The Day He Was Born- 23 Today

“Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.”
― Doris Mortman

To be bold is to not only rejoice in having courage to speak up, but to have a voice in the first place. My mom reminded me recently that I went through years of speech therapy as a child, with the worry that I may never fully talk. This in itself is bold.  I since realised after a long time of contemplating how I can find boldness, that it can only be found once I see the boldness that humbly dwells within me already.

Today is my 23rd birthday, and as I have done for the past 3 years, I have created a self portrait, inspired by this day. I use this opportunity to create a portrait to reflect who I have been this last year and who I aim to be in the future.

This year I came to find my bravery that I had hoped for myself last year. I contacted those people I never thought I would, I wore the clothes I never thought I could and I said yes to more opportunities and said no when I needed to.

I have come to understand my self better this last year, getting to know my autism and how it impacts my life. My autism story began with my speech therapy to help me to speak, its humbling to think that I am now at a place where I can think bigger and consider how that found voice can be used for good. The voice I once never had can shout at protests for what is right, speak up for those who need it, and say whatever it is I need to say, unapologetically. 

We all know this year has been very different to normal, experiencing everything so differently to normal, so I felt compelled to create a little nod to 2020 and how its mostly consisted on isolation and staying safe behind glass and our doors. 

This year, I intend to break glass. To have something to say so proudly that it can make up for the years I didn’t have my voice. To cause ripples, that cause waves, drenching those who may fear the water. To be unapologetic in speaking on my opinions. To be bold in my decisions and to create a life for myself thats worth living.