I’m Baaacckk!!

I have wanted to write about my journey for way too long; I am talking in the years range – to be fair, I never wanted to stop writing in the first place, but I was going through a lot, which has interestingly been so closely linked to my work. I even started multiple drafts over the years, then didn’t come back quickly enough to edit & publish. Why? One word: Overthinking.

When I was writing regularly, I was working on starting a program in Ghana, with a good friend of mine, who owns a school there. After putting quite a bit of work into the foundational aspect of our program and the man I had married subjecting me to domestic violence, I was unable to shift the program from the exploratory stage, to the action stage.

As I was not in Ghana FOR him (he was supposed to be a bonus, yet quickly became the bane of my existence), I found a job and left him to manage a beach resort in another region. In a vulnerable emotional place, I soon started dating another man, who treated me well, in comparison. But then I got pregnant and found out my grandfather had been diagnosed with lung cancer, but was refusing treatment.

So I returned to Canada, in an attempt to see him before he died (he died 3 hours before my flight landed) and to take advantage of the Quebec maternity care, which I still had access to (gotta love policy loopholes!). Were I to remain in Ghana, I would have struggled to cover the cost of maternal care, as I did not have private insurance and when people looked at me, they assumed I was rich (an understandable, albeit frustrating assumption), so over-charged me for medical care, in the hopes of pocketing the extra money.

Since my return, I have been living the solo mom life. I have also:

• Tried unsuccessfully to start a business (did the s’Entreprendre program in 2018)
• Become a caregiver, when my father had a stroke, landing him in a Long-Term Care Center, due to significant progression of his Alzheimer’s (from early onset, to advanced)
• Like everyone else, lived through the pandemic, blasting further down below my rock bottom
• Tried to find the mental health care that will help me move forward in healing from my most recent trauma (unfortunately not my only one)

So, why am I writing this?

For a long time, I intended to keep up the same theme, voice & style with this blog. While I do intend to keep talking about environmental justice and anti-oppression, I realized over time that others could benefit from reading about my journey. Things that have worked for me, that have not, neutral things, things I am curious about, etc.

What better way to support others as I partake in this journey, as I move forward and get myself where I want to be, than to SHARE?!

My intention is to merge writing about my journey, with environmental justice and anti-oppression topics. Together and separately, I will discuss issues related to my journey – such as financial insecurity, trauma, PTSD, the Quebec mental health care system and the lack of trauma-informed practice within, etc. Suffice it to say that I want to have some fun with writing again. Something I have dearly missed.

This is an experimental phase of my lifes journey; of my healing journey.

Consistency is liable to be nonexistent. At least for the next few months; I would love to be consistent and if I get there, great! I also know that I do not have the capacity to commit to that at this time. Therefore, please comment below to let me know how you like to be notified of new posts! Methods that I will use at this time include the RSS feed, my Facebook page (I am not currently on any other social media), my newsetter (for the time being, I will send the before-final draft a few days before I pusblish the finalized post).

In the coming months, I intend to write about the things I have tried/am trying for my healing journey, including (but not limited to):

• My personal experience
• The impact on parenting & relationships
• Resources that are peer-reviewed/created by experts
• People/groups doing great work in the field
• When I have the capacity to do so, policy analyses & other critical posts about the social/environmental justice side of this journey
• And of course I will occasionally veer off, since I am incapable of sticking to one topic and that is why I am interesting!

Before moving on, it is important for me to be clear that
while the next steps of my journey focus on trauma & healing,
I AM NOT A THERAPIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, OR ANY OF THAT!

My posts are NOT meant to give advice, but to share my experience. That said, if you are in need of support, please do reach out to me and I will do what I can to help you find resources in your area. In my opinion, it is unacceptable for anyone to suffer.

I am so happy you are here – whether you are back or here for the first time – and would love to hear from you!

• What are your favourite resources for healing?
• Are you struggling to find the support you need in your community? (you are in good company!)
• Is there a self-guided modality that you would like to know more about?
• What is one small sign you have seen in yourself lately that shows you are making progress, however small?

See you soon!