I’m really looking forward to celebrating the one year anniversary of The Y Variable this evening with the many friends who’ve supported me on this journey the last 12 months. It’s amazing to think that a few years ago I was sitting in the kitchen of my old condo with some friends talking about a ‘musings’, or writing project that I wanted to begin, but was never quite sure how to get off the ground. I imagine they must have wondered whether I would ever bring the idea to fruition.

Fast forward to today and that ‘musings’ project has turned into something that feels viable and that has opened up many creative doors for me.  I feel more inspired and interested in what is going on around me and in the world that I live in. I feel as though I am a more artistic person with more ideas to harness and additional opportunities at my disposal. The Y Variable has been “step one” on the path to being the writer – a status that seemed so elusive previously – that I would like to be. Writing a (mostly) weekly blog – forcing myself to respond to current events, or to write what is on my mind, and not keeping a good idea locked up – is one of the best things I have ever done.

Thanks to The Y Variable, I have felt empowered to pursue activities that may have felt preposterous or out of reach previously. Before, I would have thought it the height of vanity (and perhaps a bit ridiculous) to pursue music and public performance again at this stage in my life. Perhaps the fact that I have people who support me and who seem to like and care about what I write makes me  believe that that support will extend to other things that interest me. I’ve been surprised, and, at times, overwhelmed by some of the positive comments I’ve received.  All I seek to do with this site is to be myself and to write authentically and I am incredibly grateful to have a community – online and in the ‘real’ world –that supports me in ‘just being me’.

I am not always the chattiest of people in person, so I hope that The Y Variable gives the people who know me, or who will come to know me, a better sense of who I am, what I care about, and what I think about. I favoured anonymity in the beginning of this project, but I’m becoming more and more comfortable entering the public sphere and showcasing what ‘Y’ is all about.

I’m excited to introduce a new, revamped website to mark the first year and to serve as a foundation for the year to come. I have many ideas for where The Y Variable can go. I have no clue as to whether those ideas will come to pass, but if I’ve learned anything in this past year, I just need to push forward and what will come will likely be better than I imagined.

I hope you’ll stay with me on this writing journey – whether it’s on this site, Huffington Post, or elsewhere. Thank you for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy The Y Variable.

Signing off,

Y. (a.k.a. Yaa-Hemaa)

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