my, my, aren't you lovely.

I do feel like Michonne’s profession in the world before was a lawyer, like she was in the comics. And as such a balanced character, I feel like what made her excellent in her profession was having a great blend of traits, like being genuinely warm and benevolent while also being razor sharp and no-nonsense when she needed to be.

With her initially telling Carl that one kid was enough for her, it makes me think that Michonne may have been more career-minded in the world before, wanting to make a positive difference in her community through her work. But she always had this innate nurturing side which was able to come out and flourish even more when she became a mother and had Andre.

I also think she was always big on cleanliness, and she definitely seems like a girl who spent more time in cities than rural areas and enjoyed the finer things. But the way she successfully adapted to survival in the new world, I could see it being that maybe growing up, her family still would take occasional camping trips because her dad was well-versed in the outdoors or something. And while she always preferred their resort vacations with AC & modern amenities, the camping did at least equip her to navigate the wilderness.

I think 3 qualities Michonne for sure had before the apocalypse are her self-sufficiency, her thoughtfulness, and her determination. That story Joycelyn(😒) told about Michonne in college really painted the picture of Michonne’s determined spirit and the way she was an ambitious go-getter who knew how to rally people and get results. Something Michonne remained great at doing in the post-apocalyptic world.

It was interesting trying to think about which traits might have evolved in her more after the apocalypse hit. What first came to mind for me is her personal decisiveness. I can envision that in the world before, if Michonne had to make big decisions for the sake of others, she could do it with solid wisdom and keen instinct. But when it came to making personal decisions for herself, I could see that being an area that perhaps caused her to struggle in the world before and became a stronger quality of hers once every day became about life or death decisions.

Like even her changing her mind several times about what she wanted to study in college - that's totally normal, but it also shows how, because she has so many aspirations, interests, and skills sets, it made concretely deciding for her life a bit of a challenge. And that might be further reflected in Michonne not being sure how to answer Deanna’s question when asked what she wants for herself. I think it could indicate that becoming firmly decisive in knowing what she wants for herself was an attribute that the new world helped grow stronger over time, rather than just being an innately strength. But it did eventually become a sincere strength of hers, I’d say.

In thinking about it, I feel like there’s also something that Rick was particularly instrumental in helping her cultivate so that it became a quality she got better at in the new world than before. And that’s being willing to take breaks and just be present in a moment. Michonne is a woman who is always willing to step up, take action, and contribute. Which could potentially cause her to put pausing to just breathe and enjoy the moment on the back burner a bit. Because even with me assuming she enjoyed luxuries in the world before, I still think true, uninterrupted leisure might’ve been tough for her to substantially sit in before she was already up and ready to take on a new task.

I feel like Rick helped Michonne to remember it’s okay to step away sometimes and just be. Because it’s not only okay, it’s important to give yourself the time to recharge, and not solely when you’re sick or hurt, either. Because Michonne is so capable, I could see it being that she would’ve worked herself to the bone trying to help and build up her family and society both in the world before and after. But I think forming her relationship with Rick and their kids showed her there are things and people she just wants to let herself bask in and live in the moment with, instead of moving on to the next task at hand.

(also i love how the 3 moments in these gifs are all from different seasons. gotta love Rick's consistency, always wanting more peaceful alone time with his wife. 😋)

I was thinking the other day about how I feel like Michonne is confident in herself, but also doesn't fully know just how phenomenal she is, because she thinks that all the great things she does are just what goodhearted people should do. When really, everything she does for others and how gifted, capable, and great she is at so many things is rare even among the goodhearted. That's yet another reason I cherish that she has Rick, who constantly wants to give her her flowers and express his thankfulness to remind her that she's not just good, she's exceptional. And she deserves to be celebrated for all she is and does, as well as deserves to take a break from all she does every now and then, too.😊

“I guess you get all the Big Cat bags now!”

“You were are the best thing that happened to my life, and my dad’s life after everything went down.”

“You and Judith, I don’t know who I’d be, who my dad would be without you.”

“You helped me heal from so many things. Brought me through a lot.”

“I know this is going to be so hard with what happened to Andre -“

“For me. For my dad. For Judith. They need you more now than ever.”

“You got him to take that risk, to trust Aaron. Only you can do that again.”

“fight for the future, Michonne.” (Michonne saying "for the future" hits even harder now 🥲)

“You are the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

“I love you, Michonne. Thank you for your love for me, my dad, and my baby sister.”

“Keep me in your heart. Love always, your bestie Carl.”