After returning from not the best vacation, to my mother having an urgent surgery while trying to get Michai ready to start summer school, I also had the incredible honor of accepting an invitation to spend time with participants in Triad Restorative Justice’s PBJ Camp. I tend to not ask too many details when I’m asked to be involved in an event/conversation…I prefer to just show up as I am and follow the energy.
The energy in the room was thick. These students were not to be played with, shot fluff, bored, and/or not taken seriously, so there was a little bit of pressure. I had to center myself and focus, but I also had to intentionally read the room so I could be as authentic as possible. I rarely ask for permission, but since the participants were minors (other people’s minors), I asked whether I could cuss? The camp leader granted permission so my introduction went a little something like this…
My name is Micha James, aka Michai’s Mom, and I’M THE SHIT!
The energy led me to not only exhibit comfort (otherwise the participants wouldn’t have had much time for me) but also display confidence. Now, what I didn’t know was that two of the participants were children of the executive director of an organization whose board I sit and that one of the other adults in the group was the spouse of the board chair of the same organization, but I had already said what I said so…🤷🏾♀️
Thankfully, my introduction kinda sliced the aforementioned thickness, and the above-mentioned ‘spouse’ followed up by describing their marketing occupation as basically spending all day “making shit up” so all ended up being well!
The cover photo shows when the adults broke off into groups to listen to the participants’ ideas for what they wanted to introduce to their respective schools. I left incredibly hopeful when I learned how ALL of the participants in my group included mental health in their presentations. A lot is said about this generation, and what I’m happy to say is they “get it.” They understand the importance of mental health and they aren’t ashamed to talk about it! Most importantly, they show up as themselves and rarely ask permission to do so.
Thursday’s experience fell right in line with this week’s Our Kijiji episode. My sister and brother-in-law hosted, what all of the family on both sides prays is, their annual cookout. My brother-in-law’s great-niece, McKenlee, asked if she could come on? I obliged and asked what she wanted to talk about? Just the topic, no details because there isn’t a script and we don’t rehearse…we just show up as ourselves and have a conversation. What she talked about was different than her original topic, but I told her we would go with whatever came up and out when we went live. If you watched, you saw how hard it is to believe such a wise soul is only 7 years old. If you watched, you also heard McKenlee preach to “just be yourself” and to not let people affect your “personal bubble 💁🏾!”
I’ll end this post by discussing the vlog boss, Kellie. I admire how well she lives out being herself, and part of that means she strongly encourages others to do the same. As I witness her defend herself, her work, and/or those she works with…her personality does not shift. She is already the shit but doesn’t stop looking for ways to get better, all while taking a lot of shit from a lot of people (sometimes from those with melanin like her), and having to be strategic in how she responds…IF she responds at all. Bridling her tongue is a trait I don’t have and one I’m not sure I want 🫣🤔🫢😬.
We have reached the BEST month of the year and I will ALWAYS encourage you to JUST.BE.YOURSELF, unless you are like my mother who went home against the doctor’s orders…in that case, be someone else until the doctor says it’s safe to return to being yourself!
Included in the BEST month of the year is this…
