River Street, Resilience, and a Business Card

Last weekend I had the opportunity to present with I DECIDE Georgia at the National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference. Being in a room full of young advocates who believe in voice, choice, and resilience reminded me exactly why this work matters. Supported Decision Making is not just a policy conversation. It is about real people building real lives with support and confidence.

Those rooms always leave me feeling a little energized and a little humbled at the same time.

Because six years ago when I started my Youth Ambassador journey, I didn’t even know the phrase Supported Decision Making. I was just out here living life, having opinions, and expecting people to listen.

Now it looks like conference rooms, presentations, conversations with other leaders, and the occasional moment where I’m handing someone a business card and realizing… oh wow, this is actually my work.

And somewhere in between all of that, there was a little bit of spring break too.

Early spring sunshine.

Azaleas starting to bloom.

The sound of the river rolling past the old warehouses on River Street in Savannah.

Iced coffee in one hand, a business card tucked in my bag.

If you’ve ever been there, you know the feeling. The old brick streets under your feet. The slow roll of the river beside you. Cargo ships moving through the harbor like floating cities. A soft breeze coming off the water, carrying that faint mix of salt air and history. And those famous River Street cobblestones. Beautiful! Yes. Friendly to people with cerebral palsy? Debatable. Walking them is basically a full-body workout and a trust fall with gravity. But hey… yeah, but did you die?

They say Blackbeard used to call Savannah home, and as a semi-local, I’m just wondering where exactly he parked Queen Anne’s treasure. Because I personally know a few old men around here who have been looking for it their entire lives, and every one of them is convinced they’re about five minutes away from finding it.

Naturally, I had to stop by the pirate museum while I was there. Let’s just say the old men hunting for Queen Anne’s treasure were a lot more convincing than the exhibits.

Just a few blocks away, tucked near Reynolds Square, sits The Olde Pink House, glowing softly in the Savannah sunlight like something out of another century. I’ll be honest, I walked up expecting something closer to Orange Hall levels of Southern grandeur, and for a second I thought, wait… this is it? But that’s Savannah. The magic isn’t always in the size of the building. Sometimes it’s in the history, the quiet corners, and the stories tucked inside the walls.

Savannah has a way of reminding you that history isn’t just in the buildings and museums. Sometimes it shows up in the most ordinary moments.

I passed Paula Deen’s restaurant and saw the sign that said: “Blessed to Serve.” I’ll admit, it gave me a small moment of heartache. I even peeked in the window for a second, just curious. For a moment, it felt like looking at something that fully represented so many of the women in my life. And after spending the weekend talking about voice, choice, and resilience, the contrast wasn’t lost on me. Savannah holds a lot of history, and sometimes that history is complicated. But cities, like people, keep growing and learning too.

Savannah has a way of making you slow down, whether you planned to or not.

It’s funny how life works like that.

When you’re younger, you imagine how certain milestones will happen. You picture the moment, the timing, the path you’ll take to get there. And sometimes life smiles politely at that plan and says, “Cute idea… but we’re doing this a different way.”

And honestly? I’m okay with that now.

Because this season of life isn’t about chasing what could have been. It’s about enjoying where I am now.

On Sunday, it was sunny and 85 degrees. I was at practice when I saw a guy cruising by on a pontoon boat, absolutely living his best life. I let out the most girly squeal you’ve ever heard. In that moment, it felt like spring had officially arrived.

So yes, technically this is spring break.

But it is also a reminder that life does not always follow the timeline you imagined. Sometimes the road bends a little. Sometimes it takes you through places you never planned.

Sometimes you find yourself walking along River Street, the river moving slowly beside the old warehouses, the sunlight hitting the water just right, and the breeze warm enough to promise that spring has finally arrived.

After a weekend spent talking about voice, choice, and resilience, it felt good to simply walk the city, noticing its stories and remembering that we all get to keep writing our own.

I didn’t arrive here the way I once imagined.

But somehow, it feels exactly like where I’m supposed to be.