The 'Hood of Life

The 'hood of life can be in a word: overwhelming. I know change and transitions are a part of life, but a little warning would be appreciated. For example, I went from singlehood to motherhood without notice. Okay. Okay. We know how babies are made. This isn’t my point.

My point is we tour through many seasons of the ‘hood. As I call it, lifehood (catchy, isn’t it?) is a rough road of milestones getting us from one transition to the next. In my childhood I knew I wanted to be an adult. After all, adults have it ALL, right? Throughout my girlhood what I didn’t realize is adulthood has expansions. The most important of these (for my life) is womanhood. It has given me a livelihood I never imagined. It has bestowed sisterhood of friendships, singlehood gone wifehood and now I am lost in the neighborhood of parenthood. As a wife and mom I am always considering my family’s livelihood. I challenge myself to be better- to grow.

I want to let go of falsehoods and be honest. I didn’t realize I would have the accountability of manhood. I do. As I help raise two sons their boyhood will transition. I look at my life’s map and connect the markers I notice I failed to landmark manhood. What woman would? A woman won’t, but a mother will. So, I have added the stop to my ‘lifehood’. There is great likelihood I will stumble and create upset along the way. This too is okay. Trust me, it is to late for sainthood.