Today is the 19th anniversary of me walking across a stage to retrieve my college degree. It’s also an old friend’s birthday from middle school that’s somehow etched in my brain for eternity. I thought it might be nice to use this as a nice little space to get to know each other (better).
So, hi. I’m Sherisa. I’m almost always wearing sunglasses in photos I realized. I’m not quite sure when that became a thing, but here we are. I’m in my early 40s now and my hips and knees are rebelling against me. When I was younger I said I wanted to become a yoga instructor by 30, then by 40. Still haven’t done it. I don’t know why that was a goal exactly, because I never really wanted to be a teacher (at least not of a physical activity). I think it was more to say I am certified. I haven’t done yoga properly in ages, but I will get back to it. I just know it.
I am a recovering overachiever. I say recovering, because I don’t know if you ever truly unlearn something so engrained in you from every direction—even your dreams. My ambitions are more centered on my overall well being rather than financial or societal status. I have to wake up and choose this each day.
I have two kids I will almost never talk about because I exist, too. Since my most public focus mentions parenthood (ahem, Raising Mothers), people seem to forget that it is one part of me. Not every part. I am a slow reader. I‘ve managed to successfully divorce myself from the idea of competition. I’m still learning to not be hyper independent. I’ve read before that we become that way because we couldn’t rely on people we should have been able to in our formative years. I think I learned and internalized it with the mind of a child because dependability looked like going to work and coming home with a paycheck and nothing else. I hope I am teaching my kids to not become hyper independent.
I live in Europe. I don’t love it here, but after more than a decade, I guess it’s home. Home-ish. Home-like. Eh. It’s Brooklyn all day every day forever.
It took me a very long time to lean into the idea of me being a writer and editor. Somewhere in my 30s I started to accept the notion. In my 40s I feel like I’m in some sort of hyperdrive. YOU ARE A WRITER. YOU ARE AN ARTIST, SHERISA.
This year (2024) I gifted myself a year subscription to SkillShare and the plan is to learn at least one new thing each month. So far I’ve taken a few writing/planning classes. I want to focus on crafts for spring and summer.
I have spent a lot of time overthinking this space. I am attempting to not do that so much anymore. Help keep me accountable, yeah?
I’ve been vegetarian/vegan since 2005. I’m raising vegan kids. I had a vegan wedding. Only my grandfather missed the meat.
I bought the jacket I’m wearing in my photo in 1999.
I pierced my nose at 38, when I wanted to do it in my 20s.
I start and stop a lot of projects, but when I’m in my element, things stick. I write this newsletter, founded Raising Mothers and Literary Liberation.
I think I’ll stop here. Your turn. Tell us something about you! And make a point to get to know others in this thread as well.
Hi Sherisa! I thought I was new to your work, but then I realized that I've been sharing Raising Mothers with my writing group for the past year or so as a place to consider for submitting their work! Reading this post, I found myself nodding along, finding things in common, like being in my 40's with hips that are rebelling against me, being a slow reader (especially when it comes to non-fiction!), being a recovering overachiever, loving yoga but sometimes being a distant lover, being a mom, and of course, this passion we share for writing and creative expression. I look forward to connecting more!
I just went down a lovely rabbit hole going through some of your work and I also just became a patreon member!!! I am taking my 200 hour yoga teacher training right now and I am confident that I do not want to teach at the end of this. I am open to what I may think at the end (because life has taught me I'm allowed to change my mind!) but I went in knowing I wanted this to deepen my practice and find more about myself than when I started. That feels good. I don't need more than that.
Like you, my ambitions aren't the metrics of our masculine world. Since quitting my corporate world job (thanks to my husband's financial standing, a major privilege) I have been able to shift my goals like you said in these two lines: "My ambitions are more centered on my overall well being rather than financial or societal status. I have to wake up and choose this each day."
Also your thoughts on you and your kids and being a mother. I think I have the same sentiments, if I'm interpreting your words like I think you meant to. I host a podcast on motherhood but I'm starting to think I need the descriptor to be something else because we talk about our lives, and we speak to other fascinating people and their lives and, oh, by the way, they're also mothers.
Looking forward to getting to know you more through your work.
Hello everyone! I’m reading and writing this after lying here in bed contemplating where I’m at after sixty years of life, with two adult children who are still trying to find themselves, but unlike their mother was raised to have that autonomy to freely do so, while I’m also wondering if it’s really not too late to make it (life) better for all of us.
Yes my children are adults, but most parents will tell you, and to my dismay, that your relationship with your children’s life doesn’t really become less complicated when they grow up.
I’m an artist working in different mediums, but mostly clay. I’ve been an artist all my life, but I feel I’ve only began “emerging” in the last maybe eight years. This is when my clay sculptures began to garner a little bit of attention. Fortunately and unfortunately this is also happing while I’m unraveling and processing what feels like a lifetime of trauma, including generational. So, I’ve been slow to put myself out there in a way that would possibly boost my career as an artist, well according to some folks opinion. My work can seen in spurts on Instagram @stephanie_spiritualart if you’re curious.
I’m a big believer in spirituality and this is how I live my life, hence the “spiritual art” part. I’ve been experiencing what we call a spiritual awakening for a while now, which also feels like an existential crisis most of the time. But it has given me hope for this world and definitely has helped my personal growth.
And that’s a bit about myself. Thank you for this opportunity!
Hi Sherisa! Thank you for opening up so candidly about yourself. I feel so seen and relate to many of the things you're sharing. Like the fact that, I too, want to become yoga certified but not really to teach. I also start lots of projects and because I'm a Gemini, I get bored easily and move on to the next thing rather quickly. But, I am committed to push through though, especially if someone else is relying on me. Ok, I could go on forever. But thanks for sharing and for making Raising Mothers what it is.
Hi Sherisa! I thought I was new to your work, but then I realized that I've been sharing Raising Mothers with my writing group for the past year or so as a place to consider for submitting their work! Reading this post, I found myself nodding along, finding things in common, like being in my 40's with hips that are rebelling against me, being a slow reader (especially when it comes to non-fiction!), being a recovering overachiever, loving yoga but sometimes being a distant lover, being a mom, and of course, this passion we share for writing and creative expression. I look forward to connecting more!
I just went down a lovely rabbit hole going through some of your work and I also just became a patreon member!!! I am taking my 200 hour yoga teacher training right now and I am confident that I do not want to teach at the end of this. I am open to what I may think at the end (because life has taught me I'm allowed to change my mind!) but I went in knowing I wanted this to deepen my practice and find more about myself than when I started. That feels good. I don't need more than that.
Like you, my ambitions aren't the metrics of our masculine world. Since quitting my corporate world job (thanks to my husband's financial standing, a major privilege) I have been able to shift my goals like you said in these two lines: "My ambitions are more centered on my overall well being rather than financial or societal status. I have to wake up and choose this each day."
Also your thoughts on you and your kids and being a mother. I think I have the same sentiments, if I'm interpreting your words like I think you meant to. I host a podcast on motherhood but I'm starting to think I need the descriptor to be something else because we talk about our lives, and we speak to other fascinating people and their lives and, oh, by the way, they're also mothers.
Looking forward to getting to know you more through your work.
Hello everyone! I’m reading and writing this after lying here in bed contemplating where I’m at after sixty years of life, with two adult children who are still trying to find themselves, but unlike their mother was raised to have that autonomy to freely do so, while I’m also wondering if it’s really not too late to make it (life) better for all of us.
Yes my children are adults, but most parents will tell you, and to my dismay, that your relationship with your children’s life doesn’t really become less complicated when they grow up.
I’m an artist working in different mediums, but mostly clay. I’ve been an artist all my life, but I feel I’ve only began “emerging” in the last maybe eight years. This is when my clay sculptures began to garner a little bit of attention. Fortunately and unfortunately this is also happing while I’m unraveling and processing what feels like a lifetime of trauma, including generational. So, I’ve been slow to put myself out there in a way that would possibly boost my career as an artist, well according to some folks opinion. My work can seen in spurts on Instagram @stephanie_spiritualart if you’re curious.
I’m a big believer in spirituality and this is how I live my life, hence the “spiritual art” part. I’ve been experiencing what we call a spiritual awakening for a while now, which also feels like an existential crisis most of the time. But it has given me hope for this world and definitely has helped my personal growth.
And that’s a bit about myself. Thank you for this opportunity!
Hi Sherisa! Thank you for opening up so candidly about yourself. I feel so seen and relate to many of the things you're sharing. Like the fact that, I too, want to become yoga certified but not really to teach. I also start lots of projects and because I'm a Gemini, I get bored easily and move on to the next thing rather quickly. But, I am committed to push through though, especially if someone else is relying on me. Ok, I could go on forever. But thanks for sharing and for making Raising Mothers what it is.