01/12/2022
We had two weddings. A traditional wedding in December to celebrate our culture and give our families what they dreamed of. And a wedding that was more true to who we were, the in-betweens, a little Indian, a little western. Both were beautiful just in different ways. In December we made it legal but in January we made it official. Today is the day we usually celebrate though I like to acknowledge both.
People want you to believe you can only be one thing. You are either Indian or Canadian. You must pick a side. There is pain that comes with both identities but there is also joy. We were raised to know both and both have shaped us, yet we are still not Indian enough for the Indians and not Canadian enough for the Canadians. We live in the in-between but here is what they don't want you to know, there is freedom in the in-between. Though you feel the weight and pressure from either side you have the freedom to create your own identity. Choose the aspects of your dual identities that serve you and leave behind the ones that don't. Build who you are outside of the constraints of being the "perfect" Indian or the "perfect" Canadian and just work on being authentically you.
Being authentically me has led me here. To create books for children that live in the in-between. There is more to come this year and I can't wait to share.
What makes you authentically you? Where is your in-between?
