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2023: Major Milestone

2023 is a year of major milestones and I’m surprised I’m here.

By Iris HarrisPublished about a year ago 4 min read
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Hello 5-0!

For me, 2023 is the year of milestones! For starters, this is my 50th post on Vocal Media. In addition to this accomplishment in writing, I will also reach life level 50! It is definitely going to be a very special and unique year for me, personally.

I have always dreamed of becoming a writer and to wake up every day and actually work towards my creative dream is unbelievable sometimes. Unfortunately, I am not at the point where I can make it my sole source of income, but I know I have support. I am very appreciative of readers, like you, who continue to motivate and inspire me to keep writing. Whether through your comments here on this site, emails, or in person, it fills me with joy knowing there are people who enjoy reading my work and are excited for my next piece to be published. With this encouragement, I am hoping this year to digitally publish a collection of short stories. I tend to enter a plethora of writing competitions and contests; those are the stories I plan to revise in order to publish in the first half of this year. Additionally, I am planning to work on a novella to publish at the end of this year, or next year. Seeing me work towards this high school dream of mine is very self-empowering and I want to see it come to fruition.

Reaching life level 50 is probably one accomplishment I never thought I would meet. Fortunately, I was blessed with no major health complications and I am diligent about eating healthy to support my active lifestyle, however that did not keep me immune from mental health problems. Truth be told, I hated myself up until a few years ago. I hated seeing my reflection in the mirror and becoming the person I was told I had to be. This self-loathing had me anchored for years to depression and became the fodder to suicidal thoughts. I can recall being in third grade and already thinking about ending my life. THIRD GRADE! Yes, I know that may be an eye opener to many people, but it does happen. What changed?

A few years ago I decided to live my life authentically and made the change to live as who I really am: a proud woman. Of course it was frightful. Even today, whether online or in person, I am still a major target of ridicule and have had to develop a thick skin to the many comments directed in my direction. In spite of all the hateful comments and awful legislative bills created to discriminate against me or humans like me, I am happy. I have found self-love, a feeling I had not expected to ever experience. I may not be in a romantic relationship, but I have supportive friends and family who accept me, the real me, not a fake persona I had to put together in order to accommodate the rigid views of others. Currently, instead of hoping the grim reaper hunts me down and takes my life, I am excitedly looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for me.

There are many other accomplishments in life from the past five decades which have shaped me into the person I am today. I have survived a global pandemic! Anyone who is reading this piece right now in 2023, we did it! This is something I once read about in a history book, but was unable to comprehend it. We watched the whole world adapt to the COVID pandemic and technology sky rocketed into our modern day life. I would have never foreseen this during my younger days.

Another memorable feat is I resided in a foreign country for 2 years. In college, I fell in love with Japanese and was fortunate enough to move to Japan for a study abroad program. I ventured out into the country to learn about the people and the culture unlike my peers who stayed on campus grounds and treated their stay like a vacation. When I returned to the US, I brought with me some cultural habits and proficiency in a new language. I am still fluent in Japanese today.

Similar to most people, my heart has been shattered and I am still trying to find all the million pieces today. I do not regret the one deeply romantic relationship I was involved in, but it is very difficult to let it go today. Not to be cheesy, but to quote Moulin Rouge: The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. Though the relationship never reached any major milestones, dying out in half a decade’s time, it is one of the greatest experiences of my life.

So, I am now at level fifty. For those who are steadily on their way here: brace yourselves! Your joints will hurt a lot more; the weather will affect you; you may sleep a lot less and be forced to enure other physical complications. However, if you take the time to reflect on what you have accomplished in the five decades of living, you may even surprise yourself on what you have done, just as I have.

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About the Creator

Iris Harris

An aspiring novelist. I enjoy writing ghost, horror, and drama. Occassionally, I dabble with some essays. You can find more of my work with the link below:

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