joy like that don't need permission🤩

Adulthood can wait.

Can it though?

Adulthood?

We'll see.

"Sing Mariah Carey in the streets until your voice cracks and strangers turn their heads, but you don't care because joy like that don't need permission."

This quote hit me like a metal bunk bed to my occiput the first time I heard it. Probably because I've been a singer who would restrict himself from singing from his soul, for fear of sounding too loud or getting noticed by people, especially around strangers. It's very pitiable because in retrospect, I recall as a teenager when I confidently sang my Christian version of The 12 Days of Christmas and coughed at "Five Golden Rings" right on stage, as I ended the song and still maintained steeze😌

This isn't another issue about my insecurities with singing. This issue is about true joy and preserving your light in a world that often demands darkness too soon. It’s about choosing joy as protest and vulnerability as power.

You see, I turned 23 last month and just like most of us getting closer to our thirties and mid-twenties, I allowed myself to be inundated with thoughts about the uncertainty of adulthood.

Being the first child, my relatives weren't taking it easy on me either. The occasional subtle and sometimes, not-so-subtle, "get ready to carry on as soon as you graduate" warnings do a terrific job in reassuring me about what lies ahead. Yeah.

I do not blame them. They've done their part and whether I want to believe it or not, it'll be my turn soon.

It was in the midst of deliberating on this reality that I came across deepoetictake's poem.

you'll have to click that embed to understand all you'll read from this point on.

Growing up, while inevitable, doesn't mean you should lose your spark or wonder. You get so entangled with adulting and forget how to live and consequently lose parts of yourself that will make the journey less cumbersome and overwhelming.

I told you earlier about how I pretty much embarrassed myself on a public stage but didn't think too much about it because I relished every part of that experience. In fact, I'd go on to join an instrupella singing group where I got to unashamedly express my quirkiness through singing. That joy made my adolescence worthwhile and ultimately prevented me from slipping into depression at a time I was being emotionally abused by a loved one.

I was blessed with friends that allowed a playful unfiltered degree of self-expression and laughter. Singing loudly and badly, making silly faces—they’re small acts of rebellion against shame and insecurities.

I (and deepoetictake) am urging you to find that joy again. A joy that is composed of a freedom that’s not bound by embarrassment or societal expectations.

True joy is unbothered. It doesn't ask for approval. It simply is. It echoes the idea that happiness is an inside job, not something to be explained or justified. Allow yourself experience true joy so you don't succumb to the performative part of adulthood—faking maturity while quietly falling apart.

Embrace parts of yourself that don't always follow the script. Give room for spontaneity. Why? Because life will get more intense—that's the grounding truth about adulthood. And as you grow in it, you'll be tempted and forced to dim your light and hide those unfiltered parts of yourself because of how ruthless the world will become.

This is why you should have an anchor—God, friends, family. A community that helps you stay authentic and spontaneous. This helps to preserve your light in a world that often demands darkness too soon.

It's the second part of the year. The first half probably felt slow and you may have underperformed or not done anything at all. You've been provided with another chance. Take it a step at a time and don't lose your joy. Don't lose yourself whilst you achieve your goals and build a legacy that thwarts the pressures of adulthood.

Live.

I pray you have a wonderful week and I apologise for the late release. Don't be shy to talk to me in the comments💛

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