A 5th (very transparent) Letter from Secrets

Hello my friends… I will say friends this time because we’ve done a lot together since my last letter to you. Most recently many of you decided to go on a Play Date with me and man I had a blast watching you come along. Seriously, you guys make me smile.

So, back to my letter. My long-term followers will know that a letter means I have been given an award nomination and this one blows my mind (because I respect her so so much)! Tarushi from Tarushi Speaks has nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Thank you for thinking of me Tarushi. To honour that nomination, this is my own unique reply and this one is going to be very transparent. Big breath, here we go.

It’s been an interesting few weeks for me on this platform and given some of the backhanded slams I’ve been taking from a blogger (and on occasion their friend), I have been struggling to relax and enjoy creating content. Oddly enough I didn’t even know I had put anyone off side for a number of weeks; of course hindsight is 20/20 right? Why didn’t I realise it earlier? Because I take it as a rule not to read too much into what other people write. I think it’s an easy trap to fall into, thinking that someone might be writing about you, because the truth is they actually may not be. Unfortunately, in this case they were. So yes, I arrived to the party late and without a clue; needless to say, it wasn’t my type of party.

One of my favourite ‘sisterhood’ type quotes is:

She’s not your competition, she is your sister.

I absolutely believe that’s how it should be in female friendships and it’s also how I approach my fellow poets on this platform. I cheer you on wholeheartedly. But, if one of your sisters (or brothers) takes a stab at you without explanation and disregard for reconciliation, then it’s NOT OK. So, let me encourage you, if you ever find yourself in this situation… Delete any inappropriate comments and block their ass 😏 Because, you don’t have to put up with abuse in any of its forms and I won’t either.

Keeping all this in mind, you might now have a little more insight into the pieces I have published recently. I wrote Play Date when I felt something shifting and just needed to have some fun. I wrote Neverland Calling when the shit hit the fan and my RL best friend was doing what best friends do… supporting me like no one else. Lastly, I shared She is when I reached my three month blogging goal. There’s nothing like looking back on the foundation you’ve been building on to get your strength back. So, you know, just your average writing week… 😅

Needless to say it has been difficult, but I have been encouraged by many of you, even without you knowing. I find inspiration and courage in your words. When things started to feel a little off, I pondered if I should shut down my page, never to be seen again. However, you care enough to have read this far and I don’t take that lightly. You guys seriously make me smile with our interactions and man… You do all blow me away with your talent.

Alright, so where does this leave us? I don’t know. Unfortunately one of the side-effects of this mess is that I have lost my joy of writing. I can’t write anything at the moment, so I’ll give myself some time. I will still be around reading and liking your wonderful content, but I will be stepping away for a short while to refresh. I’ll hopefully be back writing very soon 🤞

Tarushi, I am awfully sorry that this is my response to a blogging award that is all about Sunshine, but I felt some sort of encouragement and comfort from your kind nomination. I will absolutely continue to follow your content closely, you are so very talented 😘

With all my heart

Secrets 💜