Lauryn Hill is my favorite artists. Her lyrics are metaphorical pedagogies. The miseducation of Lauryn Hill album gave birth to block parties, barbeques and noise complaints from neighbors. The album is a spiritual forebear of current hip-hop albums we now know today.

In truth I never faced any impactful or major obstacles. I lived a life where I questioned whether or not the grounds I walked on judged my noiseless and unsteady footsteps. I lived a life where I questioned whether or not the pillow I lay on judged my thoughts. I have lived a life where my comfort zone has become my home. I have lived a life where my voice trembles because of the amount of earthquakes I swallow. So no I have never taken any risk or never encountered any obstacles. You see my nervous system in my body lives up to its name. I would write letters to my voice. Telling it “say anything that would make anyone stop and stare”. I would write letters to my brain telling it to gather the right words to say so that my voice knows what to say. I write letters to my feet telling them to jump first and think later. But I guess my nervous system in my body just wants to cooperate. My nervous system forgets to transmit the nerves around my body that it lands in my throat. I guess I can say I am an obstacle in my life. I am the only thing that has gotten in the way of opportunities and chances. Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy. I have become so tongue tied that I have created a knot that is impossible to unravel. My entire life I have hidden behind metaphors and trying to convince my shadow that I'm worth following. Being your own worst enemy is like running against the wind. I have become the main reason why I have never taken any risks or faced any obstacles in my life. I kept myself from living. I need to jump first, fly later because everyone needs to fall before they fly. Because there will be trials and errors. My story is starting out slow. I haven't lived yet. But i'm just getting started. That is why I write. I write to take control of my voice again and claim it. I write to encourage myself and others to do the impossible. To run before you think.

In truth I never faced any impactful or major obstacles. I lived a life where I questioned whether or not the grounds I walked on judged my noiseless and unsteady footsteps. I lived a life where I questioned whether or not the pillow I lay on judged my thoughts. I have lived a life where my comfort zone has become my home. I have lived a life where my voice trembles because of the amount of earthquakes I swallow. So no I have never taken any risk or never encountered any obstacles. You see my nervous system in my body lives up to its name. I would write letters to my voice. Telling it “say anything that would make anyone stop and stare”. I would write letters to my brain telling it to gather the right words to say so that my voice knows what to say. I write letters to my feet telling them to jump first and think later. But I guess my nervous system in my body just wants to cooperate. My nervous system forgets to transmit the nerves around my body that it lands in my throat. It gets stuck. It gets hard to breathe. Silence has been nothing new to me. I guess I can say I am an obstacle in my life. I am the only thing that has gotten in the way of opportunities and chances. Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy. I have become so tongue tied that I have created a knot that is impossible to unravel. My entire life I have hidden behind metaphors and trying to convince my shadow that I'm worth following. Being your own worst enemy is like running against the wind. I have become the main reason why I have never taken any risks or faced any obstacles in my life. I kept myself from living. I need to jump first, fly later because everyone needs to fall before they fly. Because there will be trials and errors. My story is starting out slow. I haven't lived yet. But i'm just getting started.

Have you ever listened to your favorite song with your headphones and you close your eyes and you imagine yourself on stage singing your favorite song? The crowd is anticipating the next note, the next line of your song. You have become so in tune with your microphone that it's basically tucked under your throat. Your song finally ends and the crowd dies down and you open your eyes and you realize that it's just you and your playlist on shuffle mode. It's all your imagination. Imagination is the creation of your fantasies and your hopes. Imagination can be demeaning. Imagination often carries us to different worlds that we never really thought we would end up in. In reality it is just you and the microphone feedback blasting in everyone's ears. The microphone feedback is projecting your fear to the entire audience. I attended an arts high school. My arts high school had different majors such as Instrumental music, Vocal music and much more. I decided that I wanted to major in vocal music my freshman year. I was in a class choir and we performed in concerts and school assemblies. I enjoyed performing with everyone; it was comfortable not being on that stage alone. Until my music teacher announced to the class my sophomore year that we all had to participate in the New York State School Music Association our junior year of highschool where students have to perform a solo to be evaluated by judges. Before that happened, everyone needed to participate in masterclasses where students practiced the song they chose in front of the class. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. I wanted to avoid humiliation that would end up following me for a lifetime. The first thought that came to my mind was to switch my major. As I started the process, I felt as if I disappointed the whole choir and my music teacher. I thought long and hard for weeks and wondered if I should stay in the class. One day I stood in front of the piano and I started to look around the room. My eyes finally landed on the chair in which I sat for the past three years. I sat in that chair my freshman and sophomore year in silence. Which was exactly how I was living my life. Watching opportunities pass me by and watching people achieve their goals. I realized that I always lived my life on the sidelines. Getting up from my chair to sing in front of my entire class was the first time I wasn’t that person. I realized how much I gravitated towards my comfort zone. Should I stay in a major where I'm constantly putting myself out in the open or hide behind my own shadow? I decided to stay because I can't live a life where I'm constantly running away from things that scares me. I knew that my song was ending and I needed to face reality. Take your headphones off and stop imagining. If you sit your entire life imagination to possibilities instead of pursuing them. Take the headphones off and you notice everything in front of you. Be someones song on someone else's playlist. Be the one to take chances. Today, I write to inspire others to take control of their voice.

In truth I never faced any impactful or major obstacles. I lived a life where I questioned whether or not the grounds I walked on judged my noiseless and unsteady footsteps. I lived a life where I questioned whether or not the pillow I lay on judged my thoughts. I have lived a life where my comfort zone has become my home. I have lived a life where my voice trembles because of the amount of earthquakes I swallow. So no I have never taken any risk or never encountered any obstacles. You see my nervous system in my body lives up to its name. I would write letters to my voice. Telling it “say anything that would make anyone stop and stare”. I would write letters to my brain telling it to gather the right words to say so that my voice knows what to say. I write letters to my feet telling them to jump first and think later. But I guess my nervous system in my body just wants to cooperate. My nervous system forgets to transmit the nerves around my body that it lands in my throat. It gets stuck. Silence has been nothing new to me. When I was born, silence sat amongst the room, the doctors waited for my cries, they waited for a sound. Until the doctor patted me against the back and my voice echoed for the first time. The silence lifted and tears of joy filled the room. Sometimes you need a pat on the back or a push in order to have your voice be heard. I guess I can say I am an obstacle in my life. I am the only thing that has gotten in the way of opportunities and chances. Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy. I have become so tongue tied that I have created a knot that is impossible to unravel. My entire life I have hidden behind metaphors and trying to convince my shadow that I'm worth following. Being your own worst enemy is like running against the wind. I have become the main reason why I have never taken any risks or faced any obstacles in my life. I kept myself from living. I need to jump first, fly later because everyone needs to fall before they fly. Because there will be trials and errors. My story is starting out slow. I haven't lived yet. But i'm just getting started.