A Fantastic Journey

In Andre 3000’s low whisper, “ok here we go…”

I’m gonna try to do this without crying all over my keyboard. But honestly that’s quite a tall order cause this whole thing called The View From Here aka 5andapossible, aka The 5 Spot, is like whispering to your lover, “let’s make a baby,” then after surviving the labor pains of birthing said baby, raising it, chiding it, getting tired of it for being so damned needy and wanting your time and attention, going back to loving it again, and then finally having to let it go.

I have already written about the hows and the whys of the start of 5andapossible, so we shan’t go there today. But I can honestly say that three years ago when I stood in the bathroom doorway and mentioned the idea to my mother, only to be met with a confused look, followed by, “umm…ok,” when I then began asking my friends, “hey do you want to maybe write, like, this thing called a blog with me,” and then when us ladies finally gathered on that Labor Day Monday on my parents’ porch and debated blog names, pseudonyms, topics, and everything in between – I could have never, ever imagined all of this.

All the LOLs. And the chuckles. And the tee hees. The endless loops of laughter. The, “I really liked your post today” from one another. The comments left from strangers and friends. The readers. The debates. The arguments. The early morning conference calls and the rules we laid down at the very beginning. HA! The fact that we would pitifully re-enact our own version of The Five Heartbeats.

That we would fall in love and out of like. That we would lose jobs and gain homes. That we would have to get over that nygga and open our hearts again. That we would travel and party it up. That we would move on and learn how to keep going. That we would accept our callings and find our passions. That we would witness our first Black President and be a part of history. That our bond would be strengthened and tested. That we would dream for each other when someone was too damn tired of dreaming for herself. That we would encourage, congratulate and support. That we would share.

Share our stories. Our changes. Our thoughts. Our opinions. Our flaws. Our contradictions. Our mistakes. Our tears. Our joys. Our struggles with weight, men, love, jobs, co-workers, black folk, Obama, our mamas, each other, life itself. Ourselves. We shared ourselves.

And we found ourselves. We changed. Transformed. Blossomed. Grew up. Got grown. Became wiser. Rooted for each other. Got knocked on our asses. Prayed [and cried] through life’s blows. Praised God for life’s blessings. Learned lessons. Told stories. And as we prepare to enter another decade of life, we have made sure to leave room for improvement. For development. For whatever life brings next.

I called my very first post, A Fantastic Journey, just guessing, but not truly knowing what this blog thing was going to bring. And now, three years later I can honestly say that it was the best thing for me. This pushed me towards my purpose. And I can look back over these last three years and literally chronicle my growth. My stupidity. My a-ha moments. When I felt loved. And when I was hurt. My worry. My loneliness. My struggle and determination to find my place. What brought me joy. How I got over. And moved from mama n’em’s to my own house. How you can plan, but life has other plans. And what you do next makes all the difference. And damn, how three years can really fly by if you're not paying attention.

So, thanks to all the readers, the followers and the fans who have been with us during some or all of these three years – especially in the beginning when we were like, “is anybody out there?” Lol. But most importantly thanks ladies of The 5 Spot for taking the plunge, for writing [almost ;-)] every.single.week just because one day I asked you if you would, for opening up your lives and coming along for the ride. It’s been, truly, fantastic.

That’s my our time y’all! Happy Rum Punch Friday!