Today is the last day of 2021 and it’s been a doozy. Please allow me to offer my sincerest congratulations on making it this far and surviving the last few years. I can only hope that 2022 will bring us all peace, unity, health, wealth and bomb ass outfits.

With all that being said, I wanted to share with you all a couple of quotes that I am holding close to me as I enter into a new year and I will carry with me throughout the next 12 months. My hope is that maybe one of these quotes will strike a chord with you and bring you some comfort or inspire you. At the very least, you will have a deeper understanding of where I am mentally at the moment.

I’ll comment on the quotes if I feel moved to. Here we go.

“Learn to distinguish who deserves an explanation, who deserves one answer and who deserves nothing.” (Credit: Unknown) – This has been a huge realization for me. Not everyone deserves an explanation! There are levels to who I let into my world and I alone have the power to decide who that includes. It’s a harsh truth to realize that some people don’t deserve anything. But, I need to take care of me first and that sometimes includes not having relationships with certain people.

“Don’t inconvenience yourself for people who don’t appreciate what you bring to their situation.” (Credit: Amanda Seales) – I played Amanda’s video where she said this over and over again because she is so freakin’ right. I tend to go out of my way for people who don’t give me a second glance or never ever come to my aid. That ends in 2022. Relationships are two way streets. I’m not going to be the only one driving.

“Encouraging someone to be entirely themselves is the loudest way to love them.” (Credit: Kalen Dion) – I love y’all and I may give you advice on fashion and lowering your waste, but all I want is for you to be unapologetically you.

“Deserving time for yourself is a function of the fact that you are alive and deserve to have time for yourself.” (Credit: Geneen Roth)

“You shouldn’t let the constraints of old-fashioned concepts of dressing, defined by other people who don’t dress like you, define what you wear.” (Credit: Trinny Woodall) – I have found that in the past I got upset by the fashion commentary of those folks who don’t dress like me and largely wear the same boring things everyday. I don’t know why I would ever do that, but I did. Remember this, friends: You are getting dressed for no one but your damn self.

“i want to apologize to all the women i have called pretty. before i’ve called them intelligent or brave. i am sorry i made it sound as though something as simple as what you’re born with is the most you have to be proud of when your spirit has crushed mountains from now on i will say things like, you are resilient or, you are extraordinary. not because i don’t think you’re pretty. but because you are so much more than that.” (Credit: Rupi Kaur)

See you in 2022, my wild friends. I’m very grateful for y’all.