I am on a new level in my life now. I’m 36!

I really like my life as it is. I am far from perfect but I love my imperfect self. I love my quirks, my skin, my bones, my broad shoulders, my height, I love being a tall woman, I love being African American, I love being Ayesha Karim. I love my eyes too. I need to get some exercise for my heart especially and my organs. My wonderful German Jewish woman doctor seems to really care about her patients in a way no doctor I ever went to besides of course Dr. Providence when I was a little girl he was my pediatrician. He was also African American. I love that I made a friend in Edi Giunta and Edi just celebrated 20 years teaching Memoir at NJCU. I’m so happy for her.  My goal is 40,000 words typed written my memoir Ayesha’s Story by January 2018 (somewhere around 120 pages like Cassandra Casella’s Honors Thesis). I have a poem coming out in the May 2017 newsletter. I still remember and I have a copy of the newsletter Maddy Monheit did the story about me Ayesha Karim, volunteer and poet. That was so amazing. At the New Year eve party last year they got us such nice stuff for our party. NAMI Mercer is good to us. I sent a poem in to the NAMI NJ Poetry Contest. I’ll check on that in another week or two to see if I made the Top Ten. I have a poem on their website that is a part of the Virtual Poetry Workshop called “The Way I Will Be Remembered to Be”. I love poetry. I went to a Recovery Poetry Slam last Saturday with Fred and Lori Ann. I feel so good about who I am in my 30s that it’s krazy to me. I used to be the broken girl who just stared into space and here I am doing well, happy and sharing my good ideas in WRAP class that I will have at 6pm tonight. I’m also the Black Chick with four motorcycle jackets and a cool motorcycle hat. I am a NAMI Mercer volunteer. I am going to stay put at Mercer until I am further along with my second BA in Early Childhood Education. I want to pass the Praxis CORE so I can become a teacher!