“To fully see me, you may need a magnifying glass. Otherwise, you could mistake me…

In this book, I explore all that is outside the expectation of strong Black womanhood. To pull back from the cultural trope of being solely strong feels honest, freeing, and pivotal. I can finally embrace a woman who I am learning; a woman is evolving into who and what she was created to be, which is not always strong.

Strength is something I choose; better yet, a point I arrive at that’s way above sea level. My strength is sometimes hidden— layered beneath my topsoil, between grains of sand and gravel. Often, strength hits me like a mid morning sunbeam, casting a shadow, slowly turning me into the light of day…

So no, I do not necessarily wake up strong. I wake up feeling both bright and dull. My sheen heckled by grief and an uncertainty about life that soothes itself after a second cup of coffee. I wake up determined to confront the girded monster that feasts her eyes on me, telling me to collapse into my less fulfilled self— aiming to throw me off my game.”

—From the Introduction of Serenity Everyday by Clinnesha D. Sibley