September Letter from the Editor.

Hello readers

I do not know where summer went! It was over in the blink of an eye and now we are thinking about autumn. Keep checking back to our site as new blogs from all of our wonderful contributors will come rolling in during this month.  The theme for this issue is FREEDOM.

Enjoy, share and thank you for reading!

Freedom in your forties...

A while back one of my cousins said to me that she couldn’t wait to get to the age where she can say what she wants, whenever she liked without being reprimanded.
 
Coming from a Caribbean background and upbringing, we were pretty much used to being seen (and looking very well turned out) and not heard. As we have got older, become more independent and assumed the role of taxi and delivery drivers for our elders, we are allowed to say more. However, if we step out of line we can still get shot down with a look or a comment, so yep, still having to mind what we say.
 
I wonder what it will be like when we become the elders and can say what we like, and the next generation have to be mindful of their speech in front of us? I have to admit that as I mature, my filter gets used less and less. Pretty much, I think it, I say it. Although I do have some self-control – I’m not straight up mean, you know!
 
I definitely worry less about what other people think about what I say or I do. I guess that comes with having the confidence and courage to be and live your authentic self. It takes a while in life (and many experiences) to work out who you are but when you reach that level of freedom it’s great, right?
 
You learn (often through mistakes and sometimes the VERY hard way) to put boundaries in place, to be mindful of the company you keep and to pay attention to your growing intuition (also known as inner wisdom).
 
If someone asks you to go somewhere or do something and you don’t want to, you have the courage to say no. You even get to the stage where you don’t bother to think up an excuse, you just politely decline. After all there’s no need to be cantankerous, we can all be civil and polite.
 
Food and drink get better when as it ages so why shouldn’t we?
 
Freedom that comes with maturity is great - the freedom to just be you and embrace your identity. How about the freedom to be whatever you choose to be? Being able to dream, to be ambitious, to go where no one has been before (wink to the informed). We need role models for that and examples of what we can be.
 
We lost a MASSIVE role model over this bank holiday weekend. Chadwick Boseman was a brilliant young actor. He brought to life historical greats including James Brown, Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall.
 
He also brought a comic book hero to life: Black Panther.
 
This was huge to a whole generation (more than one, truth be told). He brought the pictures in comics to life, to the big screen. It’s strange to think that I referenced Black Panther in my previous post…
 
It’s hard to be what you can’t see. I know T’Challa is a fictional character and Wakanda is a fictional place but that fiction came out of someone’s imagination. Someone had a vision and a story they wanted to tell.
 
I know Black people who cried after seeing the film Black Panther. To see Black people represented so positively on the big screen in our lifetime meant something beyond words. A film with a Black director and a predominantly Black cast (Angela Bassett is still owed an Oscar for her role as Tina Turner) smashing box office records? Impact. Who would have imagined it? But someone did. A special collection of people brought this to life. They shook off the shackles of the past, stood strong, overcame barriers and had the courage and confidence to do this. It really was an inspiration. And a message.
 
Live your freedom at whatever stage of life you are in. Be courageously and authentically you. Dare to dream. Bring your vision to life. At some point you have to pass the baton on to others. What will you be passing on? Who will you be a hero to? What will be your legacy?
 
Chadwick Boseman – your legacy lives on. Thank you.