Legends of Today

Hi Beautiful One,

I've been thinking a lot about Chadwick Boseman today. If you know me by now, you'll know that Black Panther is like my brand. It's hard to believe that it has almost been a year since his passing. It's even harder to believe that I have gone that amount of time without watching any of hi films. Every time I have tried...I just start crying. I have thought a lot about his legacy today. I've thought about what it means to me and what it means to others too. He truly lived his purpose and stayed in that lane.

I dream of finding what he found. A road that had so many bumps, but he stuck to his values, and he knew that was where he was supposed to be. Isn't that wild? We struggle everyday to survive while he lived everyday knowing that death was walking right next to him. He didn't complain, he didn't speak a word. He just...stayed on the road laid out in front of him. He was a good man. Pride wasn't in his vocabulary, because he knew the humbling experience life is.

Last Tuesday, I talked about balancing the many aspects of who you are while you heal. Today, I find myself taking rest and reminding myself that this road is the road I am supposed to be on. It's the harder path, with a lot of failures. It's anxiety ridden and fear filled, but there are moments when I remember that this is the road I am menat for. Becoming who I am and letting go of who I was...who I pretended to be. While at the same time, trying not to be scared of who and what I want to be.

The hardest part of the journey is accepting myself. It isn't the bumps along the road. It's not the naysayers. It's stepping into the fullness of my own truth. I think about Chadwick talking about how he wanted roles that meant more. He wanted to be more than the stereotype when he was in front of the camera and behind it. He took that stand because he truly accepted himself. He accepted that his path led to power. He understood that excellence was a part of his journey and he didn't carry it with pride. He carried it with humility. Life granted him greatness and he understood the cost before and after his diagnosis.

Legends aren't born in comfort, they are born in the jaws of uncertainty. I miss him. He was truly a legend of today that showed me that I can step into that same space and live in power. I just have to accept me. I'll leave you with something he said that I try to live by now:

"If you are willing to take the harder way, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory...you will not regret it." -Chadwick Boseman

I want you to keep your head up, be encouraged, and know that you are loved. You are a member of the Free World: a world without shame, without fear, a world where being who YOU are is expected. Be patient with yourself because everything is a process. Remember life is a marathon not a sprint. You'll make it through this week!

I believe in you,

G.E.M. Stone