What Happened After the Middle

In this episode, I reflect on what came after setbacks - the grace that showed up when I didn't expect it, the choice to return, and the power of finishing.  This is a story about second chances, gratitude, and what can happen when the door opens again.

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Transcript

0:03

This is unfiltered everyday shit. I'm India Sherelle. This podcast is a space for real conversations about life as it's actually happening. The good, the bad, and everything in between. It's unfiltered, honest, and unapologetic. Some episodes are reflective, some are raw. So let's talk about it. Welcome. I'm your host, India Sherelle. Before I get into this episode, I want to share this with care. I do briefly mention loss and grief, so I encourage you to take care of yourself as you listen. I also want to acknowledge Ms. Betty Degenhart and honor the impact she had on my career. I want to talk about what happens after the middle, because eventually the end does come. In the last episode, I talked about being in the middle, the uncertainty, the setbacks, the moments where quitting felt like the most logical option. And the truth is, I didn't just think about it. I did more than once I left school, I flunked out. It wasn't because I wasn't capable, and it wasn't because I didn't care. I came back to school too soon after losing my daughter. I thought I could push myself through it, and I remember not getting anything right. Nothing was clicking the way it used to, and I remember Ms. Betty Degenhart pulling me to the side and letting me know that she was going to have to let me go, and she told me something I'll never forget. She said she knew I was capable of doing better because the student who had returned was not the same student who had left. She named what? I couldn't yet say out loud. That I was still grieving and that grief was affecting everything. So it wasn't just a simple flunk, it was me trying to return before I was ready. And it was someone being honest enough and compassionate enough to tell me the truth. And honestly, there were plenty of reasons why walking away for good would've made sense. But life has a way of circling back. I eventually returned to school again, and it wasn't smooth. It wasn't easy, and it definitely wasn't guaranteed. There were rules in place, and technically I wasn't supposed to be allowed back into the program, but Ms. Betty extended me Grace. And let me tell you, she was one sassy lady Stern, direct, and she did not sugarcoat the thing. Ms. Betty didn't owe me anything. She wasn't supposed to let me back into the program, but she did. She made her expectations clear. She told me exactly what needed to happen, and she gave me the opportunity to finish, not because she felt sorry for me. But because she saw something in me and that changed everything, I finished school and now here I am, almost 20 years into my career. And when I look back, now I can say this, honestly, the middle didn't break me. It shaped me. And the grace I was shown is something I've carried with me ever since. That's why I'm so adamant about showing Grace to others because grace has been shown to me in more ways than I can count. Not because I was perfect, not because I always got it right, but because someone chose to extend it anyway. And it wasn't just my story. That friend I talked about, the one who was struggling. Questioning whether she should stay. She finished too. She stayed the course through her own middle, and she made it to the other side, not because things suddenly became easy, but because neither of us quit. So if you are listening to this and you're still in the middle, I want you to know something. Just because you can't see the ending yet doesn't mean. It's not coming. And just because you stumbled, doesn't mean the door is closed forever. Sometimes the finish line doesn't look like success. It looks like grace. Sometimes it looks like someone giving you one more chance. Sometimes it looks like you choosing to believe in yourself again, and I will always be grateful for the people who didn't shut the door on me, especially when they had every right to, because the middle wasn't the end. And neither was the setback. So as you think about where you are now, When Grace, you didn't expect, and the opportunity to finish shows up, do you accept it and allow yourself to see it through? Well, that was just me talking it out. Remember, this podcast is just freedom. This is me. It's an outlet, it's a voice. It's somewhere I can just speak freely. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for listening.