The lines between what to share & what to keep private can sometimes get a little blurry, and today is one of those days.
My dad (who passed away when I was 7) would have been 70 today.
And part of me is desperate to share something on my social media to honour him.
Mainly because social media is my chosen place of expression, and I want him to be known.
I want his memory to be kept alive.
I want his face to be seen by people who never knew him.
So they can see the man who shaped me for the first 7 years of my life.
And so that the essence of him can be kept alive in my own life.
But another part of me feels really weird about it.
I don't trust the "optics" of it.
I'm worried it might appear like I'm using this personal moment as a way to seek out engagement.
That sharing something so personal might instead come off as a *tactic* in some way.
And honestly, I only began to process the grief of losing him 2 years ago so even though it's been 26 years since he passed, the wound of him not being here can feel so tender sometimes it's hard to breathe.
So I don't know, maybe an Instagram story isn't the right place to express in this moment.
Maybe I'll regret even putting this in an article?
(Even now, the voice inside me as I read this back is wondering wtf I'm doing writing this.)
But the truth at the centre of all of this is that I see self-expression as medicine.
I think the desire to share what we're experiencing is an innately human one.
And sharing the emotions rattling around inside me during these moments honestly makes me feel less alone.
It makes the weight on my chest ease a little.
And with the 30th June being the anniversary of his passing, with Father's Day sandwiched in between... I know the rest of this month is going to be a heavier one than usual.
So this is me learning to navigate it the only way I know how.
Through sharing. Through expression.
So Happy 70th Birthday Dad.
And if you've read this far, thank you Reader for witnessing this.
When I decided to create this new place "Point of Divergence" as a new avenue for my creative work, I didn't really have much of a plan.
But sharing here, feels like the safest & most fulfilling place for me to do so.
So this article comes with no agenda. No expectation.
Just one human expressing to another, so that we maybe all feel a little less alone.
