Hi there.
It’s me.
elle.
As yet another year of life begins to draw to a close and a new one is beginning, I find that instead of the usual panic and fear that annually encapsulates me from December to March, I feel… excited.
Excitement for what a new year of life will bring, and finally being ready to share what I’ve wanted to for so long but didn’t know how or have the words to do.
It’s taken me a long time to reach this point. and sometimes I berate myself for not reaching it sooner. But then I realise that if I’d embarked on this journey ten years ago as planned, I would have been nowhere near ready. I was so young, naïve and extremely inexperienced. And although I’d already lived what seemed to be enough for a lifetime, life was really only just getting started.
Oh, if only sixteen year old elle knew what all would be coming her way over the next decade.
Before we continue, I must apologise to my fellow grammar police and ocd sufferers reading this. My lack of capitalisation on the first ‘e’ in my name is because writing it as ‘Elle’ bothers my ocd immensely. It completely ruins the symmetry. Whereas the perfect balance of ‘elle’ makes it a true palindrome.
Alright… moving on.
I by no means believe I hold the answers to solving anyone else’s problems, but as someone who has walked through certain stages in life, I would like to think I could offer insight and a different perspective.
A lot of thought has gone into creating this blog and as I contemplated what I could offer to you, I tried to think of what thirteen year old elle would have needed and wanted from this.
Growing up I was quite sheltered and knew next to nothing about ‘the outside world’. I also had myself convinced that I was supposed to be perfect ‘like everyone else’. And no matter how hard I tried, I could never measure up. Obviously, no one is or ever will be perfect, but man, do we try!
My hope in chronicling some of my stories is to be as honest and transparent as possible while inviting you into my life and mind. I still haven’t decided where to draw the line when it comes to sharing every detail and holding parts back, but we’ll figure it out as we go. I will share quite a bit though as the ‘Unfiltered’ in the blog name suggests.
DISCLAIMER
As there seem to be disclaimers and trigger warnings on everything nowadays, I will warn that this blog would probably be given an R rating if it were a film. I’ll be sharing the nitty gritty details of my life which some people might find offensive, disturbing and traumatic. If you have experienced any sexual abuse, eating disorders, mental health issues or anything else that causes you to be triggered, please be very cautious in reading this blog. My goal is to help people and not cause harm. I understand that everyone processes and deals with traumatic experiences differently and while learning about other’s experiences helped me, it isn’t for everyone. So please, look out for yourself and reach out to someone you trust or a hotline if you are in need of support.
The first series on the blog was a collection of what I call ‘noir prose’ I wrote to channel my darkness and heal from the loss of a relationship. This next set, ‘the L words’, will be a travel series focused on some destinations that have had a profound impact on me, and I’ll share the lessons I learned whilst I was there.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope you find that parts of my story resonate with you and help you feel less alone in this crazy world of ours. Laugh with me, cry with me and experience all the high and lows. The best of times, the worst of times and all the in-betweens.
If you’re ready for this, so am I.
welcome to the elle words.
x elle
the elle words 