I Didn't Mean to GHOST You...

It has been busy, but it has also been a good last few months. I was finally looking forward to starting a project of my own, but in true Kela fashion, I hit the ground running before I had a strategy, a plan, or even truly the spare time to work on this "passion project."

However, as of Friday, August 16th, 2024, at 11:59 p.m., all classes, including submitting any and all assignments, will be 100% successfully completed for the Master's Degree Program I have been chipping away at for the last 13.5 months of my life.

I will be honest; I do NOT recommend deciding to jump into a Master's Degree program and then attempt to complete it in only 13.5 months. Learn from my errors and misunderstandings! I began right off the bat by taking more classes simultaneously than required! Once I realized this mistake, I decided to back off slightly but keep an advanced pace because it only made sense to keep pushing myself if I could handle the stress levels and workload. I will claim pride in completing this goal I set for myself, but I humbly recognize that I would not have been able to do this without my family and friends' fantastic support and understanding.

So now the elephant in the room is, what do I do now? Where do I go from here? What is the purpose behind this little project? I was eager to start something, but instead, I let it sit untouched for months.

For a few days now, I have genuinely wondered what to do with the new "free" time I will have and often questioned what I had done before returning to being a full-time student, working full-time, and busy single parent. I look forward to having more flexibility in my evenings and weekends to focus on my daughter and her activities or time with friends, family, and self-care. Then, it dawned on me that I now know what I hope to spend time focused on - I want to commit to doing something that brings me joy and a sense of fulfillment.

Writing.

I have never been someone who could journal. My brain will not let me write out things to be transposed as journal entries or "diary" entries. What I find myself doing often, though, is I will write out my thoughts and my feelings in a manner that strives to express me, myself, and I on a deeper level. I desire to understand many things deeply, and therefore, I want also to be understood on a deeper level. I reflect better when I can sit down and "see" the thoughts and emotions swirling around in my head. Unfortunately, written information cannot always be translated accurately in tone and can often lead to misinterpretations or misunderstandings. BUT - there is something therapeutic to me to sit down and see my feelings written out in detail.

I guess, in all reality, that is what journaling is, but to me, it's less about talking to myself or simply putting a statement together. Still, instead, I like to write as if I am speaking to someone or attempting to construct the environment to gather engagement in discussion or provoke others to think of things from another point of view. Enter this realm, Kela's Korner, where "it's just Kela" and nothing else.

I will not try to be anything or anyone other than my authentic self here. Here, I will embrace all thoughts, feelings, and experiences, whether they make sense, connect, good, bad, or indifferent. This will be my outlet and a place where others can learn and see that they may not be alone. This might be where someone who knows me personally learns a little more about me and how I function, think, and feel. Ultimately, this website/blog will be a place that is my own "korner" of life and the interwebs.

In this place, I will not apologize for being misunderstood or misinterpreted. I will not be politically correct, nor will I tailor my thoughts, feelings, emotions, or words to please anyone else. This will be a place where I freely and openly speak my truth and reality as I have lived it.

I realize this means there may be times when I discuss experiences, thoughts, or feelings that may be disturbing. I will always do my best to offer a trigger warning or word of caution on the topic or content. I am someone who does not know how to be anything or anyone other than honest, genuine, and raw - sometimes at the cost of tact. However, I never intentionally desire to disrespect or cause anyone harm or distress.

Some topics or discussions may involve concepts and characteristics of people you are unwilling to believe or accept as truth because you know me or possibly an individual being alluded to. This is the only time I will apologize for that perception. For this reason, I will also strive not to share anything too specific or use anyone's real name because I do not want to hurt them or tarnish their name or reputation. All I ask you to remember is that I am a human; I am a sinner, flawed and imperfect. I do not, and I will not always make the best or the right decisions. I will apologize and take accountability when warranted, but I am working so hard to stop apologizing for being who I am at my core - you can take it or leave it.

My ONE ask is that if you come across any works that I am associated with and they impact you so much that you feel it necessary to respond, please address me individually and directly. Give me a chance to see what went wrong if that is the case, or provide more clarification if maybe there has just been a misunderstanding.

These writings, or postings, will not have an organized rhyme or reason. As raw and authentic as the thoughts and creations will be, is also how natural the posts themselves will be. I may have mentioned I have an advanced degree now, but it is NOT in English or grammar, so do not hold me accountable to the regular rules and expectations you might seek from a "writer." This is my "content creation" format, so while I will always try to be proper and professional, there will also always be a personal and informal part of what I say or do. So, apply it then to yourself or to your life as you deem appropriate.

Thanks for sticking with me if you've made it to the end of this post—and WELCOME as well. I look forward to this next chapter, this new journey I am looking to embark on, and I look forward to seeing who and what will be with me along for the ride!