Photo: Gemma, a Black woman with an afro poof and wearing all black long-sleeved shirt and pants, relaxes with one arm resting on knee. She sits in front of a large window wall in a Piaule log cabin. — *Featured Post*

This is 30.
I turned 30 in February. I was asked a few times leading up to this birthday how I felt about it. In the back of my mind, I felt a bit of worry and dread. There was that nagging feeling of "being behind" or somehow not where I should be (whatever that means). But most of all, the negativity was lost in the blanket of burnout. I was slogging through.
In the past few years, I've heard people wax poetic about their 30s. If their 20s were full of struggle and uncertainty, their 30s were full of self-assurance and security.
I spent my 20s always chasing something, literally and figuratively. I wanted to start this new decade on a different note, one that was less about chasing and more about stopping and smelling the roses. I want to slow down, pause, and breathe. Figure out who I am now and who I want to be. And hopefully, document it as much as my bandwidth allows me to.

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Giving Thanks

Before I get into specifics...

I'll start by saying this is not a comprehensive list of people I'd like to thank. That means you shouldn't get butt-hurt if I don't mention you specifically. If you've had any impact whatsoever on my life then just know I appreciate it greatly. I've had so many comments, messages, and tweets from friends and family around the clock since I made the Olympics and seeing the outpouring of love and encouragement has meant the world to me.

I apologize for the lateness of this post. I've written and re-written this post in my head so many times, but every time I've sat down to type it out, my mind has gone blank. I finally managed to force myself to sit down and bang it out. I know I'll never be fully satisfied with this, as I feel I'm not thanking everyone enough or really expressing just how grateful I am, but it'll have to do.