Inspired By Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday

In the process of wrapping up my next blog post, a song came on my playlist—and these words poured out of me.

No matter the negative or hateful things I’m exposed to, especially as I walk through life with my children, I’ve made a choice:
I will remain myself.

I won’t let anyone pull me into a way of living rooted in hate, wrongdoing, or ugliness.

Because the truth is…
There is too much beauty in life to stay stuck in darkness.

Life feels lighter when we pause… take a breath… smile… and just live.

And when I say live, I mean really live.

Laugh loud.
Love hard.
Rest when your body says rest.
Dance when your song comes on.
Be present in the little moments that don’t cost a thing but mean everything.

I could carry the weight of my culture’s past—the pain, the anger, the history that still echoes.
But I choose not to hold on to chains that were never meant for me to carry.

Instead, I choose to build something different—for me, and for my children.

A life where joy isn’t rare… It’s normal.
A life where peace isn’t borrowed… It’s protected.
A life where we don’t just survive… we experience, we grow, we feel, we LIVE.

So I’m going to keep being me—unapologetically.

Free.
Fun.
Grateful.
Caring.
Silly.
Real.

Cool as the wind blows.

I’m choosing to wake up every day and find something good.
Even on the hard days.
Especially on the hard days.

Because living a full life isn’t about everything being perfect—
it’s about choosing not to let the broken parts steal your joy.

And as for that “strange fruit”…
I’m letting it die slowly.

Because hate. Hate shortens life.
And I’ve got too much life in me not to be free.

Too many memories to make.
Too much laughter left in me.
Too much love to give.

We all know life be lifin’.
But even in that…
I’m choosing to live it fully.

And this right here.
It’s just another part of our story.