The ocean is vast. Just like the earth we stand on, there is so much to explore and lots to do. I’m 26, and while life has shown me glimpses of what’s possible, I have yet to see everything. I have yet to fully live my life. In fact, I am just trying to make it out in the world like any other 20-something-year-old.

While the ocean has its currents, life has its obstacles, and lately I feel that it has been too difficult to keep afloat. Every stroke I take, I am sent a few feet back. I’ve been fighting for so long that I’m afraid I cannot continue to go on. Instead of fighting the current, maybe I should see where the current takes me.

It will be scary going into the unknown, but there’s no point in trying to beat the current. I’m practically swimming in place to where I feel like I am drowning. I’m not one to back down and just give up, but maybe there’s something better at the end of the current.

And that brings me here.

Hi, my name is Genie. Welcome to the first post of my site, The Rising Phoenix Blog. I chose this name because of the uniqueness of a phoenix—its capability of being engulfed by flames only to rise again from the ashes. This blog will follow my journey as a single mother starting over and pushing through currents in life.

If you’ve ever felt like you were fighting the current too, I hope this becomes a place where we can rise together.