Why Policy Matters: The Story of a Syrian Refugee
I used to (try to) write about mainstream topics, because I thought the key to a successful blog had everything to do with the number of hits a page received. Fashion definitely wasn’t my jam because it’s not my most exercised self-expression muscle. I took a stab at cooking but didn’t want to compete with an oversaturated market and staging food stresses me out. I tried telling personal stories, but those alone lacked the sense of direction I desperately wanted to bring alive.
This blog has undergone a major overhaul this year, as have I. Where I see that transformation taking the most shape is in the publishing of this post. It’s the first time I talked about what interests me, without caring what my stats looked like. It’s amongst the first times I couple the life-story aspect with a sense of purpose and direction for telling the story. It’s amongst the pieces where I see my calling in life manifest most meaningfully in my writing. And what’s most exciting, is that this is just the beginning.
Though a totally different journey from my own, this blog is all about humanity, and the role policy plays in shaping our stories. It’s a piece I am uniquely proud to have written.
I now think the marker of a successful blog is to tell the truth about what has meaning to you, from a place of authenticity, to whomever is ready to receive you.
Dear Reader,
I wrote the email and then realized that it wasn’t meant for this week. It’s possibly meant for a future blog, or maybe the next email, but it wasn’t meant for today.
I was actually really happy with how it turned out, so writing what feels like a subpar second draft of this email with minimal lag time between writing, then editing, then sending feels super disconcerted.
So in lieu of beautiful words and thoughtful messaging, here’s a crude list of everything that’s going through my own head, that maybe you need to hear.
Here it goes:
Whatever you believe your highest calling is in life, work towards it every. single. day. This type of work we are doing on the platform, it’s my highest calling. But I’d be lying if I sent you pretty pictures without honoring the truth that I am in a season of life where keeping very intentional mental and emotion hygiene practices and regular workouts are what stand between me and low-grade depression. (Thanks Army life for the the unplanned long-term resilience training.) Sometimes this emotional space takes up so much room, it makes it hard for me to keep my posting schedule, and in that, I sometimes have to give myself grace. But regardless of circumstance, I still treat my highest calling with the dedication of an athlete. Sometimes I write and I save it for when I am ready. Sometimes I read and research my future blogs or podcasts. Sometimes I listen to policy podcasts while on the treadmill at the gym. Sometimes I focus on cooking a healthy meal, because a well-fed mind can concentrate better, and I am fueled for when I am ready to sit back at the computer. Right now the blog work is very introspective, as I navigate what has been a season of military whiplash. I have to remind myself, I am still doing the work, even if posting is less frequent than I want it to be right now. Whatever you are doing, may it always serve your highest calling and do it daily…even if normal tasks were harder than usual that day. Your highest calling is made important not because achieving it was easy, but because you gave it enough value despite circumstance to achieve it.
Your struggle isn’t other peoples struggle and your processing doesn't need to be justified. You get to be wherever you are, and your mental health will always be more important than pretty much anything else.
Suffering and gratitude keep us balanced, and it’s the work of a mature person to carry both. To solely honor suffering would cause us to bend towards despair. To know only gratitude would be to never know compassion. The heart must know both for us to lean into loving people.
You are a human in whatever role you sit in, be it professional, or in your friendships, or in your family, or in your community. You can’t leave being human out of your role. It leads to burnout. And more importantly, the most beautiful thing about you in whatever shoes you fill is your humanity. Stay present in your experience.
And if you haven’t quite figured out how to do that, start back at the top of this letter, and read it again.
Turning towards the sun,
Taylor Patrice
Blog & Podcast: https://www.policyoutloud.com
FB / IG / TWITTER / PINTEREST: @policyoutloud
See you soon! Thanks in advance for leaving positive ratings and reviews on the podcast channels if you love the content - it helps me grow because, well, algorithms…
Your Partner in Policy,