CHOICE

I saw a sign or a meme one day that read, "Do you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?" That's one of those things that definitely makes you go, "Hmmm...". But, how often do we challenge ourselves to go beyond the "hmmm..."? How often do we really think about who we were and who we are...who we wanted to be and who we were told to be...who we try to be and who we try not to be???

What's In a Name?

This past weekend, I had two memorable interactions. One was good and the other was, eh...it was okay. The crazy thing is, there was just one small thing that made the difference in the way the interactions began and concluded. One. Small. Thing.

Gold Stars for Everyone!

"Turning 'They' Into 'We'", has reached many more than I could have anticipated. So many gold stars!!! When I sat down and committed to writing and sharing that post, I had only three intentions...

1. Self liberation.

2. Inspiration.

3. Awareness.

I have received many posts, messages, tweets, texts, and phone calls from friends and strangers alike, thanking me for my bravery and offering mounds of support.  My heart is warmed from the overwhelmingly positive and encouraging words. In responding to the feedback I have received, I have often struggled with whether or not "thank you" is the appropriate wording for what I wish to convey. While I am very thankful for the love and support, I also stand very aware that I could have never made the decision to share this on my own.

Turning "They" into "We"

For months I have been going back and forth with myself on what to write, how to write it, and when to post it. I'll start writing a post and then about midway through the post, I'll stop or I'll keep writing with absolutely no inspiration which, at that point, I'm better off stopping. I did that today. I started a post and about half way through, I lost inspiration and found myself writing just for the sake of trying to finish what I started, and I hate that. I hate writing without inspiration because it is so easy to recognize the difference between something that is written with passion and something that is written  just to be written. So, I took a break. I took a nap. I made some tea. I checked some emails. And now I am back to writing. And in that little time I took, away from writing, I realized what was going on- why I was losing the inspiration for these posts that I started with such great passion and would fizzle before I could even get out of the first paragraph. My passion was fizzling away because I was purposely trying to make a big deal out of whatever I was writing. When I decided I was going to start this blog, it was not because I wanted to make a big deal about things; it was because I wanted to share my experiences in the hopes of helping or inspiring someone along the way.

So...back to my initial thought. For months, I have been contemplating how I would write this post, how I would position it, when would be the right time to post it. Should I make it funny? Should I make it mysterious? Should I make it serious? Should I pick a special date to do it? Should I build some kind of anticipation around it? Hmmm...ain't nobody got time for that. I have written and re-written and deleted and restarted this post more times than I care to share, and after all of that I have finally realized: "There ain't nothin' to it, but to do it." So, here we go folks...

How I Survived Middle School: An Open Letter to My Valentine

MIDDLE SCHOOL. Need I say more??? If most of us look back or think back on our middle school years, I'm pretty sure what will follow is a sigh of relief. Why relief?? Because... we made it! We made it through middle school! All of the physical and mental changes, ups and downs, and peer pressures of middle school...we survived them. Seriously... I believe that middle school is one of the most challenging times in our lives. Though we still have the joy of being young and having the world ahead of us... there are also some things that happen in middle school that change us or stick with us for the rest of our lives.

10 Seconds: Undressed, Angered, and Disappointed

Last weekend, I was in the mall when a group of young men walked by me. It was only about a 10 second interactions from the moment I saw them, the moment they saw me, and the time it took for them to actually pass me by. It was only 10 seconds...10 seconds out of the 24 hours of my day...but for me, it was 10 seconds too long- 10 seconds that set me ablaze and caused my soul to anger and my fist to clench.
How could a 10 second interaction shake my spirit so much so that days later, I can still feel the same amount of disgust just as if I was still in the moment?
It was just 10 seconds! 10 SECONDS!!!! 10 seconds out of the 86,400 I had in the day.
I'll tell you how...second by second.

I'm Selfish. Sue Me.

Sometimes...well, a lot of times, all I can seem to think about is myself. So what? Am I wrong? No, not at all. As a matter of fact, I encourage more people to think more about themselves. What do you want?

For years, I have heard many people talk about the beauty of selflessness. Selflessness is a beautiful thing, no doubt. But let me tell you, you are sadly mistaken if you don't think that every person who has discovered the true beauty of selflessness, is not also selfish . Because the true beauty of selflessness is what? It is understanding the fulfillment that we gain in thinking of, or doing for someone other than ourselves. So... we may not be getting something out of it as far as reciprocation or acknowledgement, but, our souls are nourished, our thoughts are challenged, our views are changed, and our lives are enhanced. We feel fulfilled.