Forced Transformation

Post 2 of 10 of LoveYourzStory’s Jhené Aiko Series. Inspired by “Born Tired.”

I’m deep in my Jhené Era. She’s def the top artist I’ve been listening to on repeat for at least the last 6 months. This series will be a showcase of how her music has inspired me throughout this journey – the journey back to self✨️

Cherry Blossoms starting to bloom in San Francisco.

They say the universe will intervene if you remain stagnant.

But the cosmos are patient and understanding too – they always give us the free will to redeem ourselves.

Evolve or repeat – learn the lesson and grow, or repeat the same cycle in different forms until you get it right.

Avoid what needs to be done, and watch the universe pull the rug from right under you. Time’s up.

You have no business being in places, situations, and connections that don’t serve your highest good.

My Tower moments always came at the right time.

This was a forced transformation.

Thank you, universe, for giving me no choice but to get the ball rolling.

Nobody talks about how overwhelming and exhausting it is to be cracked open.

But once the light gets in, there really is no going back.

What a rewarding, yet chaotic, journey it has been so far.

I’m learning to not question what the universe has in store for me.

There are no accidents. Now, this is all by choice. I have to keep going.

Ride The Waves

I used to try to swim against the current.

In my mind, I had to at least attempt to swim past… right?

I take pride in the fact that I never give up.

That makes me strong. Resilient. A fighter.

But trying and giving my all was leading me to drown.

With each stroke, I found myself under water.

I would try to catch my breath as I mustered the courage to try yet again.

Frustration and disappointment would be an understatement.

I couldn’t comprehend why I was in the same exact position

no matter how hard I tried to swim through and weather the storm.

Each failed attempt was disheartening, but I still tried repeatedly.

My logic was this: With so much time spent,

what a shame it would be to have my efforts be for nothing.

So I continued to swim against the currents,

still baffled every single time I found myself drowning.

It took a while for me to learn from my mistakes.

Until one day, I decided to do something different – the unthinkable.

I was exhausted, hanging by a thread spiritually, and at my breaking point –

I decided to give up the fight and see where the waves take me.

My guard was still up, ready to start aggressively swimming

the moment I felt things were going south.

But I decided to trust the waves…

Maybe they were trying to tell me something this whole time.

I took a deep breath, and let the current take me wherever I had to go.

I didn’t resist or panic, but I was afraid.

Still, I decided to trust the process and surrender to what was.

The waves continued to crash down on me.

I feared that I made a huge mistake, but I resisted the urge to swim.

I started to ride the waves instead of trying to go against them.

I took each wave slowly, one by one, until I was in calmer waters.

After a while, I saw that I was being led to a beautiful place.

I found myself in the eye of the storm.

Now I understand what it means to weather a storm within myself.

Like the waves, everything comes and goes as it should.

Ride the waves instead of resisting them.

You’ll be surprised to see that you are floating.