Summer time...put your mind at ease

“Summmeeerrrrtttimmmeee and the livvinggsss easssyy” Yes, this is true—unless you’re still living in your past. Summer can be a beautiful time; a time of contemplation, growth, and reflection. But it can also be a tumultuous time mentally if you are still living in “what was” “what I did” and “what I should have done.” Take a second to reflect on your last year of life—is there something you’re still holding on to? Is there something you still haven’t let go of? The beautiful thing about the book of life is that every chapter is useful. Each word, each sentence, and most importantly, each PERIOD plays a substantial role in creating your story.

The summer before my Sophomore year, I was having a really difficult time closing some chapters. My mind was saturated in regret and bitterness—and it felt so heavy. The worst part about this mental burden was that I was inflicting it on myself. It was summer—I wasn’t surrounded by the people who had hurt me and disappointed me, but I constantly kept them with me, in my mind. It is hard, balancing being retrospective and progressive at the same time. But before school started in the Fall, I found “Sankofa.” Sankofa is an Akhan word from Ghana. It is associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates in English to "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten. “ I was grateful for the proverb because it affirmed to me that it is ok to look back for wisdom and guidance. But the important part is, that you must only go back to use the past to gain knowledge for your future. This means, don’t go back to it to sulk, and be angry, and be upset and hurt—go back to learn.

There was a scientific study that was done that hooked track athletes up to brain monitors. First, they put the athletes on a treadmill and had them run a physical race. After they completed this task, they hooked them up to monitors again, but this time, they instructed them to sit down and run the race in their mind. The results showed that there was little to no difference between brain waves when the athlete was actually running and when he was just thinking about running. The brain still showed the same signs of adrenaline, excitement, and stress. Now, think of those moments and situations you keep reliving in your mind—do you know that every time you focus on the negative emotions of that moment, your body physically relives it? We all know the effects both negative and positive emotions can have on our physical health. Pull your body out of your mentally stressful environment—and stop replaying moments that you’ve already lived. You have to succeed in living now.

Each experience in life serves some purpose, and it is our responsibility as women to look at each experience as an opportunity to grow. This is easier said than done of course—so I put a permanent reminder of Sankofa on my left shoulder so that I would always be aware of the beautiful effect that my past hurts will have on my future. Now, I am not recommending that everyone goes out and gets a tattoo—permanent reminders can be physical or mental. I firmly believe that mental liberation comes from being in a constant state of gratefulness. My mom said, before I left to go to Hong Kong this summer, “If you can’t be thankful for what you have received, be thankful for what you escape.” I loved this because it tells me that no matter what state I’m in, there is always something to be grateful for. Chapters must end, so others can be written. Friends sometimes leave your life so others can enter. Love sometimes goes so greater love can be achieved. So let each breath be a prayer and allow each moment to be an opportunity.

The goal is to live in the present—but if you gotta look back, get something from it.

Until we meet again,
Keyaira