was moving through honey.

Truth be told, I am back working in the strip club in order to make ends meet, & have been working a few shifts a week since December.

My return to nightlife was a stark reminder that sometimes, we have to do what we have to do to survive. But even in the midst of doing everything I could to try and catch up on rent & bills, I knew I couldn't let go of my dreams.

It was during my break from writing this newsletter, that I realized something profound: Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is to give ourselves permission to pause, to slow down, and to reconnect with ourselves. It's in those moments of pause that we can find the strength to move forward with renewed purpose and intention. This past month, while challenging, allowed me to return to my writing with a renewed sense of clarity and purpose. I felt more grounded, more connected to my creative vision, and more ready to embrace the new year.

I know now I need to keep putting time and effort into the things that allow me to thrive — my poetry, this newsletter, my Herbalife business, & nonprofit fundraising — no matter how hard it can be to balance all of my varied interests. In 2025, I am determined to achieve new milestones in each of these ventures, making time and space for every part of me. This is not a "new year, new me' resolution; instead, I intend to embrace all parts of me (perhaps for the first time) by pursuing each one of these pathways simultaneously — in my own way, at my own pace.

What if our 'slowness' isn't a flaw—what if it's our superpower? Let's explore this together to discover the power of pausing to progress.