July Update Part 1: AZYLF/DC Experience & Wisdom Growth

July proved to serve as an extremely busy period of time in my life; the two week adventure in which I embarked on truly enlightened me and taught me so many invaluable life lessons and allowed me to view myself and the resilient truth of my inner warrior; I was shown that I am strong, beautiful, and lovable just the way that I am. I am a soul filled with creativity & ambition. I am weird. I am me.

In this week's post on Molly's Zone, I wanted to fill you in on the happenings of my July and give a taste of the freedom that I experienced through personal soul searching, new experiences, and the reflections I have gathered from the simple discovery and acceptance of all that I am. I have a disability, but it will never have me. Below are some of the precious sentiments I learned from the journey.

1) I Am Quiet, and That's Perfectly Fine-  My introverted nature appears to linger as a hard wired component that is inside of my soul and through the many experiences I had in those two weeks, I came to accept that. I function best as a wordsmith and I will likely never be a vocally outspoken advocate or activist, and that is okay. My personal and professional mantra in life has always been to "be yourself". I am what I am; take it or leave it.

2) I Am Stronger Than I Knew- I feel that experience can serve as the most enlightening and motivational teacher in the world. Arizona's extreme heat & dry climate proved to be the smallest of challenges for me and I survived it. Making it through long work hours and a day of heat exhaustion, fever, and swollen neck glands gave me a surprising glimpse of a strength and determination I never knew I possessed. I discovered that hard work is a doable task for me. Self discovery is beautiful. I have a voice and can add so much value to the disability community even though my sentiments are written ones. I live a passionate, soft spoken , and dedicated truth.

3) Personal Connections Are Priceless- I fell in love with the countless people I met in Arizona; the many hugs and conversations that took place warmed my heart and soul. Personal connections are EVERYTHING and I am so blessed with the lasting friendships that were made.  I even had the chance to meet face to face and hang out with one of my Molly's Zone subscribers and that was a cool experience!

4) There's More Adventures to Come- As I mentioned previously, experience is our best teacher. Adventure is our finest joy. I'm sure there are plenty more of those to come in the future. My life continues to teach me so much and with each day I become a better, more polished version of myself. I'm me. I'm a fighter and a survivor.