BECOMING BY MICHELLE OBAMA (A BOOKISH PIXIE’S REFLECTION.)

Do we settle for the world as it is, or do we work for the world as it should be?

Michelle Obama, Becoming.

I’m currently listening to the audiobook version of Becoming by Michelle Obama, a beautifully written and powerful autobiography of an ex first Lady of the United States of America, and thoroughly enjoying it.

It’s a book that has made me reflect on my own journey to becoming. Like her, I don’t think there’s actually a finish line once you start the race of becoming your true self. It’s an infinite journey that lingers till we finally leave this world for good.

I am also undergoing the process of finding out who I truly am, and my purpose on earth. I discovered a huge part of me that has been dormant all my life. A part I had flung to my subconscious, due to lack of confidence. But last year, I dug deep into the abyss where it was at rest, and dragged it out.

That has become a huge part of my life. Writing, I mean. A few years ago, I never knew I had what it took to weave words together to form stories people would read and love. But here I am, writing and rewriting stories. Facing writer’s blocks and overcoming them. Creating worlds and destroying them. Sending out my stories to literary magazines and having them publish some of them.

These days, people send me DMs, telling me how much they enjoy my writings and how much of an inspiration I am to them. And at times, I am overawed. How do people enjoy these ordinary stories I write on my laptop in my pajamas, and at times in the comfort of my bed? Stories that most times, I feel like they wouldn’t be accepted anywhere and I should just delete everything, and pretend they didn’t happen.

But they do, and I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful that I have discovered this part of me. And it’s almost like I never was oblivious about it. It has engulfed me totally, and I don’t think I can exist without scribbling down words on paper. And this year, I have become the Bookish Pixie, a book blogger, who just discovered that her love for books should not just be swept under the carpet. I discovered that I should talk more of this thing I’m overwhelmingly obsessed with, books. By this time last year, I didn’t know I would own a book blog, or read more than ninety books as opposed to the forty I read last year. But here I am, doing it with so much pride and fulfillment. I’ve read ninety one books at this time, and am still poised to do more, by the end of this year.

I am looking forward to finding more about myself, as I continue my journey to becoming me, the real Ezioma Kalu. I don’t know the suppressed part of me I will unlock tomorrow, or the next time I will discover a new part of me. But I am excited for that discovery, for this continuous journey to becoming.