Adoption: The Gift of Belonging

When you make a choice, you change the future. ~Deepak Chopra❤️pLoThoughts on... On this day- a few years ago *ahem*, a young couple met their daughter for the first time. A reality made possible by a 16 year-old girl who decided to give her baby up for adoption. Thanks to a stranger’s choice, I AM. And thanks to the bravery of two people who chose to change their future (and mine), I’ve lived a life grounded in love and marked by a stronger sense of belonging than many who see their semblance in their parents’ faces or who can trace their family tree to faraway places. 

The beauty of not knowing one’s roots? I am neither confined or defined by boxes. Remember those old school tests with bubbles to “darken in fully?” To me, it was just an invitation to reinvent myself. Not to mention a fun challenge keeping my number 2 pencil inside the lines. 

You see, my parents’ decision to let me define myself on my own terms- to not force me to adopt their way of thinking or follow in their professional footsteps or construct my identity around family histories that don’t resonate with my experiences... all of that gave me the freedom to write my own story. And with freedom, responsibility. 

We’re only 20 days into 2018. A year’s worth of decisions awaits. A year’s worth of opportunity... to change our future. Again and again and again. If you’re lucky enough to have the freedom to make a decision, do it. It’s the most powerful tool we have to create the life we want. 

pLoThoughts™ on… We must be brave to be happy.