#keep thriving

Kim Soleum's last moments of peace

Whether you're in the closet or not, proud of your sexuality or still hide it. I'll keep living for you, I'll keep surviving for you, even if just to spite those who try and kill us.

I'm Misa, I'm a transmasc teen who's gone through a whole lot of hate and shit in my life. Trust me, this isn't the best thing, but we'll continue to live and survive, and we'll learn to thrive through this!

Whether they try and ban us, kill us, we can continue this. We can continue to survive. It's just another bump in the road. We can't give up, we can't stop living just because some disgusting bigots try to stop us. Keep living, keep surviving, and if you can't, I'll live for you. I'll fight for you. I'll make sure they know your blood is on their hands.

TRIUMPH: (n) the joy or exultation of victory or success

Triumph Thursday is your weekly reminder that every day you work at your writing is a victory. It’s your weekly reminder that there is good in this world (and it’s worth fighting for). It’s your weekly reminder that we’re in this together. 

Welcome to Triumph Thursday!

Today, I’m going to share some of my favorite quotes from Walt Disney. I had the privilege of working at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for a few months in early 2020, before COVID-19 shut down the theme parks. That fulfilled a life long dream of mine. I still have a white board at my parents’ house that has had the words “I will work for Disney” scrawled on it for the past eight years, untouched. 

One of the things that sets Walt Disney apart for me was his vision and his love for people. His films and shows are full of inspiring one liners, but the man himself was a treasure trove of battle cries for the creative mind. So let’s look at a few:

“Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, dreams are forever.”

It really does us no favors to “grow up” without retaining our inner child. It’s from our inner child that we get our innovation and passion. Imagination is fostered in our youth. Growing up should never come at the cost of our dreams. As someone in my mid twenties, I have made it a point to try to balance the rigorous struggles of adulthood with the joy of childhood.

“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

Oh man, has this quote ever been true for me! In my author journey, I have learned first hand from my own experiences and the experiences of my author friends around me: rejection, mistakes, failures are part of this journey. They are part of turning the creative life into a full on lifestyle. And that’s ok. It doesn’t mean it won’t sting. But if we reframe our thoughts to remember that failure, mistakes, rejections are just how we learn, it becomes so much easier to grow!

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”