A personal narrative by Sabriya Dobbins, Founder of Project Passport

I didn’t truly celebrate the 4th of July, however I did go see family and something special happened.

As you know, Black Lives Matter is in full force and honestly, many black people just like the being off work and the food part of July 4th. While we are happy to live in a country that is generally free, we are not really free now and our ancestors were not on July 4, 1776. Maybe we can create a new holiday to combine Juneteenth and July 4? Haha, hey well that is a whole other thing but my two cents at the least. I love this country but we have got some work to do.

 One thing that Project Passport is doing is the incorporation of social justice conversations in the retreats that we offer. It is an expanded portion of our social awareness aspect and we are so excited to educate and serve our clients even more! Be sure to check out our virtual retreats to find out what the upcoming topics are!

Now back to the special epiphany I had.

I have been social distancing from my family for several months now and depression kicked in a few weeks ago. I was crying hysterically one morning because I missed hugs and I missed talking to people outside of my house face to face. I missed my grandpa so much. I missed seeing all of the little baby family members running around.

I begged my fiancé to go back home with me and we are both extremely glad that we did. While we had to social distance from our family, just the laughs, the in-person presence, and the joy meant so much to us. I did something I NEVER do.

 I left my phone abandoned in a random room and did not touch it once the whole time. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world!

I felt so free and in the present. I felt like my life pendulum had swung full force into family after working for just so long. It felt like the weight of the world fell from my shoulders. As I always say, life is not about balance, it is about the swinging pendulum. Watching my fiancé’s little cousins splash around in the pool and giggle while eating ice cream was like a paradise right in my hometown. Cracking jokes with the family and thumbing through my grandpa’s bookshelf of 50+ year old books was amazing.

The hot summer sun beaming on my skin while rocking my flower maxi skirt felt too good. The special part was appreciating every ounce of the moment. Every ounce of life. I am constantly rushing to respond to emails and inquiries. I am constantly putting family second.

For the first time in a long time, I really appreciated the presence with those I love with FULL attention. I know the world is in chaos but being on earth in this moment is a pure blessing and life is pure bliss despite the hard parts, especially when you spend it with those you love.

Love and hope,

Sabriya, Founder of Project Passport

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Project Passport is a proactive mental wellness company that aims to bring mental wellness retreats, workshops and other services to company teams. We also help women create joy in their lives every step of the way. To learn more about our company retreats and services, click here. To learn more about our tribe community for women, click here. Our travel retreats will resume in the future as the world reopens.