Since moving to Michigan, in particular these past few weeks of fall, I have been neck deep in a voyage of self-discovery. It’s to be expected, as I have been in transition for the past six months since becoming an empty nester. I am only at the very beginning of my post childrearing journey, but I have spent some good time in meditation as I try to discover who I am now and who I want to be moving forward. 

For the past 22 years I have been in “mom-mode” with my focus being on raising three happy and productive human beings. Their needs and desires have been at the forefront of my focus, but as they have grown and become independent, I have given myself permission to shift my energies back to myself. I want to know what makes me happy? What do I want from life? What moves my soul and makes me dream with reckless abandon? In pursuit of answers to these questions, I have to ask myself who am I at my core? 

Sometime around my 33rd birthday, I wrote a bit of self-reflection that I thought I would revisit and revamp as I head toward my second half century.

I am a mother. I am a lover. I am a friend to the end. I am a daughter, a niece, and a sister. An independent partner, trusting and trustworthy. I know the truth and the truth knows me. I am an open book to the one who is strong enough and brave enough to turn the pages until the final sentence. I am a protector and a fighter, a creator and a communicator. I dream like a sage who has seen her share of the multiverse, but still revel in moments of childlike wonder. I find strength in patience, joy in acceptance, and peace through perseverance. I am a lover of the earth and believer in pleasant afternoons and life’s adventures, from the daily comforts of routine to the magic carpet rides of my hopes and fantasies. A passionate soul with a tempered spirit, a giver of love in its many forms, I am grateful and proud and perfectly human. I am Destiny.

I have been known by many different names by many different people in many different areas of my life, and I still answer to them all. Mom (and all its derivatives), D, Love, Destiny…all different sides of my personality. When they all are in demand, it can get quite loud in  my head. The Mayor has a way of calming the ruckus with his constant presence and keen awareness. I have started to rely on him to bring me back to reality and the present moment when I go too deep in my reflections. To him I am babe or simply Destiny. Never D. D belongs in the past. I am reclaiming my given name Destiny Aimee. Destiny the loved one. Only now instead of seeking outside love and affirmation, I am developing self-love. Thanks to my therapist and some deep friendships with girlfriends, I am learning that it’s okay to have a past and it should tell only a part of the story that makes me whole. I am not defined by my past, but instead will grow from it and allow it to become only a piece of the grand mosaic of my life.

Moving forward with my new life in Michigan as I make friends and get involved with the community, I look forward to exploring my hopes and dreams for my future with The Mayor. Already we have been blessed beyond belief, and I see only bright things ahead for us as we navigate the second half of our lives together. I rest easy knowing that I can go back to Destiny school and learn more about how I want to leave an impact with the backdrop of love and acceptance of my partner. And right now, that sounds like just what I want out of life.

I love you all, some more than others. 💜🌻