hey new orlando!

Hi! I hope this post finds you well and you’re enjoying the summer. I’m taking a much needed vacay after a long and trying last few years so to say I need this time to check out is an understatement! I’m spending some time in Orlando, Florida, and very excited to be here. The way the sunshine, humidity and thunderstorms are a welcome reset to my nervous-system is fantastic! Who needs a sauna to detox when you can just sit outside for 5 minutes lol!!

A little back story I moved to Orlando well Kissimmee, Florida with my Uncle and his family in August of 2001 and by the time I left to move to LA in November of 2013 I had lived a life-those were the days! When I think back on my time here I think of fun, new energy, new ways of being, great parties, career elevation, first dates, first apartments, boyfriends, hookups, poetry spots, finding God, my beloved Pepei, solo traveling and so much more. A lot of how I live my life today was created here. Leaving my small city of Gary, IN was a big deal, and I know I would not be the woman I am today if I hadn’t took that leap of faith to make the move. I truly believe Orlando was the springboard I needed to get me where I am today.

I arrived in Orlando on the heels of two unfortunate tragedies in my life- the loss of my Father and the loss of a guy I was dating- my heart shattered, and life altered. After going through that dark night of the soul I knew I had to get out of Gary, I needed to feel something different, experience somewhere new, and set sights on a fresh start. I am forever grateful to my Uncle Irvin who extended an invitation for me to move in with him and his family, and I didn’t hesitate to fill my car with my all my clothes and favorite things to make my way out here. I had a boyfriend at the time (he didn’t stay) who took the drive out here with me and before I knew it I was here with my dreams and goals of becoming a Makeup Artist, and starting my life. Once I got here and settled in I vividly realized things were no longer the same as Gary, Indiana- I had to learn to get in where I fit in and make my way. Life here was hot, sticky, country, and a little strange. I was not in Kansas anymore and this was a new world I was about to find out about.

One of the great things that happened during my time here was all the new friends I made and how these friends became family. The people that God brought into my life while living here were unmatched. Don’t get me wrong I am grateful for all the people and friends I’ve made along the way but the friends I’ve made here just see and love me differently. These friends know the Safia who was a messy toddler and chaotic teenager who was learning how to become a woman. The village I have here know my life and experiences in a way that not even my family in Gary knows so when the loved ones here tell me they’re proud of me it hits different!

My best friend whom I met while working for the Orlando Magic is an Orlando native. This woman is my rock God couldn’t have placed a better person in my life to be alongside me for all the ways in which life unfolds-she is just a gem of all gems! She see’s and gets me in a way that I’ve never felt in any other friendship, I can go to her with anything and she hears me and I’m like ok I’m not tripping or she’ll call me on my bullshit and tell me to get it together! I need that now more than ever with my Momma gone. The other morning I woke up to her listening to a church sermon and in that moment I felt something so familiar, so comforting, so safe. The way home should feel.

As you all know the state of the world has been daunting and moving faster than ever, and it’s showing no signs of letting up. Now more than ever we all need a soft place to land. To be able to come back to Orlando where things truly all started for me is a reminder of the importance of a slower pace, spacious landscape and a plethora of sunshine and rain to round out the ripening. With all these elements overflowing I can feel my cup slowly beginning to fill again.

When taking a vacation I believe rest, healing and reflection should be at the top of the itinerary. I know exploring, seeing people, and doing all the things we don’t get to do is important but as I get older I’m more so heavy on the healing and reflection. The fact that I haven’t been able to do that to the depth I’ve wanted to while in Los Angeles was causing me to be irritated and disjointed and while I’m grateful to call LA home being able to step away from the constant barrage of the city is necessary. This time away feels like coming home to myself, the self I always knew existed when I was growing up in Gary but I didn’t have the langue or know how to show up as her. Gary gave me the skills to survive in this world but not the awareness to understand how to move in this world with a confidence and joy that allowed me to prosper. In Orlando I gained the ability to begin to learn what it means to be on my own and now that I’m in LA I’m expanding and flourishing with tools that support my growth. The way God has softened and healed my heart from many past aches and setbacks is tremendous so to find myself back here where it all started I know is Divine timing.

So while I take this time to reset it is my intention to move forward with deeper faith, allow for longer periods of rest, open my mind to clear vision, and listen to guidance! Oh and dilly dally because of all things to do while in the City Beautiful I must do that!