tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17099895133189470262024-03-13T06:52:57.078-07:00Awaken Change and Free Your Mind!!This is a thought provoking forum for all types of writings and topics that I post. I encourage feedback, but let us please keep it civil and Mature. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, and no opinion or thought is above another.
Purpose, Persistence, Patience, Prosperity and Inner-Peace
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Sekou M.BlackFree YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-91070039669796615732021-09-01T00:32:00.002-07:002021-09-01T00:32:18.421-07:00In One Thousand Words: Power & Our Relationship with It<p>An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1";"><span style="font-size: medium;">one thousand words daily</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span>2021 </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Power and Our Relationship With It</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wT_AOUY7JYk/YS8Vpeo2RgI/AAAAAAAACcI/Qc6Pos4V00YIzfgmHo8sopMVcgjBkNL3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s875/photo-1519834785169-98be25ec3f84.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Power" border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wT_AOUY7JYk/YS8Vpeo2RgI/AAAAAAAACcI/Qc6Pos4V00YIzfgmHo8sopMVcgjBkNL3QCLcBGAsYHQ/w256-h320/photo-1519834785169-98be25ec3f84.jpeg" title="Photo credit: Ian Stauffer" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power - Photographer: Ian Stauffer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span> </span>In one thousand words I wonder if I will be able to sum up these awesome thoughts and emotions. Yes people, today we are going to talk about thoughts and feelings for one hugely strange reason. That reason is that I have come to a realization. The realization is simple yet complex in concept which is that Power, as I relate it to a book I am writing, is not so relative when it comes to something I call “The Presumption of Power.” Power can be many things from electricity, to political, to the power we have as individuals but there's more!</p><p><span> </span>My reasoning against my own solidified beliefs is kind of simple. This reasoning or "Awakening," is due to the fact that the most powerful of influential powers we as people wield, is a power that is often overlooked and seldom for anyone to be presumptuous about. I myself, although I understand this well, did not add it to the Contents of my work, at first. We all underestimate these couple forms of power, based on what we are taught, how we are conditioned and what we believe, based on our experiences. These two major powers are the "Power of the People," or what I call "The Power of the Conscious Masses," and what some try hard either looking for or running from; "The Power of Love." (In my Sade voice)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HFK4AbE3Lss/YS8exuDnI9I/AAAAAAAACcU/uGIUGDGI8yUybuwg0umdIx20JK-SuW83ACLcBGAsYHQ/s933/photo-1494403687614-8ca3e13f154f.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Power of Love by Felipe Almeida" border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HFK4AbE3Lss/YS8exuDnI9I/AAAAAAAACcU/uGIUGDGI8yUybuwg0umdIx20JK-SuW83ACLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/photo-1494403687614-8ca3e13f154f.jpeg" title="Power of Love" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Felipe Almeida</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span> </span>We cannot perceive how influential an individual or a group can become based on the “Power of Compassion.” I could just say “The Power of Love,” but the many concepts of Love are summed up by this understanding we know of as “Caring for Others,” or having this unseen force of understanding called Compassion.” As I converse with my woman, I tell her something I noticed about our current society and things we experienced. I tell her somewhere along the lines of “people wouldn’t ask stupid questions and use escapism when dealing with issues, especially if the media or political figures if they can see and understand about what others go through and how it affects them." I also added that folks rooted in the community have family in the community and oftentimes have to go back, sharing similar roofs with the patients, clients, or constituents they indeed serve.</p><p><span> </span>The key in all of this is to raise future leaders with a sense of purpose, and compassion. But what do I know about fostering caring? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7b2nTBWj-GQ/YS8gbPKzffI/AAAAAAAACco/hFl9F8jeDu4hOLMe_GTbHSwYKudWFIG0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/World%2BAIDS%2BDay%2BSan%2BDiego%2B2012%2B011.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Power of Prayer" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7b2nTBWj-GQ/YS8gbPKzffI/AAAAAAAACco/hFl9F8jeDu4hOLMe_GTbHSwYKudWFIG0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/World%2BAIDS%2BDay%2BSan%2BDiego%2B2012%2B011.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Power of Prayer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fpPiEshB9M4/YS8ga5rG7AI/AAAAAAAACck/30F3XJo042kpdl7A3CIrzn0awFDvbZOyACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/World%2BAIDS%2BDay%2BSan%2BDiego%2B2012%2B039.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Shot credit: Me" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fpPiEshB9M4/YS8ga5rG7AI/AAAAAAAACck/30F3XJo042kpdl7A3CIrzn0awFDvbZOyACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/World%2BAIDS%2BDay%2BSan%2BDiego%2B2012%2B039.JPG" title="Staff and volunteers holding candles" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power of the People</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqJ4fSZCOHE/YS8gar7b7PI/AAAAAAAACcg/t5RJtfXtINsJWPb6ZDGA7uQp9Xr2aLb9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/World%2BAIDS%2BDay%2BSan%2BDiego%2B2012%2B053.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Power of Prayer" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqJ4fSZCOHE/YS8gar7b7PI/AAAAAAAACcg/t5RJtfXtINsJWPb6ZDGA7uQp9Xr2aLb9gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/World%2BAIDS%2BDay%2BSan%2BDiego%2B2012%2B053.JPG" title="National HIV Testing Day, San Diego" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Power of a Voice for Others]</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span> </span>Empathy can be taught as a way to achieve success. How revolutionary is that idea, that by taking care of others around you at the same time as yourself, that a community environment would help to take care of you? This is not socialism, Marxism, capitalism or any of those man-made isms of control. It is simply human necessity for survival and the logical deduction of thousands of years that we indeed can have more together if we work together and share than just to work towards one small goal, solely self-serving. Have we forgot the moral values we receive when working in virtue? </p><p>Have we forgotten the worth associated with having the sum of all functioning healthy parts of a close-knit community? Whether we realize this, we all are taught this dog eat dog lesson of conquer, control, and struggle for yourself or else. Some have been sadly led to believe that they must do whatever to survive, even if it takes taking from others or disadvantaging another for their own personal growth. On the contrary we should in a civilized society, do the exact opposite of the barbaric, which is to do like I have said in a video late last year, to simply Build People Up! </p><p>(There is another power we often take for granted, which we cannot personally control such as the Power in Natural things and the Power found in the uncontrollable weather. I will save this subject for the next blog).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nudJjxZ4N2k/YS8iRKGbL8I/AAAAAAAACc8/MVnqPcA_zs0W8b7ViezNXBd4QTAjdxYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s612/InstagramCapture_941808a6-47fe-416c-9a14-10854aeff2d3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nudJjxZ4N2k/YS8iRKGbL8I/AAAAAAAACc8/MVnqPcA_zs0W8b7ViezNXBd4QTAjdxYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/InstagramCapture_941808a6-47fe-416c-9a14-10854aeff2d3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean Beach Tides, by: Me</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In a controlled economic environment such as ours, the leaders make moves and instill laws which are beneficial to the way they have been taught to build wealth, power and prestige. Now is the time when we are reminded that there are other ways. We now are forced to learn through the crucible, through the fire, that even when in quarantine or separate, that we do need each other. There are excellent ways to survive which do not involve others as well as the support network of a tightly-knit community, which can work great for whichever goals the individual sets. We on the other hand, well some of us, need affirmations, meetings, appointments and guidance with and from others in order to complete what we need to function in the best way we see fit in our new environment of mask and sanitize. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7EpwOrJAKk/YS8jr2E6B5I/AAAAAAAACdQ/p1u4IFp5fO4890u4puYdWZVfpZqyCYBJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s940/pexels-photo-5668481.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Political and Legal Power" border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="940" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7EpwOrJAKk/YS8jr2E6B5I/AAAAAAAACdQ/p1u4IFp5fO4890u4puYdWZVfpZqyCYBJwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/pexels-photo-5668481.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power: by Shora Shimazaki<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Some simply need to work with others to generate income and support their families although innovations in the workplace have allowed many, fortunate with technological jobs and the financial means, to work from home. Many have experienced hardships as well as personal loss due to the COVID 19 Pandemic. Some have lost loved ones and many children, as well as adults have lost their parents. This puts things into perspective as the strength of people is shown through the power they show when they come together for a good cause. This turns habitual when the majority of us realize and are reminded that it is okay to positively change the life of another other than ourselves. <p><br />It was Instagram that caught me by surprise, when I was about to post a quote of mine and noticed some video about some popular rapper talking about how he saw that his friend was touched and had tears in his eyes when he bought a house for his mother. His initial thought was not “look at this emotional ass nigga,” no. His first inclination was to think “how can I help him get it so he can buy a house for his mother and put someone else on so that that can do the same for someone else.” I thought about many things and I thought about myself. I have been wanting to contact some music producers as well as a couple of publishers for my books yet I fall on one realization I have found while typing these last lines.</p><p>I have found that I, although I like to think if myself as a rebel, independent, blah blah, have also been conditioned. Many of you might know exactly where I'm coming from when I say we have all been duped by the patriarchal theory of ruling others. This thought has gone so far as to suggest, by the unfairness suggested, that we don't need women, or vice versa, men. People all need people in some capacity yet some reiterate in so many ways that it is not proper to ask for help or have not been taught how to or that it is even okay to ask for help. This is something which I struggle with now. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UwEqIiXJIw/YS8nTYmJKmI/AAAAAAAACdw/GnQG9odyiW42UpGhmgTHaWjH89t7j1NEACLcBGAsYHQ/s2577/IMG_20210722_131610994.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2577" data-original-width="1221" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UwEqIiXJIw/YS8nTYmJKmI/AAAAAAAACdw/GnQG9odyiW42UpGhmgTHaWjH89t7j1NEACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210722_131610994.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><p>Struggles are not something foreign or alien to me but let me address this whole macho-derrived, anti-familial, anti-community culture we exist in. Not just in the Western world but elsewhere, we as in humanity, have been found many times to choke our own human existence. We do this by simply going too far and pushing the envelope, going too hard, against the human bonds that make us stronger together as a force than alone and isolated as one. </p><p>Some are fed thoughts such as it is too dangerous and reckless, too radical to think outside the concepts of the powers all around us. We are taught through something carefully crafted, called Fear to "act accordingly or else!" We all understand power, fear, all of these things differently. Some people, like me now, find ourselves shying away from large groups and not just for pandemic reasons. I simply have been burned a lot so I prefer to physically stay away from folks. </p><p>What we all can agree on is that life in general can sometimes take us by surprise. Throughout these surprises, instances, situations or adventures, it helps to have someone understand what you are going through or have experienced. I miss traveling, going hiking with friends, even locally to a small stream or lake and sharing the sights with those I care about. My many car problems on top of other scruples have completely incapacitated my traveling and adventure status. Yet here I am, taking you with me on this "Journey of the Heart and Soul," but know that under the stars, there is a whole lot left to understand that even a small child with strong will and determination, can control. Poem below.</p><p><br /></p><p>Teenagers who dig the truth</p><p>Reach back to hip hop songs </p><p>Their parents praised as youth like</p><p>Tupac's "What you do for love," while</p><p>We witness, sadly in the distance </p><p>What others do for any type of attention</p><p>When elders look at realities </p><p>Never believing that other generations </p><p>Would ever have to endure anything close to the same insanity</p><p>When no one in power speaks on the watered down industry with musical Blacks</p><p>Instead back then it was strict like a diet what we all lacked and</p><p>The only beefs were from religious and politicians due to the power to influence white youth and use of colorful profanity</p><p>Some wonder how did we get here?</p><p>Amongst the push for what others view as normalcy defined</p><p>Others realize the matrix of confusion thus move closer to a much easier design</p><p>Aligning ourselves with others</p><p>Grounded in purpose perhaps</p><p>Linked with The Source which creates</p><p>Majestically disconnecting from the mundane madness which chokes gladness, hopes and dreams</p><p>Then comes the truths that surprisingly don't get lost with thugs</p><p>The survival tactic that faith carries as far as </p><p>Togetherness makes us that much stronger with</p><p>Nothing more than the audacity and courage to love</p><p>Protecting not just hearts but lives with this</p><p>Reality placed in the damned of places </p><p>As if the Jewels were purposely placed for our finding</p><p>It is then when we have reached a shore </p><p>Without storms and scary waves </p><p>Through comforting, a warming of</p><p>Care and compassion from or</p><p>Financial action that we then believe</p><p>That we have indeed been saved</p><p>Walking away from any type of love can be a challenge yet imagine</p><p>With a return to what's deep like foundations and solid like rock</p><p>The types of kingdoms possible to exist and</p><p>Roads without potholes that can be </p><p>Built with a special type of power called Love, be paved</p><p>First we must seek wisdom and the needed strength to power through tomorrow, even just for today</p><p><b>Power</b> <b>Through</b></p><p>August 30th, 2021</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-19543097169196225582021-06-20T13:27:00.003-07:002021-06-20T13:32:21.014-07:00My Version of Poppa's Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LP6p4jQgt4E/YM-lq0-CnwI/AAAAAAAACZM/y-XBsoqJf7oxoSAPuJjWUxnQAXbayx3PQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2577/IMG_20210620_132937845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2577" data-original-width="1221" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LP6p4jQgt4E/YM-lq0-CnwI/AAAAAAAACZM/y-XBsoqJf7oxoSAPuJjWUxnQAXbayx3PQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210620_132937845.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>For so many years we have watched many men own roles and responsibilities as well as abandon them. There are examples to show yes as well as socio-economic reasons for the imbalances in many families. As some parents are fine without their significant other, many are not. Strength does not come from the will to provide and survive! Strength comes from sources unmeasurable and not seen by the naked eye. </p><p>Some families are comprised of only woman, mothers and for me, this is fine and none of my business. I as a father look at Father’s Day in a particular way for many reasons and I will explain this. Basically we have witnessed many examples in this nation as well as internationally, what a good father is. Everyone has their own take. I for one have noticed examples in media now, what I have seen as a child on TV and wondered, “why can’t my dad be that cool?”</p><p> In the community or communities I grew up in, examples were in my friend’s dad’s, well those that had them around. Many I know were raised by their mothers, aunties, uncle’s and mostly grandparents where I come from. Those grandmothers, Aunties and such were powerful people! I myself have been fortunate that when my mother left my father, he told her that she was not going to take my brother and I from him. From what I understand about my dad’s pops, he was different, a lot less affectionate than his own few words speaking dad.</p><p> I watched him sacrifice for us, many times. Struggle, even though he was a Stanford Grad was a reality for us. Pro Wings from Pay Less were my favorite shoes as a child while he was going to college. Although I praise him for the father and grandfather that he is, seeing his shortcomings as well as other parents as a child, are a reminder for the man I never want to become and serious father that I am today. My father is a particular individual yet although I do not agree with things, I love him because I understand him. Yesterday he stopped by my honey table to pick up a manuscript he’s working on and to me, I know that for him to share these things is unique and special.</p><p> I have two sons. I did not want to break up with or “leave,” my ex eleven years ago due to the fact that my mother left us, me when I was four and a half, on some “Your father is an asshole,” type shit and she’s possibly right. What I learned through much searching and conversation is that there are two sides to every story. Broken apart, not understanding how a woman can do a good man so wrong when my ex wanted to “explore,” herself, I dug well until I found answers. What I came up with helped me gain a deep understanding about my parent's relationship. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-tIhvnhnNg/YM-jH-mKIgI/AAAAAAAACZE/64kS-3QJnVIlrL6NMY6x_JgSxuW1iJzhACLcBGAsYHQ/s2577/IMG_20210620_091308887.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2577" data-original-width="1221" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-tIhvnhnNg/YM-jH-mKIgI/AAAAAAAACZE/64kS-3QJnVIlrL6NMY6x_JgSxuW1iJzhACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210620_091308887.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> Father’s Day and Mother’s Day is not just about one parent. We are led to believe in separating tasks, people, roles, defining things for categorization of some reason, like it’s not okay to mix our parental peas with our mashed potatoes but let me be frank, there can never be one without the other. Granted there are families that consist of just one parent, some where a person, (usually well to do financially) wants to adopt or have a child of their own, without a partner. I don’t know what to think about this other than I know through experience, that having another person there to support goes a very long way. Even I, I mean pops was pops and did the best he knew, yet in his shortcomings I was blessed to have the community step up when they did to help him out.</p><p> I have many aunties and uncles I refer to as Baba so and so and Mama you know who you are for this reason so let me wrap this up so I can rest some. Father’s Day for me is a culmination of not belief or involvement but straight up love! For this reason I share this day with my woman knowing that a father is nothing without his community and his woman! There are those that stepped up to be a parent when others either failed to care or were not able to for many generational and purposely constructed reasons. Yeah, I said it, some did not want you or them to be fathers, wanted us not involved or even “locked up.” This type of isolationism comes from the racist criminal justice system, as well as conditioning, to destroy the strong identity and power of families and communities.</p><p>Looking back to then from now, Father’s Day wasn’t much but something written at the bottom of a calendar day but Kwanzaa, Christmas and Juneteenth, oh yeah! I remember schools would put an emphasis on “making something,” for your mother or father was taught to us, when all we understood they wanted was for things to make sense, for us to obey and overall from everyone in the world, this forgotten thing called respect! </p><p>There are some without parents for one reason or another and their definitions of family for me and towards me have always been the most heart felt. Like I tried to tell you guys earlier, I was raised by the community. It was those inside of doors that were not ours where we often learned; by loving hearts, out of the box minds that in many instances, made miracles occur, right in front of our very young eyes! For those that read this, thank you for reading, I just wanted y'all to think a bit. Sometimes I used to think about our government or even our Creator, Him/Her or whatever your belief Them and what they thought when it came to Father's Day, USA!</p><p>You see, a father and a mother must first have an example to emulate in order to discover, how one ought to be for future generations. For me, this is why Western man’s theories and ideas of creation mean little to me.</p><p>Happy Father’s Day 🎉 🏆!!! Now for a poem…</p><p><br /></p><p>Hands, rough hands hardened and caliced by occupation's malice or</p><p>As smooth as a newly built marble palace</p><p>Caress hair of the sleeping child time after time while others</p><p>Have not yet learned their place or something malicious instead</p><p>Engulfs the time given, even what should be said</p><p>To be honest, in society, our ideals are thrown about like black mats covering weeds</p><p>From not allowing growth, light is kept out</p><p>Purposely drowned out by darkness </p><p>So that any remaining seed would either die off while the ones allowed to poke through</p><p>Survive in a carefully controlled environment</p><p>Then there are the seeds that blew in on the wind</p><p>Not knowing exactly from whence they came how, where, why or when</p><p>Taking root in the best soil found even the bits within concrete</p><p>On sidewalks with chalk either laid by children or CSI</p><p>We ask as if everything we are purposely taught, goes against the norm when</p><p>Reality is the best indicator of how the wind might blow and by instinct</p><p>Knowing even in deserts can be the lurking presence of a dangerous storm</p><p>Realizing these challenges, many step up and commit while others well</p><p>They don’t know shit or understand shit to begin with</p><p>Even King said he might not get there with us but that he “sees the promised land”</p><p>But tell me, will we get there without making some type of peace and some kind of demands?</p><p>As children’s smiles from Earth can be seen from the heavens yet</p><p>There are few places on open Earth allowed to safely stand</p><p>Folks want respect but children, they only want Love and an open guiding hand</p><p>So let us all now foster what was purposely forgotten with I love you’s</p><p>Be back real soon because like we also wanted to hear back then</p><p>You can do it</p><p>Not because we haven’t told but </p><p>Because some were never led to believe</p><p>Allowed the space to breathe, to explore</p><p>To be daring aside from driving 80 mph on city streets or</p><p>Brave enough to climb the mountains or spelunk the caves beneath</p><p>Ingrained not to swim from the lines of closely following sharks, we remained</p><p>Bouncing back with the audacity to create, invent and remain</p><p>The parents others wish they had, even without children, we are</p><p>Ending cycles of neglect, smashing disrespect and spitting hot bars or wisdom</p><p>Knowing Freedom and Peace for parents Exist beyond stereotypes, death and prison</p><p>Nothing short of miraculous with glory, honor and still some calls residual pain</p><p>Building communities and foundations deeper than the roots that bind us</p><p>Giving smiles, hopes, sharing dreams and admiring tattoos and scars</p><p><br /></p><p>Parent in Your Hood</p><p>June 19th, 2021</p>Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-70086440704680826422021-03-23T09:33:00.002-07:002021-03-23T09:33:24.997-07:00A Story About Faith<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7NQ6r1AsXU/YFoTyQgGT7I/AAAAAAAACVY/iuuxeIKRwsEYUW7b3yoQf_9cGWEaMYmzACPcBGAsYHg/s2592/IMG_20191127_123042.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7NQ6r1AsXU/YFoTyQgGT7I/AAAAAAAACVY/iuuxeIKRwsEYUW7b3yoQf_9cGWEaMYmzACPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_20191127_123042.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">A Short Story about
Faith</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I wrote
this blog post December 11<sup>th, </sup>2019 when I was still healing from
surgery in residential facility yet for some reason, I guess I didn’t post it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps I let depression and pain get the
best of me and thus, many of my pens went dry without touching paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
this is more than a year ago, it remains relevant, as someone might be able to
receive help from a few simple words about faith and action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helping others is one of my sole reasons for
writing in the first place. While quickly talking about the subject of Faith, I’ll
throw something out there which is that, you don’t have to have a deep
spiritual belief or religion to exercise it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To exercise Faith, a few conceptual elements definitely needed which I
have found are Patience, Flexibility (time-wise as well as outcome-wise) and definitely
an Open Mind. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A week
ago I woke up with a beat in my head, a musical beat. I’ve also woken up with
beats still in my head from the end of a dream like a soundtrack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first time this happened, I was six or
seven years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song then was “Let
the Slide Show Begin,” and the curtains closed in my dream before I woke
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has happened many times before
from some dream or from the end of some dream and I was reluctant to jot down
the idea from it, telling myself that it was “too simple,” thus it didn’t
matter.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fl9EYMSCC1Q/YFoXF5lCsMI/AAAAAAAACVk/iR1SdIXxkFoi8U-dKEsyT-rKRb-_TRBVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210323_091842189.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fl9EYMSCC1Q/YFoXF5lCsMI/AAAAAAAACVk/iR1SdIXxkFoi8U-dKEsyT-rKRb-_TRBVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210323_091842189.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All of the sound generators I'm using on FL audio.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Any
message I receive in my dreams should be taken seriously for many reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes my dreams are learning tools,
reminders from the past; possibilities of what could be or to the extreme,
direct windows into the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told
one of my associates about this and he knows me well and suggested that I should
have made that beat, knowing what beats I have made in the past from
dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ignored his advice although
his voice on the other end of the phone sounded surprised and serious that I
ignored one of my Divine-given gifts. I thought about it later and regretted
it, thinking “oh well, another beat will pop in another night… hopefully,” yet
knowing that I had missed a very unique valuable opportunity.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wv_mu7vkNAo/YFoXuGHHwcI/AAAAAAAACVs/-Bw8PhSlORUlLLyQDUuTuHi-DaD921xbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210323_092057975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wv_mu7vkNAo/YFoXuGHHwcI/AAAAAAAACVs/-Bw8PhSlORUlLLyQDUuTuHi-DaD921xbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210323_092057975.jpg" width="320" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rain Comrade trying to hear what Daddy did today</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Last
night I had a very short dream, where I met up with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the dream he let me know that he got hired
at the same place he was working at before he started the business with me;
“Collections,” which is a very grimy business. He explained that they hired him
right away and gave him his same position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I asked him if he became John Gilman once again yet he did not answer.
Instead the focus was on my handing him earphones to let him listen to a rap
from a familiar sounding rapper, someone reminiscent from what we used to
listen to (to be frank the guy in the dream sounded like a mix of Eclipto and
B-Real from Cypress Hill and I don't sound like either lol).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the
dream he was surprised and apparently so was I, as this was as if, it were the
first time I had heard this song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke
up this morning to this beat still in my head and was thankful, thanking my
Creator for gifting me with this simple yet very hard sounding track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I scrambled to find a phone so that I could
beat box into to record the idea before other daily sounds drowned out the
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this retirement/rehabilitation
center, I had to act fast but I did not want to wake up my other two roommates
with the task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully they were
awakened with medical diagnostics, breakfasts but damn, my phone was dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I scrambled like fighter jets to find the
cord, cleaned up my whole bed area and drawer just to find that I was sleeping
on it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
plugged up my phone, kept beat-boxing the tune at a low level as well as
repeatedly in my head and five minutes later, took down the idea. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I thought about the simplicity of the
beat, I came to realize that it was the exact same beat that I was given a week
ago!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only difference is that I can
hear the sounds much clearer as well as having a point of reference of what I
will sound like spittin a rap to. This is how I know Jesus likes good Rap music,
lol or at least the being that created him! Sometimes I get songs, stories,
whole movies and predictions in my head from dreams.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>When your Creator gives
you messages or gifts, are you able to listen and openly receive? Okay, now I
might need some headphones because these little Apple things just don’t cover
the sounds but watch me make miracles with what I’ve got; well that’s what I’m
used to!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look out for “The Return of the Real,” one of
these days, hopefully before or right after summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Now let me save the progression of this beat and get back to these books, which is a whole other subject of faith and action.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Curious minds often wonder if there are some pertinent things we might forget</p><p class="MsoNormal">After our slumber</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Are we capable of listening to the squeaks in-between being awake and asleep?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Can we, reach deep into the subconscious of self and sanctuary?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">To pull out what has been etched into our DNA of ages by sages and ancestors but</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Will we, willingly let ourselves to expound upon the gifts made to silence evil and</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Drown out all negativity, corruption, put crowns on children </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">When men and women once given their opportunity</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Scowl at them with jealous eyes with thoughts of</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Drowning the innocent in the tides</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Working on burying the truth with lies the youth persist as we have</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">For so long we have been silent although</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Some have listened yet</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">To find the right time or better yet, the courage to speak of such things</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Seems never right for those not chosen to understand the visions chosen for</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Within your sights were right to recognize what others missed yet</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Simply it is the overwhelming treasures that come with such gifts</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Something grabbed attention for you to become stopped frozen for</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">An idea, a light, a way, a path inside, a hope or a remedy to help another life</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Occurrences whether often or rare are perfect sphere not square and</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Nothing close to boasting of pride</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Reminders of what could very much be</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ways not yet tried </p><p class="MsoNormal">I'll lead the way </p><p class="MsoNormal">I'll close my eyes</p><p class="MsoNormal">I mean, I can wait</p><p class="MsoNormal">Until we are all safe without fears in that Dream State</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dream State</p><p class="MsoNormal">03-01-2021</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-78095882389952176142020-08-06T12:04:00.004-07:002020-08-06T21:43:33.642-07:00Where Has Love Gotten Us?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cQbBA3603dE/XxavTLB3WZI/AAAAAAAAB_g/RgkFZdU01qkJv1S4v8hVAXSaKqugOu3CgCLcBGAsYHQ/s263/images%2B%25289%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cQbBA3603dE/XxavTLB3WZI/AAAAAAAAB_g/RgkFZdU01qkJv1S4v8hVAXSaKqugOu3CgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/images%2B%25289%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> Amidst all of the things, writings and tasks this disabled being has to do to change his circumstances, answering this question for myself, for all of you, I rate as dire and critically important. In all honesty, we hear messages and are asked things when it comes to happiness and especially responsibility. My responsibility is to answer this below…</div><div>Where has love gotten you?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Clk5hb5JbY/XyxQLtz6geI/AAAAAAAACCk/tgtTWwLOLTwQJegW9g8Id-T5E8uwt6kBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20200727_165453097.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Clk5hb5JbY/XyxQLtz6geI/AAAAAAAACCk/tgtTWwLOLTwQJegW9g8Id-T5E8uwt6kBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w307-h410/IMG_20200727_165453097.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> For educational purposes, let’s just view love in all it's possibilities. Love helps families exist. Families create communities and thus cities and nations are born. Where has love taken me? Well Love my friend, has taken me to travel with friends, to help countless others, to help build and provide in new ways, to move with my ex to New York City, to be brave and allow myself to be open to the possibility of falling in love with my high school sweetheart. Can you believe that love has brought me to you my friend?</div><div> How exactly has love brought us here? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yl9nyzBsOH8/XyxQwwSpZzI/AAAAAAAACCs/6PZGlzct4-o2I2qzqEpJfbCYywo3fcl5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20200801_193935163.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yl9nyzBsOH8/XyxQwwSpZzI/AAAAAAAACCs/6PZGlzct4-o2I2qzqEpJfbCYywo3fcl5gCLcBGAsYHQ/w307-h410/IMG_20200801_193935163.jpg" width="307" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dx-ygxnKxEw/XyxRLMq6SSI/AAAAAAAACC0/bjGBrD9W4Gc4wpkPyuF9EDc1xLQ7cUrmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_7449.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="197" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dx-ygxnKxEw/XyxRLMq6SSI/AAAAAAAACC0/bjGBrD9W4Gc4wpkPyuF9EDc1xLQ7cUrmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w262-h197/IMG_7449.jpg" width="262" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Well if we do not know each other, picture yourself concerned about your own well being, your ability to socialize, to matter to another, to be recognized for who you are or the ability to be able to check on a Family member or friend. All of these reasons and more are why we use social media, right? Think of it this way, you are practicing self love and more when you log on, simply to see what’s up. The social part of your humanity in the Subconscious sense, cares about your mental health and socialization!</div><div> Caring about yourself as well as caring about others is one of the simplest yet humble and Noble things a person can do. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCqSmyMagy0/XyxSQuyY_lI/AAAAAAAACDI/oLiKo7iEzEcPrZnJUd3TO8_9bmdhni6YACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/IMG_7837.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="909" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCqSmyMagy0/XyxSQuyY_lI/AAAAAAAACDI/oLiKo7iEzEcPrZnJUd3TO8_9bmdhni6YACLcBGAsYHQ/w290-h328/IMG_7837.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> What I really want you to think about with this post, to come away with, is to seriously and consciously realize how powerful this force we call Love, actually is and can be. One question I used to hear when I was much younger was “Is it better to be feared or to be loved?” The answer to this is now less complex for me for a few reasons, some of which I'll leave for y'all in s different post titled Fear vs Love. The first reason is the understanding of self sacrifice.</div><div>As a parent, I now look through a completely different lens that I previously had when lives did not depend on me. As a father I look at the sacrifices made as not strenuous, stressful or tedious but things that “needed to he done.”</div><div> The largest thing I now know about Love is knowing that I will do anything to protect those which I love and sacrifice for. I would pull the stars from the sky for my children and I am trying to do that now! I realize the fight within myself and the “no holds barred, you better stay the fuck out of my way,” demeanor when I feel my family is being threatened. Looking back at those nature shows I love so much, it is now easy to realize why specific animals, parents fight all unbelievable odds to protect their offspring. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KmS4VdPIVnE/XyxStHBdaUI/AAAAAAAACDQ/-kK3MnTcIrAZ3PZRSEmLL7f4-siiTQvRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1436/cec022aee6f7dd83bec87bc9a174dba6.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="807" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KmS4VdPIVnE/XyxStHBdaUI/AAAAAAAACDQ/-kK3MnTcIrAZ3PZRSEmLL7f4-siiTQvRwCLcBGAsYHQ/w288-h512/cec022aee6f7dd83bec87bc9a174dba6.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> For the reason of freedom as well as to protect home, I understand completely why people, when fighting on their own soil during a war, tend to naturally fight harder and strategically for the places and lands they love. (Just look at Vietnam, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq and others) You see, love can even conquer the conquistador. I’m not talking about changing someone’s mind about fighting in the first place, or rethinking a fight or conflict, I am talking about the ability, strength and will required to beat unsurmountable odds. I’m not saying that you cannot win a disagreement, fight or conflict without war. What I am saying is that the party, individual, group, community or government which is fighting for a reason tied to this unseen gasoline called Love, is indeed more likely to be much more dangerous as well as prepared against the force they are fighting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5bgXlqn_2dM/XyxSGWQXlpI/AAAAAAAACDE/zq6PTTaj5g4xdnVN2r9bAwPC5YjLYqbuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/IMG_8867.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5bgXlqn_2dM/XyxSGWQXlpI/AAAAAAAACDE/zq6PTTaj5g4xdnVN2r9bAwPC5YjLYqbuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w288-h384/IMG_8867.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> When fighting for love, we automatically reach deep past a strength we cannot see within ourselves and bring it forth to he challenged without question. We as humans do things that seem to be humanly impossible. We use the survivalist instinct suppressed in order to ensure that those we love, can endure. We do not only get stronger but we inherently get more creative and inventive with the task at hand… to let no harm befall those we cherish and value in our existence as priceless. We move mountains so that we can, if possible, prevent suffering, hardship and death to those which we care about most.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do this every now and then when writing these thingies. I ask an open-ended question, just for you to think on. What for you is worth fighting for? When you know what that is, I also would like to ask, do you believe that there are any circumstances or reasons why you would choose not to fight? Let me be frank, now the power of love is so strong that a physical fight or confrontation might never need to occur in order to achieve the goals and get the answers we seek.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3EKmYe4UguQ/XyxTPdBVTVI/AAAAAAAACDg/K4VOwNfewr0xN1NuUKuT5BcPQdsIQGOCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s512/unnamed.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="512" height="254" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3EKmYe4UguQ/XyxTPdBVTVI/AAAAAAAACDg/K4VOwNfewr0xN1NuUKuT5BcPQdsIQGOCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h254/unnamed.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Love can stop the opposition in it’s tracks, especially if it knows the overpowering force that they are up against. Love can cause people to find innovative ways to protect themselves, to protect those they love, build wiser, to pay attention to details and love provides focus to the pursuer. With focus and clarity, the one sacrificing time, energy, effort, emotions gains the ability to build for others, whether it be a physical sanctuary as a house, or an idea(s) to change the life of another in a positive way. To be more serious, I can say with confidence that it is purely Love which is lacking in communities as well as in many governments. Lastly I want to remind that love survives all odds, builds healthy Families, builds empires and it is only love alone that lead successful revolts of the past and has many times, won revolutions! </div><div><br /></div><div>As usual, I have left a poem for you to enjoy. Persistence, Purpose, Patience, Prosperity and Inner-peace! -Sekou Mensah Black</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>A seed awaits just as we do</div><div>As much as time allows one to survive</div><div>Faithful and patient for the main event</div><div>For things to change, there must be a key ingredient</div><div>Dark heavy clouds agree in unison to open up</div><div>Pouring the liquid equivalent to what we know as Love</div><div>So knowing this we can begin to understand </div><div>How exactly the most simple of organisms</div><div>Thrive in spite of</div><div>With conditions we deem unfit for life</div><div>Stepping up to Nature’s challenges & demands</div><div>The story was started before seeds hit soils or</div><div>Much before life in any place was placed to show Granted opportunity to exist, no matter what and</div><div>With winds, we too travel'd far</div><div>Some came on ships, some on Airplanes while others</div><div>Shot straight down from an unknown star</div><div>Being let go, to fend for themselves some question</div><div>Was this some sick mistake or was this pre-destined?</div><div>Whether Creator exists at all teaching ethical lessons</div><div>Keep it positive, keep it moving & keep em' guessing</div><div>I cannot speak on what I do not know but</div><div>If they think struggle and folly got me here </div><div>They must first remember </div><div>That Love finds no reason to brag</div><div>Especially when it already shows much</div><div>As some say the journey is not important yet</div><div>We cannot discount the struggles of any seed nor</div><div>Belittle ways in which the destination was achieved</div><div>“Give me rain,” some seeds say while others</div><div>Entertain many with the thought that</div><div>It was them who watered and raised themselves</div><div>Because no one wants to think of a seed screaming</div><div>That Neglect is possibly one sure way to reach</div><div>A very unforgiving and scorching hell</div><div><br /></div><div>Waiting Seeds </div><div>7-29-2020</div></div><div><br /></div>Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-24052034000861105952020-07-07T07:08:00.000-07:002020-07-07T07:50:59.326-07:00The Black Canary<div style="text-align: center;">
The Black Canary</div>
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Until We Are Truly Free:</div>
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The Tale of The Black Canary</div>
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“Singing like a Canary,” as I recount in the streets of East Palo Alto, California as a child and teen held a call against the street code. I learned much from street scholars as well as from many books my father kept, yet I would never guess that I would understand the complex nature and significance that bird held in the lives of us all in this experimental extraction of resources we know as Capitalism. Although I had done some reading myself, I did not fully connect the relation between the oppression of a people and the government which benefited. I mean, I clearly knew the First Nation's struggles from broken treaties to massacres but to fully notice the uphill struggle of your own means one thing, that you can in no way discount or deny what you have been conditioned to live, or in the case of the canary in the mine, conditioned to die accepting.</div>
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All over the planet as well as in the earliest recorded histories African as well as the darkest skin of people tend to suffer an abundance of Genocide, Oppression and inhumane hardships. One could look at history from ancient times of the pharaohs and understand, why African slaves in more modern times, rebelled. In fact, Africans from the diaspora, although indoctrinated through a carefully controlled, Christian brainwashing, learned to read, in secret for themselves and thus were inspired to seek freedom, compelled by what was taught in the biblical book of Exodus. But why is it that Africans were used as slaves in the first place, why Aboriginal Australians were forced into slavery as well as any other dark-hued people of the diaspora and so forth? Being the first people, we have had many firsts, unfortunately that even means, the first to struggle and die. </div>
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During mining throughout the world, humans have learned to use the canary to signal when the air levels in the caves were too dangerous for miners, as it were live canaries used that got sick and in some cases, died before the people did. It is not strange for people to seek dangerous occupations, yet when your very life becomes dangerous, the term occupational hazard is no where close to the injustices which follow and the scars that are left. So yes, Africans and people of the diaspora have been the sociological, canaries in many societies, especially in this American one. In a sick twisted sense, what happens to us, will indeed happen to everyone. As a man of African decent myself, I cannot ignore the injustices, nor can I act caviler to the reality that some stranger, just because I have melanin in my skin might decide to physically attack myself or my family, unprovoked.</div>
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Many have accepted the generational injustices as “the way of things,” yet everything within their conditioned humanity seeks to scream, “give me freedom, give me peace,” when we have already fought and died for that many times over. Sacrifice is something understood which all can attest to building character, strength and resilience of spirit, yet how much burden do a people have to bear? When unfortunate circumstances happen to us, do we look at the past as a teaching tool or do we simply “move on,” to greener pastures, placing a blind “hope,” as an achievable goal, without worry for what could happen, or do we look back, take stock of the previous lessons learned and strive for a different kind of hope? I ask this due to the fact, that many can empathize as well as see the common threads in humanity from family, work, school as well as in our social lives and even in religious lives for some. The question for me is not whether people, can see themselves in us in different aspects but can people foresee the ways in which control and oppression has had a negative impact upon our lives and can sense the same common threads of dissent, abuse, financial fraud, and financial dependency aimed at them as well?</div>
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Many in capitalistic societies do not recognize their importance nor their role as an openly participating “Unit of Production,” per see, such as the social security number given to Americans since birth. I have not studied enough about other modern or “Western,” cultures to know how they view their citizens yet can clearly see the “trickle down effect,” from what the United States of America has modeled to hlthe rest of the world. We can easily look at any form of governance and see people being abused and even killed, while working for the common good, the unspoken monster which Capitalism breeds called “Greed.” Now this Greed, which societies experience is like the gingivitis to our teeth and gums. It eats away at any nutrients we need, after the accumulation plaque has prevented our gums to properly breathe. Capitalism as I have been told many times, is a good thing, yet ingenuity usually comes from a curtain kind of person, one that either wants to make their own circumstances better or in many instances, make the lives of others easier or better.</div>
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“It is genuinely the nature of the beast to want more and more, even after the feast,” I sarcastically say but what many fail to realize are the many ways in which, they too have fallen victim to and yes, have been used and abused by a nature which goes against everything good, wholesome and natural. While living comfortably, it is easy to understand why many would not see the struggles, hardships or even notice the many ways in which their society has conditioned them. Their relationship with their society has been designed to seem natural in all aspects from desires to need yet what was carefully crafted specifically for them, could be everything which alludes to superficial. “I get it I get it,” I mean, we all need to live by some type of rules and everyone has to work in some capacity in order to survive, yet where the question lies is with two words, choice and freedom. We are born into this world with the understandings given to us, whether through family, socially or educational. </div>
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The decisions we make, directly affects the outcome of how we are allowed to live or chose to live. When people say “Do as they do in Rome!” I question, do they know what happened to the Roman Empire and how it fell? When we see others suffering, are we drawn to help them, so we believe or aknowledge that what we see in that moment could also befall us or someone we care for? Why or why not? Is our ability to empathize and relate stifled by the monotony we toil with daily? Are the messages we are fed by government and media foster community, or individualistic success? </div>
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These are all questions for us to ask of ourselves while we seek to feel more “liberated,” as wholesome individuals on our own "road to sucesss," or view life. Now for the canary in the mine, the Black Canary… do you think that you could find yourself in situations where what happened to her/him could happen to you? Why or why not? Do you see instances of people taking advantage of others or has anyone taken advantage of you or your kindness in any way and if so, how did or does that make you feel? My only tasks I ask of you is that you try to look through eyes of a different lens, that you perhaps open yourself to the possibility or thought of… something magical and seemingly impossible and not befriend a Canary, but free them as well as others from the dangerous mines from dangerous minds which led them there in the first place. Besides, Compassion and Courage is Contagious. Dare to plant a seed of resistance and resilience and see what sprouts. (Poem left below, enjoy)</div>
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There have been many dark corridors and corners to turn</div>
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I swear it feels so trapped in here </div>
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Sometimes the air itself is so thick it burns but</div>
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I exist for a reason</div>
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Can’t you see that if I’m allowed space, I can spread my wings and fly but</div>
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My wings have been clipped and they gave me no reason why so</div>
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I sit in this cage</div>
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Calm and complacent</div>
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Still singing and patient</div>
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For one day I know they will open that cage and set me free</div>
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I know the world out there is scary</div>
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I have seen it all being the Black Canary</div>
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Watch me glide through the courageous skies and I</div>
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Will show you how to fly during the storm and when wet</div>
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I will unfold my wings to keep you dry and warm</div>
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Together, new treasures and shady trees we will find but please</div>
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Just please don’t force me back into that cage and mine</div>
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Watch me close even if your breathing is fine or</div>
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It might be you who finds yourself confined, out of time</div>
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The Black Canary</div>
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7-7-2020</div>
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Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-69731320687661001502020-06-22T04:37:00.000-07:002020-06-22T04:47:55.097-07:00A Revolutionary Father's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As my own father mentioned today, after I brought up a question about this Holiday we celebrate commending Father’s, for Black men in particular, this holiday holds an eerie significance. Being that Black men have been murdered and are still murdered by racists and police, any Black father that is not dead and incarcerated is a very blessed man, a living symbol of Power, Greatness, Strength and Love. Oh yes, soon in a blog or two from this one, you will read about me taking about the power of love. For one reason alone I will make a serious example. Ok, so we know that for love, many folks will do the damdest of things, right?<br />
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I have one more question. If you knew that there were negative forces, being a set of laws or a group of people, that wanted the most precious person you care about, either a slave or dead, what would you do to protect them and guarantee their safety? I ask this because this is what Black parents have wondered as soon as, if not much before, their child steps one foot out of the houses into that unforgiving and very racist White Man’s World. The Black Woman is indeed the most precious as well as the most abused woman in this planet, the true Atlas yet I was amazed by what I saw today.<br />
Although there is lots of hate out there, there’s also lots of love and I saw that as Black women stood up, not just this Father’s Day but other years as well, whenever the call arose.<br />
While others pointed out criminal convictions, they pointed out that these men, were fathers and pillars of their communities. I watched the Black family in many forms, nuclear as well as modern, kin as well as stranger, come together to stand up for future generations as well as the brotha on the corner selling cigarettes that could have passed knowing too many of us saw faces of evil as they breathed their very last. So we need soldiers to combat hate and fight the good fight so that our children might never have to raise a fist, to protect the ones thrown at them. I couldn’t bear the thought of not being there for my children and loved ones. Just trying to imagine what that would be like is not a nightmare I want to visualize thus I cannot even fathom the idea.<br />
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Unfortunately there are thousands if not millions of African men that were ripped away from their families either on their way to the New World or through kidnapping, murder, or this new virus of Jealousy, Hate with Greed. Me giving thanks for being here isn’t even the half of it as I struggled to communicate with my twelve year old, who is already sad about the COVID realities, that it’s “just not safe out here for us.” (Below are pictures of George Floyd, Oscar Grant and Reyshard Brooks with their daughters)<br />
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I used to look at this American Crafted holiday of Father’s Day as another Hallmark ploy for sales and economy boosting. I can no longer look at it that way for my life, our lives are much more valuable that any words or phrases Hallmark can print. Every year, as the plight of the Son’s and Daughters of slaves gets pushed under the rug, so does the fabric of Freedom itself. The seriousness of what it means to be a Black Father or a Black Mother, to date, is the most challenging and yet the most profound, noble, and powerful responsibility in human history. The fact is that this past day, the one where we honor our fathers, is now sadly a Trophy of Our Black Survival, as “I made it alive to spend this day with my family and my children.”<br />
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I am thankful even for what I saw on social media, as I saw classmates from all levels of schooling, with their own children, fishing, BBQing, cooking Father’s Day meals and even watching the joys others had, like when my boy Alvin shared the joy of his son eating Eloté corn with what looked like hot Cheetos on top. These are the moments actions which build a community, although we are far and only close by way of our telecommunication devices. I saw my friends with their fathers as well and was reminded what those Black men must have gone through just so that we could be here. We only know struggle and hardship when it is brought directly to our doors, as in many cases, struggle is the norm. If we are still here throughout the Mid-Atlantic slave passages, torture, rape, murder, dismemberment, fed to animals, burned alive, drawn and quartered, tarred and feathered, hanged, branded, chased, bred, abused, psychologically messed with to the point where it perpetuates over ten generations removed from the harshest trauma imagined, we are truly here for a divine reason.<br />
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We are simply told when we were Young that “there will be challenges,” yet in many other phrases commonly heard like “life ain’t peaches and cream,” and so forth. To accept the challenge and gift of being a strong Black parent is nothing short of heroic. Walk proudly and let us teach our future Kings, Queens, Geniuses, Billionaires, Scientists, Professionals and Astronauts that with fierce determination against all forces and odds, that our Creator has invested in us that we can and will be anything that we truly want to be. Here’s to real freedom and whatever that flavor tastes like. I've left a poem below so enjoy!<br />
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Only mothers can know the strength which resides in a hopeful possibility<br />
Not even us fathers can fathom the will to carry and even lose a child<br />
There are those that hold no worries<br />
For their destinies were carefully crafted, stolen<br />
Prepared and procured, purposely for them and prestige… and then…<br />
There are men<br />
Ripped from the existence they fought so hard to keep<br />
Whom may never again feel water flow or the amazing strength of the wind<br />
As some were strung up by their necks and limbs others<br />
Shot like criminals or enemy combatants in a war<br />
When we have been patient to the point of no longer trying to keep score<br />
But we want our daughters and son’s to live another day to greet the sun<br />
So when days like this pass, I hold fast and hold them tight… like...<br />
A Black teenager, bright child of a mother or father doesn’t want to let go<br />
Off into the night, now an argument ensued so we let show<br />
How damn scared and afraid for them and how far we have let things get thus far<br />
Too distracted by what’s spilling on the concrete to be focused on the stars<br />
So we fight and live with the strongest love given<br />
Until we are called by force or by grace to sit proud where our ancestors are<br />
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Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-74619710279866318552020-05-31T15:21:00.000-07:002020-05-31T15:31:20.467-07:00The Vigilant Parent<br />
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<b>The Vigilant Parent</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">What to Tell Our Sons and Daughters </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">During These Times of Change:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> When I think of freedom, I dream of golden grassy hills being blown by the wind. I dream of walks on the beach and I begin to fantasize about what it would be like to live completely without the fear and worry of murder for simply being me. To live in fear daily, believe me is no way to live however this is the reality of many Black Americans especially if you are a parent. When we think about what our children might have to go through, getting sick to the stomach is a normal feeling. Anger sadness and feelings of being overwhelmed is very natural if you are a black parent in Apartheid America. The big question many have is “how do I talk to my son(s) and daughter(s) about racism and what is going on with the George Flynn murder?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> My answer for a fellow colleague, coworker was simple “straight up,” yet we wonder, how will my child receive these truths? Many wonder, is there a certain way or sensitivity that should be used when speaking about these horrific things? As a parent myself the best way I know to talk about hate and injustice is the opposite of the subject, with empathy, understanding and love. We as parents want the best for our children and this includes how they feel about and deal with issues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">When a CNN journalist asked a community organizer about the realities of raising a child of color in this racial tinderbox and the screenshot I took says it all.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArgaEeyhW8I/XtQn-hkpoqI/AAAAAAAAB5s/tLVvnFp0e5ghJO3VPyFLF7jF1FgRFGkHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screenshot_20200530-081255.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1520" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArgaEeyhW8I/XtQn-hkpoqI/AAAAAAAAB5s/tLVvnFp0e5ghJO3VPyFLF7jF1FgRFGkHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screenshot_20200530-081255.png" width="188" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Some that know holy books are taught about “The Age of Reasoning,” when a child can distinguish right from wrong. We simply do not want our children to be hurt or traumatically affected by the stories of the past as well as with the horrible realities we still struggle with. We as parents cringe at the thought of the young souls we know losing their innocence. I for one do not want my son called a “nigger,” as I was in kindergarten by a little boy or girl singing the racist version of “Enie Minnie Miny Mo, catch a Nigger by his toe.” These fears as a parent are very much valid as some of us have experienced truths in our childhood which caused some of us to “grow up early,” per see. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> There is no easy way to speak about violence, injustice and especially murder with our children yet it is detrimental and essential for their understanding and most importantly, for their survival. The answer sounds simple, yet I imagine can be met with layers of anxiety. Using the most understanding we can muster, with the love and sensitivity you can find when speaking about the subject of death and loss is one way. Another approach is to be nonchalant yet serious when we mention the reality that injustice, that harm could befall the young lives we cherish. How do we explain the positives with all of the negatives we know and see?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Compassion as I have witnessed can bring the coldest heart to a standstill. Compassion and empathy is how we will also teach our children of promise to be better than what this rat-race of a capitalistic society demands. Introducing them to awesome people, successful as well as educated Black folks is one way to show them positive. Bringing them to community events such as the Juneteenth and humanities which include us such as plays, musicals like “The Heights,”can be awesome. Showing positive movies which depict the Black man (Latino or Native) in a positive manner helps. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> There are no perfect answers yet I can remember what my parents did. My father had books about racism and blackness everywhere in his library, thus Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and Before the Mayflower became some of my first books. When I was called “nigger,” in Kindergarten, my father removed me from that school and put me in a community school that nurtured blackness, cultural strengths accomplishments and emphasized the many leaders which have led us this far. I was introduced to African events, food and culture via the African friends my parents had. How will our children know that we are strong, resilient, intelligent and have a large outpouring of support if we do not show them?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Personally my first son, now twelve is much too mature for his age due to what he, what we have already been through. He is resilient yet sensitive to the point where I have to choose the right time and space to talk with him. He has a strong sense of morality just like his father and does not like to hear about people, especially Black people being hurt or killed. My son had unfortunately experienced bullying by white children as well as blatant racism from children at playgrounds. This, if I could have avoided was one of my fears.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> My duty as a parent and a Black Father is made that much more challenging. While I'm on the subject I must say that I do not believe that I would have the strength it takes to be a black mother. One thing we must do is to ensure that our children know that they are undeniably loved, super awesome as well as what he knows what's up. My job of protecting him is not just physical for I have to try my best to encourage him faced with an environment which does not nurture community, individuality or the accomplishments of anyone that is not of European decent, especially Black men. I must help him keep his fire lit and hopeful, so that no matter what comes hisway, that he will be prepared by all means and ready to fight back in many ways and not to let the negativity aimed at him, become him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> We must model as well as show them the majesty through our great histories, how beautiful, black and powerful they are and how great, if they are down for a little fight, they will soon become. With showing them how to defend and protect themselves we must also explain that like many instances, there are good people and bad people, good cops and bad cops etc. and that we decide how to become, that being who you are is not decided for them. I have a new son, one that has me wondering, what will we teach him and what will he face. As I have before, I will leave you with a recent poem of mine. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Priests and holy men around the world hold fast</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Praying, meditating and fasting for insight</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pacing and trying to think of innovative ways </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">As unexpected tides rise much too fast to find high ground</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Evil creeps in sinks both sharp teeth deep before…</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Any sound of pain can be heard and simple solution found</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">While children world’s away but even…</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The ones dead in our face have been forced to thirst</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oblivious to the busted teeth, broken bones bruises and blood stains</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Those who could change things fail as other cowards have countless</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This time even the value of human life we leave for them to define</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">For even the old and weary point out...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The way in which this sun currently shines</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Worrying about economies and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Satire too close to home to be comedies</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">We forget yes</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I admit that I didn’t see the reason things must have come to be</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">You see, while we were all blinded</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Some asshole put out a contract on “Kindness,” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Now we all must show face, soul search and if we must… purge</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not like the sick movie types</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">With death, racism and political euphemisms</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Just a plan and an action with momentum and rhythm</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cutting off Evil Greed and Lack of Empathy as the main determining</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Maybe then we could perhaps find a grand design or </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">An offspring of the risen</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The son or daughter of Kindness expressed in Love to get this ball rollin'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Perhaps then we would be paid for our patience and granted reparations</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Maybe then land that was stolen would be given back to them</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">As First Nations stand with their fists raised...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">We behave like trained slaves</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">With every reason to rebel, instead we accept Hell</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Proving that we were the most successful colonized people and</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">There was no forced brainwashing or reasons under the church and steeple</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">It was us, comfortable, immovable, unyielding and yes, Complacent</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Because it could be me or you, no lies, only truth</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taking their very last gasp of breath pinned against the cold pavement</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">As onlookers only yell or walk pass we cry in disbelief and</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From the deepest of pain</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Allowing no just cause </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">As our own empathy for others momentarily pauses</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ask the ancestors and elderly for all of these causes and they said...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"Not on my watch!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">We don’t need a sundial, watch or phone to remind us what time it is</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Only a person not tied to the privilege to act according to what we might do and …</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">To resurrect my dear homie named Kindness</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Contract on Kindness</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">May 26, 2020</span></div>
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Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-50605331855281159612019-09-17T10:10:00.000-07:002019-09-17T10:10:08.175-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 22<br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">one thousand words daily</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand words daily</span>: Day 22 – <span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">the possibility of</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Due to
what I have experienced in my short 38 years, I am one that believes in
miracles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If anyone were to tell me
that something weren’t possible or not able to do, I would ignore or out loud
say “Bullshit!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit that I myself need
to learn a bit more of patience... ok maybe a lot more than a little bit but I am
learning, slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get discouraged,
pissed off and think, “damn, why do people have to make the simplest things so
got-damn difficult… for no good reason,” but that is just the way in which some
systems are designed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are systems,
laws and other things in societies designed for us to fail, succeed (by their
standards of success) as well as systems to keep us stagnant on a perpetual
hamster wheel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meeting with various
folks, I am reminded of “SHABLAM!!!”… the REAL!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">real recognize real</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In my
upcoming book, <u>The Art to Seasoning Life</u>, I dedicated a whole chapter
toward what I dubbed “Originality Takes the Cake,” simply meaning that our
uniqueness and originality as an individual is enough fuel to spark the best
fires in relationships of all kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
simply being ourselves, we often lend a perspective or as I say, a “perfect
ingredient,” to conversations, relationships and even in new business ventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That quote from Marianne Williamson comes to
mind when it says<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="color: #181818;">“Who am I to be<b> brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’</b> Actually, who are you not to be? You are a
child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you<b>...”</b></span></span>
yet we are fed these messages <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>intentionally, subliminally as well as right
in our faces, on a daily.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the push-back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What do
we do to combat these negative forces, which I have dubbed “The Opposition?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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We fight back with diligence, patience, focus, truth and
this amazing unseen substance called Love is what we do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted that there are countless numbers of imbeciles
that have been taught that they have to take from others to survive, thus they
only know how to take, Take, TAKE - opposed to building stable foundations for
themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have witnessed many with
this mindset fail miserably, no matter how big they perceived themselves to be
and no matter how they exerted their perception of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the beginning as well as the end, although
it helps some, it does not matter how you start off financially but what your
goals are, how you set them and whether or not you are open to “The Possibility
of…” My fiancé calls this “The Audacity to do…” which is exactly what it is.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">dare to
be</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">…</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> be audacious<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We must
be audacious and courageous when reaching towards our desires and dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When raising a family we are often told that
we must “suck it up and get a stable job,” but if you can genuinely do more
than others, more than your employers, then you owe it to yourself as well as
your family to invest in yourself and shine like the stars that shine down upon
all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything else would be lying
to ourselves, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we be
comfortable, knowing that we can be living a better quality of existence, a
much richer life with a lot more potential, open to endless possibilities?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I for
one just can’t do that y’all so I’m writing and striving towards perfection,
deflecting blows, rolling with the punches and not stumbling across but being
fed with amazing blessings I would in no other way have been given or trusted
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I know
that I might have touched on the subject of being audacious yet I felt a
passion to write about it once more. Matter of fact, I was taking a shit in my
makeshift office of Starbucks and kind of got really inspired. Clearing the
mind and body have that sort of effect, you know, when you have the inclination
to write an important idea down or call someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess it is time that I shut up now and
leave you guys a poem. BTW I go in for surgery soon (Titanium rod
replacement and fusing bones, taking one out of my hip and putting it in my
lower tibia and fibula) where I will not be able to walk or function like I
want but I think that I am ready, although I still feel a bit scared for the
reason that they are just too lax about the whole thing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Please
pray for me and my family!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Clouds with faces do not blow the fierce winds we perceive<o:p></o:p></div>
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As conditions are now created by us oblivious to the
deconstructs of greed<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some believe it bad when wind topples branches or unstable
trees yet<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was reason within season as they were possibly not in
the right place, us<o:p></o:p></div>
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Misplacing trust and erasing much to create a way of comfort
without stepping back<o:p></o:p></div>
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Looking at the whole portrait of Ansel Adams in flesh not
just on canvas for<o:p></o:p></div>
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While we plot and plan, Earth reminds how fragile and
confined we are and<o:p></o:p></div>
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How flawed a design we can become when taking things for
granted<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet by measuring our own success we walk away with something
special<o:p></o:p></div>
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Magic and miracles surface on soils when we never thought at
night, it did rain<o:p></o:p></div>
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We notice a wet pavement and through the expectance of
morning dew<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many seedlings and spores sprout creating clout is what they
do but<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are just as fragile as they<o:p></o:p></div>
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Needing nourishment of all types<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not just moisture, soil and sunlight<o:p></o:p></div>
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Believing and acting on faith, we find a ways of more than one
but many a ways to provide<o:p></o:p></div>
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Soaking up realness from gifters not takers while shaking
off the fakers<o:p></o:p></div>
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We step forth with proper power showering others with hope
and love, we survive<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Dare to Achieve <o:p></o:p></div>
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9-6-2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-39834774929001623492019-09-04T14:45:00.000-07:002019-09-04T14:45:23.660-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 21<br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand words daily</span><span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">: Day 21<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Understanding,
Comraderies and Smiles: Building Right Where We Are<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As if breathing was not simple
enough… there are many moments which can force or under pressure, persuade us
to slow down, relish in the moment and take stock in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being and living in a fast-paced environment
can sometimes put a choke hold on our spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I believe that we were designed to work in a community environment where
all needs are close by and usually met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this journey called existence, it is of utmost importance that we
learn to exercise a few goods habits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are many things which could help us be more successful, stronger,
more intelligent and attractive yet it seems as though more negative habits are
passed down than good ones. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For some, practicing good habits
means physical exercise as in physical wellness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With others, good habits might include eating
healthy or being in a healthy relationship, while cutting off poisonous
relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poisonous relationships
from home to work have a tendency to sometimes stunt our intellectual as well
as spiritual growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maintaining balance
with relationships in our social lives, whether it is family or impersonal is
crucial for ones well-being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of
these good habits is surprisingly within our social nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Paopd1HiwiA/XW3BZARkcZI/AAAAAAAABow/UldFudbPlwIDET_hnYWoRTjo4lmTem4EgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Brothas%2Bshaking%2Bhands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="111" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Paopd1HiwiA/XW3BZARkcZI/AAAAAAAABow/UldFudbPlwIDET_hnYWoRTjo4lmTem4EgCPcBGAYYCw/s200/Brothas%2Bshaking%2Bhands.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-In8fqInTQNE/XW3BS3-sTxI/AAAAAAAABos/W87uGaQZDHISk7uE1Sr7BYMW7TmCQTCBgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Power%2Brespects%2Bpower%2Bhandshake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-In8fqInTQNE/XW3BS3-sTxI/AAAAAAAABos/W87uGaQZDHISk7uE1Sr7BYMW7TmCQTCBgCPcBGAYYCw/s200/Power%2Brespects%2Bpower%2Bhandshake.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt;">benefits
of gaining understandings and finding common ground<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Understanding or yet, ‘the attempt
to understand,’ others can often offer the best lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we live similar, i.e.; eat, drink and
require the same elements for survival, it seems that more individuals should
share common ground and easily find it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Common
ground is often shared when ownership is not attached, such a property, land,
socio-economic circumstances or the institution of a criterion which
acknowledges differences such as the dangerous “isms,” of racism or
classism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When individuals can pay
attention to the details of the lives of others and in turn, can empathize with
their situation, whether it is success-driven or struggle-ridden, the ability
to connect and understand what another has to endure on a situational or daily
basis can much easier be realized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Truth of the matter is when we understand others, we become more inclined to
assist them, thus we do not feel the urgency of need or guilt associated with
not helping, but feel more comfortable in executing the task of “lending a
helping hand.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Trust is an underlying issue in any
relationship, whether familial or business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Positioning yourself in any situation of education, personal growth, and
business growth, growth with family or in a relationship to be ready to trust
is a milestone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us might have
been burned or burdened when we decided to take a certain position, enter an
agreement with a family member or strike a commitment of any kind, especially
when it comes to personal relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One thing for certain is that we cannot apply our goals, standards or
our passions onto another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Expecting a
direct understanding of what our goal is or what needs to be done in our
absence can set us up for disappointment due to the fact that we are all
individuals with different goals, dreams, ways of thinking and living, so we
cannot expect others to put forth the same vigor and energy as we have put
forth, no matter what was agreed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
dangers of assuming<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
I spoke about in the paragraph above, we cannot set unrealistic expectations
for ourselves or for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Hope and
to Dream requires lots of strength, vision as well as imagination and energy on
our part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To put that energy towards a
goal that is not clearly defined can result in self-sabotage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot assume that every goal we set in
relationships, with jobs, with community or with business will work out the way
in which we have planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many
factors in timing, human error, traffic and even weather that can impede these
goals we make. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having
faith in others is a good thing to have however we must all be weary as we do
not want our valuable time or energy wasted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A question is how do you view the time you spend?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you notice lessons within your experiences
from others?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you a glass half empty
or a glass half full type of folk?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can
you recognize the value in a lesson, even when walking away from a negative
experience?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Remaining
Positive, no matter the outcome not only builds a much solid character, but
teaches you to build in places and in times when others would only see
failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can recall these “Drunk
Glasses,” highway patrol officers and other officers would bring to
conventions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can be just as prepared
in teaching ourselves how to see things and situations through different
lenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By throwing on your Positive sun
glasses, it is possible be able to view an opportunity or insight others completely
miss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remaining positive and walking
through all doors with a positive attitude and outlook can yield unexpected and
oftentimes very great rewards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PGNT5cPjZJ4/XW3COx9JZLI/AAAAAAAABpc/o3QrWM7JI6oWTt-AfI6veseb7_ONweB-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PGNT5cPjZJ4/XW3COx9JZLI/AAAAAAAABpc/o3QrWM7JI6oWTt-AfI6veseb7_ONweB-ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/IMG_7223.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Cost and Weight of a </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">simple
smile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Imagine
yourself, walking through a door to meet family, friends or a significant other
and when you expect a smile, to only be met with a frown or scowling face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one wants to feel threatened or
uncomfortable when looking for a good opportunity or experience anywhere. Unless
you went to Dicks Last Resort, Ed Debevicks or another establishment where you
expected to be treated like crap, we hope for experiences that begin and end
with a positive note, ones that begin and end with a smile. As I noted in the
last sentence I wrote above in the last paragraph, remaining positive n stuff,
positivity has its rewards and the weight of a genuine smile is always
priceless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By being positive and giving
others a good smile when you are genuinely pleased, it shows gratitude as well
as good hosting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
being a guest, this can be a determining factor of being invited back for other
meals, events or even business opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No one wants to be with a “Debbie Downer,” or “Bitter Brian,” that
brings negativity to the table. The memory you receive from a person that has a
genuine smile can last lifetimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
have noticed, smiles invite others to smile as well just as laughter can often
become contagious in the best of ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If a person is having a difficult day or find themselves experiencing
hard times, the simplest gesture within a grin will not just light up a room
with life but light up another person’s life with a sun ray of hope. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These
lessons and things which I have noticed and spoken about in past blogs are not
only beacons of understanding, living, and wellbeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These writings serve as a lifeline to our
shared humanity, conversations for growth, awareness, building foundations and
sharing values such as Honesty, Truth, Understanding, Positive Growth and Love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are my attempts to reach many who might
have forgotten the weight of simple things thought not tangible or goals once
before, believed not reachable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
will be put into a book and from a book hopefully, just hopefully, this guy who
writes “World Help,” publications just might be able to help thousands where
others have failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find it only fit
for me to add a poem below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enjoy…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The elders laugh the joyous laughs we
can hear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Learning new skills without
embarrassment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Making new friends these old folks do, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shows us how Bravery is as they have
modeled many things before us<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Courage is usually observed for heroic
stories and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Timeless anecdotes by those who have escaped death <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do not know if the deer asks “why is
there a fire in the forest.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What I do know is that by smelling
smoke and noting the direction of wind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It ran as fast as it could while moving
its family to safety<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The weight of many thing unseen pulls
down the expecting unexpected <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While others do not move in their
stance towards goals projected<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As they learned just how strong their
mind is and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just how weak their body had become
from carrying these invisible objects<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With every available skill we have and
know turned toward the horizon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We press on like old Chinese workers in
a room with the first movable type presses <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Exited for the outcome and anticipating
the release of something good<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Power I know is attributed to those
who sought to help another achieve for<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Knowing much means nothing when one
cannot even meet basic human needs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Open to possibilities we reach further
in waters unknown with another weight… Faith yet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This one is not seen either but </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Allows
us to get further than thought when our legs fail to move<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Choice is in the eyes, actions and lips
of the giver and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Receiver oftentimes through good
intention, planning and repetition</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Also is gifted a chance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When legs fail to move, even the old
dude in the wheelchair can still dance and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The smile he gives to the young child
who also cannot walk yet, spreads <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Spreads like the best and only wildfire
we all hope others would let blaze out of control<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Understanding in smiles, knowledge,
wisdom and positive words chosen to give as gifts <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To get awesome rewards is nice in life
however<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Giving and leaving good vibes and great
things in gifts of smiles wherever we go<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is what it truly means to exist <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-17757070604388683822019-02-01T14:10:00.000-08:002019-02-01T15:05:30.805-08:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 19<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt;">one thousand words daily</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LAFaOg6M8bQ/XFTH4PbDgiI/AAAAAAAABP0/_0or4Wyx1ikHZp8LOf1NJfxvypU1cAMDQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171018_165908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LAFaOg6M8bQ/XFTH4PbDgiI/AAAAAAAABP0/_0or4Wyx1ikHZp8LOf1NJfxvypU1cAMDQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20171018_165908.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving across the Bay Bridge to a meeting in the Jag. Direction & Drive!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Day 19: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">new year
cheer</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> – </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">direction
and drive</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">self defined...</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I would
like to call myself many things, many great titles to attribute who I am and
where I have been. Words such as Counselor, Writer, Poet, Artist,
Father, Community Builder, Influencer, Healer, Photographer, Philosopher, Naturalist and
Survivor are merely some of what pop up when it comes to hashtags I
use. I am as I am, a writer and storyteller by nature as well as a
healer. I have called myself a Conduit, Visionary, a Reminder and let my new
books, once published, tell more as of what type of dynamic dude I really
am. For now you will have to read these blogs I write and posts to
get a sense of who, Sekou really is. I empower others to be better;
do better as well as live healthier in many aspects of their own lives.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I
am no established “Life Coach,” “Health Coach,” or any of those new titles, as
many who know me and have worked with me know that I am a whole lot more than
one or two titles can define. Being a reminder of past things,
accomplishments, historical stuff I call myself a historian yet I want to do
more. Sometimes I am reminded myself that I have all of the
attributes of a leader, yet know that a good leader must be a good listener as
well as be very organized. It doesn’t help much that my name means “Wise
Leader,” as this is what I have been reminded all of my life by my
parents. My goals now are complicated yet simple to some
degree, as I simply want to succeed and plant the right seeds in the right
places.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I want
the harvests from all of my hard work to benefit my children, and for
creatives, finding viable outlets to express as well as to make a living can
become a task if the right avenues and resources are not set up. Of
course we should work hard and diligent towards anything which we truly desire,
especially if it makes the quality of life better for us as well as those we
care for and love. In this blog I’ll chat a bit about personal
successes, stresses as well as endless possibilities which we can visualize as
well as together… dream.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a beginning and an ending<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Last
year let me tell ya, was a hell of a year for me in more ways than
one. I was rocked with mounds of hard to face news from family as
well as some life changes which affected the way in which I was able to care
for myself and those I care for. I was forced to resign from a job
which I built, that no longer valued my input and knowledge (in other words,
these guys just didn’t have the knowledge, insight or instinct of how or what
to do with me), my son and his mother moved to Las Vegas, which makes it a
little more difficult for me to see him. My Jag blew one hose and
fuse too many so it’s now parked in front of a friend’s house. My van
(#rastavanancy), which I live and sleep in with my fiancé, is experiencing its
own issues so I literally must do what I can to keep that on the road and safe
for travel. About a month after the job ended, we found out that
although my fiancé had a permanent procedure for birth control done four years
ago, that we were soon to be expecting a miracle baby. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSOW4-Ygy4w/XFTDiG3PgwI/AAAAAAAABNo/Rk4BSDcOFo47aN9tVql78dMvoVmpD3-vwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG-3444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSOW4-Ygy4w/XFTDiG3PgwI/AAAAAAAABNo/Rk4BSDcOFo47aN9tVql78dMvoVmpD3-vwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG-3444.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I can
talk about so many other things yet what is important is that I now, on top of
being disabled and homeless in a van, have a zillion reasons that fire up my
determination and cause a brotha to wake up at odd times, writing or
thinking. My disability was denied yet for a fourth time yet I have
a meeting tomorrow with a representative from Social Security and I will try my
best not to rip them a new asshole! I have found myself telling
people a lie recently. The lie is that I… “Just do not like people
that much.” The honest truth is that I do not necessarily have an
issue with people per se as much as I have with the expectations that I place
on others.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">being content is the least of it...<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wo5Qa0tYgBI/XFTHC3JcBpI/AAAAAAAABPs/JC5x-XM2tuUFXq7Cr6hMBrdewzYWGYWhQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20171027_170127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wo5Qa0tYgBI/XFTHC3JcBpI/AAAAAAAABPs/JC5x-XM2tuUFXq7Cr6hMBrdewzYWGYWhQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20171027_170127.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I like
people, I mean I honestly really do! Just because some do not share
the exact same values as I do does not mean that I need to get angry at them or
result to blaming. Exercising my faith in my Creator solidifies my
bond with my fellow man regardless of what they do to me or others. Through
simple reasoning and understanding, we can indeed, know our place in all of
this wonderfully beautiful experience we all called life. So
what if my knee swells up to the size of a grapefruit, ankle the size of an
orange or if I run out of gas money, I have lots to be thankful
for, so much that I have accomplished and so much more that I have yet to
complete.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> In
early Winter I completed a book that began as a short story I titled <u>Robin
and the Red Tailed Hawk</u>. My son learned to swim as well as windsurf
with my father. My new son in utero is healthy and is kicking a
lot. I heard from a couple of publishers and that fired me up to hit
the grindstone as that was some of the fuel which has recently helped me
organize what I need to submit. One of the things which keep us
motivated to do more or be more is our drive, our personal commitment to
excellence and the life we desire.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">direction and lots of it, plan </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a,b,c,d</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> and </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">e,f,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> and </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">g</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> too</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> if you need to</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">…</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Having
a clear direction helps us know where we are headed as well as gives us an idea
of what to expect. No matter what the outcome, when concerned with
performance and the diligence and persistence had, is that we ourselves openly
acknowledge who and where we are, and that we find some type of promise or
“faith,” which keeps us grounded on our paths no matter what might come
up! Aside from having Direction and Drive, we must remember to be
positive and be the “Hell Yeah,” that we hope to see in others and can
visualize the “Fuck YES!” that we hope to get once our tasks are
accomplished. We can, at times find ourselves being our worst enemy
and our worst critic so remember to give yourself a break and be more of your
best friend instead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">strive, build</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">,
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">stay true to you and survive</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> We are
not perfect yet every day we can always strive for the better, in what we want
to see, in what we want in our lives as well as who we want to become or be to
others. We must find faith in something other than another
person, an object, a mechanical or technical device as well as find faith
within one’s self. If trust is what we hope to find in others than
we must first establish a strong moral base, so that no matter what happens,
that we ourselves remain as solid as the titanium in these legs! I
know that I have been busy with my book writing as well as my health stuff so
please forgive me for not posting more and enjoy this fresh poem I am leaving
you all with. My advice for you this New Year is foremost, stay true
to you, for you must wake up every day in your own skin and walk the path to a
future which only your feet can carry you towards.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In ancient days a wick and a candle held the light needed to guide
at night</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mariners looked to the stars, using well the compass and astrolabe</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Having to find the means to make a living along with the will to
survive</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Paths look different to each of us in our own journeys</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some cobblestone to dirt, concrete, smooth basketball court to
perfect waves to surf</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finding energy to press on does not come freely for many we must
fight</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For freedoms, dreams which have been shared and seen or</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Purposes grounded in parenthood, promises and others, finances and
production</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">WE hope for lives filled with joy, void of confusion and
corruption</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When tornadoes of prosperity and greed blow past too close</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Taking the very breath we need through its powerful suction</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Others have people which feed off of them like the leeches
families find attached to skin</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Once they have crossed troubled waters for a better life</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So that neither one, nor more children with brilliant dreams truly
gets left behind</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Becoming the reflections of promise their ancestors as well as
ours have hoped for</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clearing the air of all chemicals, man-made smog and wildfire
smoke</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then it will not matter whether the grass is green or the waters
warm</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As skies are painted the brightest of blues and</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We will eat from what our carefully planted seeds have sprouted
into although…</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How we decide to make a trip to the destination which waits solely
for, is up to us</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Walking in harmony along the grounds of the legacies we have built
with care and love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sight </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1-6-2019</span><span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-25255250856671347482019-01-31T21:28:00.001-08:002019-02-05T19:31:52.226-08:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day 20<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand
words daily<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yXPlVgpI6HQ/XFpSMicpAFI/AAAAAAAABQ4/HqVysYXCtZoakvLNbC1Rrh3tBzyKpM1xwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190111_160500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yXPlVgpI6HQ/XFpSMicpAFI/AAAAAAAABQ4/HqVysYXCtZoakvLNbC1Rrh3tBzyKpM1xwCLcBGAs/s320/20190111_160500.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kid inviting the rainbow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="goog_474837113"></span><span id="goog_474837114"></span><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Day 20: <span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">teaching
tomorrow </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(The
Children)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">cultivation station: remaining positive<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Are there
sounds of happiness which reminds you of good times?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does Hope look like or sound like to
you?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Insomnia
is a friendemy of me, (both friend and enemy).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I get some awesome burst of God-given creativity, pain wakes me up or I
have to pee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life can send you on paths
you in no way prepared for or paved yet, if you want to stick it out through
this crazy fun-filled dance we called “Existence,” remember this… that “Struggle
is never an option.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some type of “Struggle,”
is eminent for us yet we can always decide how we view our surroundings, others
we encounter and situations we find ourselves in, yet to view it as a sad way
of life is not normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Positivity is the
life-force which leads seeds into sprouting after a fresh rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same goes for the cultivation of our
minds and the minds of the youth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As I
rise before the sun, a blizzard of thoughts blows me back into the past I knew,
the person I am now as well as what I know to be possible as well as
impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With E-40’s song “I’m Just Happy
to be Here,” in my brain blazing trails for a new day, I can’t help but be
thankful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have multitudes of things
we can do to pass time, change things, and keep on living life as it is or be
rebellious and think outside the box of how you choose to define this life and
your existence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although there are factors and things which
influence our days and take us to an avenue or situation that we can in no way
control, we must stay strong and hold firmly onto this life-saving force called
“Hope.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a parent definitely
influences my thoughts, as decisions I make are not merely for me but for those
I love. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
daddy as well as relationship thing is serious, for no matter how I’m feeling,
I must remain positive as well as hopeful for those I want to see smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot let my downsides and bad days
influence others so it’s not that I’m ignoring all of the negative factors
which I face daily, it is that I am remaining to look at the brighter side of
things and be positive, you know, the “Glass half Full,” approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to my genes, my kid loves music and plays
instruments, so into the playlist he goes, surprising me with which songs are
his favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the sweet and
romantic “Heart and Soul,” song to Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” to Sir
Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back!” this kid definitely likes the classics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
I’m groovin to Digital Underground’s “Humpty Dance,” and glad that the boy likes a beat that I, his dad made on the computer with the demo program "FL Audio," aka "Fruityloops." <u>Link below!</u><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/ku-the-conduit/sets/beats-to-grind-to">https://soundcloud.com/ku-the-conduit/sets/beats-to-grind-to</a><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All of
these cool things I see in him as well as his song choices makes me smile as I
know that I have not lead my multi-talented son wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember when I met Shock G..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was in the stands when my folks Bill aka
“Flo Stone,” was putting together his album with Young Fool R.I.P., J-River and
some more<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and was asked if I wanted to
contribute and be on the record label, who at that time was owned by an acquaintance who now owns the cannabis distribution company 1212 Distribution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing we must all do in life is gage what
we deem is this goal we hear of called “Success.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write about this subject a lot in many
different ways for one strict reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That reason is that throughout our lives, and especially in our young
lives, we are force-fed messages by our societies as well as those close to us of what success is, what it means and how to achieve it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt;">we must
do more</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">…</span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
we go beyond expectations of others and sometimes we do not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of the weight of choice, free will
and the small increment of time we are given to live this short span of breathing
called existence, I know that everything we decide to do and every path we
take, whether self-chosen or chosen for us, is time sensitive and must be done
with care and wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one goes to a
job fair seeing Ron Jeremy at a booth, Elon Musk, or the top traders of stocks
from the New York Stock Exchange at a booth now do you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t see a gentleman from some insane
organized crime child trafficking ring with a booth or a counselor from a drug
rehab place there telling you how wonderful the job is. There are so many
determining factors which hold influence upon our financial as well as social
growth, whether we notice it or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">clear from
the git!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1Pc_iEUclw/XFpSemLptSI/AAAAAAAABRE/SEbigjMzpAchDZPbD9E2Rhv7D4oucCSqQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Jeremiah_Black-6896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1Pc_iEUclw/XFpSemLptSI/AAAAAAAABRE/SEbigjMzpAchDZPbD9E2Rhv7D4oucCSqQCEwYBhgL/s320/Jeremiah_Black-6896.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kid leaning and mastering windsurfing at Sherman Island.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What we
all experience from childhood to an adult determines how we are to exist in the
future days ahead as well as what happens to those we take care of. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can point the finger and play the blame
game or we can stop now with these thoughts after reading this and do something
about it! Some might say that because of the lack of education (the sad state
of our public schools), lack of financial as well as lack thereof cultural or
social insight (from the institutions serving us) and lack of wisdom
demonstrated,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is indeed why our students
do not have a good educational standing fresh out of high school. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some might look at the environment around us
as well as the often strange political nature, social nature of our society and
the media (which is supposed to be held responsible to cover current events
about our political climate as well as the natural environment in an honest way
in order for us help plan our lives) as the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot let the hopelessness, lack of
creativity and narrow resolve of those in power to tell us what to do in times
of crisis.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
situation is dire that we ourselves must provide clear definitions of what success
means to us and how to attain it. We must be the news broadcasts for our kids
and we must have the courage to strike up conversations about morality to see
where their heads are and what exactly they are soaking up without us there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
also means providing alternate educations to our children other than the usual
school day has in the classrooms, for we are their most influential teachers;
their first teachers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we do
this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One way is by creating an atmosphere
of understanding, love as well as having open communication with honest rules
and expectations, (for ourselves, those we love and for our children) we can
begin to provide a positive place for growth no matter what weather might
come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the seriousness
of trust<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As our
children become mirror images of the teenagers we once were, we see ourselves
sometimes developing different strategies to reach them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the natural family issues arise from drug
abuse to a death in the family, the seeds of hope and understanding we have
purposely planted will not “Protect,” our children from harm but will indeed
season them for the dynamic individuals which they will grow healthily into,
proving to all of us who exactly they are!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know that I am not a perfect father yet also know that my son knows
where the love and truth flows from and most of all, I know that he trusts
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trust from a child to a parent
is as important as knowing how to drive properly or how to wipe your own ass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust is essential in receiving information
and computing what we have heard for our own judgment and formulation of
opinions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I think
I’ll leave y’all with a poem now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
write about all of these morality things until my carpel tunnel acts up and I
know that I need to write another blog on, the Comfort of Trust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this here is way over one thousand
words! Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Folks I know, know the perfect way to put the devil in a
choke hold<o:p></o:p></div>
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One part Love with two parts an abundance of Understanding
and Truth<o:p></o:p></div>
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Where I’m from, there is no book box which might have “How
to be the Best Dad,”<o:p></o:p></div>
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You will find no “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” on the streets or <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Tools Used to Build a Brighter Future,” only discarded
needles, sutures and broken glass <o:p></o:p></div>
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Any parent raising children in a suburban warzone can feel
this <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps we all do when folks prove well how they’ve got
screws loose<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even this poem is too mashed up in truths and places which
might show where those fallen stocks go<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While hope flows still like the invisible Amazon River I
heard about in the stratosphere<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wasting nothing, no seconds, no second servings or solutions
to have to deal with<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We strengthen our bases, stare straight into greedy faces
and academic hopefuls while Raising Realness<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As questions surmount to displace even some of the new
truths which we have also found<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We must talk more, hug more, brain-storm more until we all
get brain-farts to the core<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Building foundations which might not survive like the many
species currently going extinct<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a rapid level we must build a new network of hopeful
thinking every second of every blink<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wondering how we are to raise them without the treasures
which we once had<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No longer there these morals and gifts, must we seek new
ways to reach and teach as well as fight back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the waters are rising quicker than they can build the levees
and <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much too fast than the best crafting plastic machine can
print body bags<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Time is upon us to be thankful as well as knowledgeable of
its passing as time goes<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When there is no land present, only hopes in heaven when
flames are on shore, we must stroke!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teaching youth ways of resilience, love, tolerance and engines
of ingenuity<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preparing them for worlds we might never live to set foot
upon or see<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Knowing that some of us too require to be re-taught what
might have been long forgotten<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When skies grow rotten as well as the fruit<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While thousands grow hungry from un-reaped harvests which we
failed to properly distribute<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Asking for more from us, from their silence alone, we must
in turn be more for everyone<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hoping for love when our child first looked upon us, know
that we are their first Sun<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bringing the miracle of warmth in a world getting warmer
with climate yet colder in hearts <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At home it begins for some while in the streets for others
it unfortunately starts<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Raising Realness & Hope<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1-31-2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-35229218697242388702018-10-31T16:38:00.004-07:002018-11-01T15:25:49.445-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day 18<br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnVBHuM2UJU/W9o5kQ47bCI/AAAAAAAABJs/tBfpBUAQwLk3OglGrVBJ9AgPdMD00Q0GgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20180311-094023.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnVBHuM2UJU/W9o5kQ47bCI/AAAAAAAABJs/tBfpBUAQwLk3OglGrVBJ9AgPdMD00Q0GgCLcBGAs/s320/Screenshot_20180311-094023.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgJtcwcoPe4/W9o5pPaoXDI/AAAAAAAABJw/Zv9yGn4HH0Ag5x8nSbweNkF81CnafWH2gCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20180311-094005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgJtcwcoPe4/W9o5pPaoXDI/AAAAAAAABJw/Zv9yGn4HH0Ag5x8nSbweNkF81CnafWH2gCLcBGAs/s320/Screenshot_20180311-094005.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I took these shots from Bilal's video "Soul Sister," <br />and many years ago vowed that when I got my place, that this would be the wall art</i>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Day: 18 – <span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">there is no
apology for existing nor should there be.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">if there were</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">… </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">y</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">ou would never find this man doing so
or following in any behavior that belittles or shames the gift of my
complicated being.</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">–S.M. Black<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Life is Beautiful, and Black, will
Always be the “New Black.” Black will never go out of style and… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Black Will Be Forever Beautiful! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">our reality<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Imagine being told not to love by
default, that love, just as mercy and empathy, which should course through our
consciousness, is instead taught to you as being weaknesses instead of
important threads which hold humanity and communities of people together?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine the whole society you grew up in from
place to place reminds you that no matter what, you will not matter if you do
not jump exactly how they jump and that beauty is only determined by the
famous, Hollywood, or an ideal standard. Imagine being constantly being fed
images and messages that riches is only worth the family that you are from,
that yours does not matter, and that people, as in the general public do not
care what goes on with your family, that they might be part of the “problems,”
we all face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine your teachers
telling you that covertly as well as in straight forward ways?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the past and present which I contend
with, with every breath, all of the time. This is the future that I will fight
for my unborn child as well as the beautiful children I have here facing such
opposition now!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt;">a simplified response</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is in response to the
opposition which is the opposite of what I talk about and do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love others to the point where it somehow
ends up biting me in the ass however I fear no one nor do I fear anything
crawling, flying or manifesting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus
this is a direct assault against ignorance, lack of justice, lack of empathy,
Evil and Hate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Days ago a Jewish
synagogue was bombed and many lost people they loved dear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Folks were just going to worship God in their
own way, to be taken out by the opposition of love, hate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you hate another person or hate yourself
for any reason, stop now!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My longer
response, I’m saving for a book.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyuoiDWKsIk/W9o8tgL9P7I/AAAAAAAABKQ/Fnd4PkQeCLoxBW3lBXOxBlzT23bJDZgdQCLcBGAs/s1600/forgiveness%2Bin%2Bhand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyuoiDWKsIk/W9o8tgL9P7I/AAAAAAAABKQ/Fnd4PkQeCLoxBW3lBXOxBlzT23bJDZgdQCLcBGAs/s1600/forgiveness%2Bin%2Bhand.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the task
that gives<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Forgiving others, or on the road to
do so does not mean that you have to forget your transgressors, just simply
forgive (which ain’t that simple sometimes), which is logical to do since we
are not perfect and will never be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t for one moment think that I will fail to defend my own family or
that I might forget the folly’s folks do against us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will I hate them for their ignorance? No, I
will not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead I will remind them in
my own ways, fighting in many common ways others do, which do not include
violence if it can be avoided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some protest, some run for office
and organize while I will speak and write truths and stories many purposely
choose to forget or leave out for one reason or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I hate my political system for their
lack of effort and blind eyes? No, I will love, refuse to turn the other cheek
this time, and fight with all of my might, the wheels of justice, while
offering community, togetherness and love, silencing hate in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter who you are, I feel it is of utmost
importance for you to feel comfortable being the person you were crafted to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were once taught that our environment
alone is to be attributed to the dynamic individuals we are today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we have learned since, thanks to
genetics, studies in sociology as well as from observation is that who we are
and how we have become is a lot deeper than many can comprehend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">our
existence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The miracle life is more precious
than all of the riches any king can even dream of having for himself or his
lands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life just as time cannot be taken
back no matter how much we try to manipulate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like when we throw a dart to a dart
board, there is a target and once it leaves our hand, no matter how we aim it,
it will travel and hit somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such
is the gift of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what exactly do
we do when we are fed messages that we don’t matter, that our struggles are in
vain and that our own very lives are but to be “Units of Production,” and can
at any time be compromised?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
experience such opposition at the workplace, we either decide to stay and
endure the abuse, assuming that this is normal to be “Let go,” at any given
time since we are told that “we are replaceable!,” or we look for work
elsewhere in a better environment when we find the time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You and I… we are unique in every facet of
our being, in who we are as well as in what we can accomplish alone but most
definitely for what we can accomplish together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F3W-XaiLb44/W9o8xg6wW3I/AAAAAAAABKU/Q5l0JtS2JVg_ayA9sn2WMcUDsAbxypAEQCEwYBhgL/s1600/hands%2Btogether.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F3W-XaiLb44/W9o8xg6wW3I/AAAAAAAABKU/Q5l0JtS2JVg_ayA9sn2WMcUDsAbxypAEQCEwYBhgL/s1600/hands%2Btogether.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Remember that you are no accident,
that it takes some special type of love to grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I have stated many times, even the weeds that grow in-between the cracks
in concrete need the love of water or morning dew to sprout forth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens when there is no water?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those weeds eventually die, withering dry and
blowing away before even being able to sprout seeds of their own. We all
require some sort of opportunity or chance in order to stay alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be able to believe what you want to
believe, achieve what you want to achieve, and think what you want to think
without the negativity and backlash associated with failure, pain, and
misunderstanding, sometimes we are forced to fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily for many, love has conquered more in
sharing thoughts, feelings, dreams as well as financial insights than all of
the bombs ever launched, bullets that have left barrels of guns, arrows shot
and swords wielded. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For the sake of being you, I toast
to all of your dreams accomplished, all of your successes known as well as
personal, as well as toast to the wellness I hope for all of you to have, in life
as well as in having a healthy and happy family. I for one find myself having
to fight for myself constantly as well as for the young family I must protect
and watch out for in many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son
is with his mother this Halloween and thus, due to her new beliefs, she will
not be taking the children trick of treating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not okay with her decision yet I am powerless at this point to do
anything about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I can do is send
all of my love to my son until we meet soon. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll include a poem for you below to add to
the flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enjoy and have a happy as well
as a safe Halloween!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">On this
night of all hallows, many we cannot see will venture out and thrive<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">As spirits
once loved have visited on their day of the dead<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Pagans practice
with their squashes while some Christians watch in horror<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Children
grab candies while some grab children giving tricks instead, yet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">We
become afraid of the monsters we know of that we can in no way control<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Remembering
well the transgressions and actions which cannot be reversed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">But who
truly knows the current cost and weight of the human soul?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">While
many cover themselves with costumes to allow their wild side to break about<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Others
let out the ugliness inside as well as the true them that they can no longer
hide<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Becoming
as wild as wild they believe they can get away with<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Drinking
spirits while taunting ones as well that the wise know better than to play with<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">We when
lonely seeking kindred souls when lonely to hold close and lay with<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Can we become
more aware of our impact on our planet and others than what is expected?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Truth
stands as tall monuments just as tall trees do after wildfire has passed
through<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Tall and dark without branches some still stand sadly to remind of times past</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Igniting
fires in the heart as a start along with the jack-o-lantern flame tonight I
hope <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">With
lives that pass between the eyes during our existence leave a deep impact <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Eventually
as ours also with memory does not leave with merely ashes and smoke<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">So we
condition ourselves accordingly in a world filled with patterns, and repetition<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Creating
community with no void nor distance can suggest <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">Giving
light to dark situations with understanding, positivity and love as our mission<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">All Hallow's Reach</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif";">10-31-2018</span></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-59752023989252174862018-10-19T15:57:00.001-07:002018-10-19T15:57:55.134-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day 17<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand
words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1sqZTgH0_U/W8pV62bHn2I/AAAAAAAABIk/iXRBRqOMKuAsnhVW6bwIkWiwXlgfGnRmQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1sqZTgH0_U/W8pV62bHn2I/AAAAAAAABIk/iXRBRqOMKuAsnhVW6bwIkWiwXlgfGnRmQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That mantis that was cool w/ me.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ0E8tNBntI/W8pV_pwGUVI/AAAAAAAABIo/DA96wqKkxPkoJoHSh3jMIVk_1l7pSxviACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ0E8tNBntI/W8pV_pwGUVI/AAAAAAAABIo/DA96wqKkxPkoJoHSh3jMIVk_1l7pSxviACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5025.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I went outside before I left the other day to get a closer view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u331O-m3HkI/W8pWCvSwhUI/AAAAAAAABIw/liozpoyqOjU5VOmMCqsedo_szDfKZ1PagCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u331O-m3HkI/W8pWCvSwhUI/AAAAAAAABIw/liozpoyqOjU5VOmMCqsedo_szDfKZ1PagCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I got a clear shot of her... thorax and my wrist. I've still got the gift!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "maiandra gd" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Day:
17 </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt;">nature</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt;">instinct and trust</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To say
that I have more faith in wild animals than I do in the human genome is an
understatement but I’m holding on y’all, like a man holding onto a stop sign in
a hurricane, I’m a holdin’ on!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has
always been that way even as a child noticing the inconsistencies in human
nature yet the absolute perfection in nature around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can a trust the nature of a wild animal more
than my next of kin or more than a human being? Hell yeah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reactions of a wild animal are
predictable, for we can see their uneasiness in the hair bristles, body
language and furthermore, being who we are, some of us have a gift or a certain
knack which prevents such bad things (such as animal attacks and stabbings)
from happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t say the same for
those wild animal tamers, people that train animals for circuses and for Hollywood,
and idiotic human beings that purposely provoke others but I have always had a
calling to help living things in need, from things that crawl, growl to things
that wildly sprout. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BMjgAkS2joY/W8pgUSVB5uI/AAAAAAAABJQ/CK0FNY18w70qg_wHxbsJf5FRhqByEXo3wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20181019_154830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BMjgAkS2joY/W8pgUSVB5uI/AAAAAAAABJQ/CK0FNY18w70qg_wHxbsJf5FRhqByEXo3wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20181019_154830.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Swollen leg of three days with skin graph.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I feel rest
assured that in my short span of life that I have gone far and beyond what my
calling has asked, yet I am still prepared to do more if able.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today
is a new day filled with some type of resuscitated hope. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told myself that since swelling in one leg
refuses to go down, that I was going to stay in bed until things got a bit
better and pain resided, at least enough for me to walk on two canes better and
with more ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw a new doctor the
other day with hopes that things would change but she wants to see blood work
first as well as new X-rays, then return in three weeks, with no pain meds for
now. Let us take note that I have no history of drug use, nor I am not a tweeker
like these folks I flash on here in the notorious Central Valley of California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just explained to her that I filed a
grievance with the previous provider and sought an alternate opinion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">hop with
the best<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why did
I see a test for HIV on my chart to send to Quest Diagnostics? Should I tell
this ignorant immigrant lady (I wanted to say something else) my history as a
Prevention Case Manager, Medical Case Manager and HIV Medical Case Manager, or
just act dumb and bite the bullet, wasting my time and just let her figure
things out, slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I should be
quite right, as my fiancé put it, that would just make me look like an asshole
however at this point, I’m just sick of folks insulting my intelligence. She
failed to ask whether or not I have had the same sexual partner for the past
six plus years amongst other pre-screenings that would set me up for such a
test but like many Africans (except for my African friends I bet) suggest and
as I have heard “African Americans are promiscuous, Black men are bad fathers
and Black women are loose,” are the stereotypes I have heard while I was on the
East Coast… from African folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I
prove them wrong! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Aside
from the medical bs, I was compelled to write this post after a thought this
early afternoon about family and for this I am glad that they, family do not
read this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My initial thought was “Why
didn’t my father raise my brother and sister,” which was a very much fucked up thought
of mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll tell you where it came
from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My pops has been very “Black Power,”
to the core and community driven, yet my brother and sister do not have the
heart like I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As my pregnant fiancé and
I went to the Tracy Public Library to set up our computers to do our thing, I,
who decided that it would become too hot in a Rasta van to just lay down and
rest my legs for hours, decided that it was best to go inside and complete a
book I have been working hard on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I just
didn’t know if I would be able to walk from the parking space into the library
in my present condition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I work my
difficult legs up to the task, I notice my pregnant fiancé with heavy computer
walking out fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask her what
happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She explains that after she
set up and started up her computer, she was asked to leave due to a group that
needed to use all of the desks (a group of mentally disabled) which is fine,
however, she wasn’t the only one that had to stop and leave, without
notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I immediately got upset and mentioned
about my siblings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">option
for success is</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">…</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> no rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
sister helps run an organization that has shared workspace, yet we cannot
afford to pay for the both of us to sit there, perhaps one, but not both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are constantly flabbergasted and blown
away when folks don’t stand up for us as we would stand up in a heartbeat,
without question for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we say
in The Bay “It is what it is!” Even E-40 has a song like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So forget my pain from all parts of legs,
calves, heels, shins, feet, and stinging, burning, pulsating, knees hurting,
going out on me to almost falling down many times during the day… it ain’t
shit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I literally have to fake it till I
make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dwnXJ5y_Ph8/W8pWHKp9HOI/AAAAAAAABI0/ALiP9RrOxgkJSxtsBK6TplAZj_DFkE_IACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dwnXJ5y_Ph8/W8pWHKp9HOI/AAAAAAAABI0/ALiP9RrOxgkJSxtsBK6TplAZj_DFkE_IACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5002.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My beautiful fiance posing for the camera.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
about when you have already before made it, started non-profits, even cannabis companies,
helped hundreds yet do not want to once again break it hahaha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here goes something, back to this book I go!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s toast to faith of a mustard seed and
making the very best of it regardless, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People say no pain no gain well, for me right now I am in the thought
process of no pain, no $$$ gain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although one doctor at Santa Rosa Memorial, I think his name was
Muhammed Ali (seriously), had told me to “Sekou, try to go to the pain, not
through the pain.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point in my existence with a ten year old that is
treated like the third wheel with new babies around him, my fiancé with five
kids and her ex won’t even answer the phone for us to speak to and a healthy miracle
baby of ours in the oven, what choice do I really have? I would love to have
the finances to pay for the wedding she wants as well as the house, office or
apartment we need but for now, I will have to rely on complete strangers and
God, not family (they help to some degree, I am thankful but have explained that for their reasons cannot help me out of this one), and that’s just how it is. I can bless y’all with a poem fsho!
Here’s game spit I must emit in poetic form once mo. Just take a glance below…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Demons snarl in contempt when their contingency plan goes south<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sputtering curses, growls, the foulest of sounds and with
that, slobber and smells from their mouths<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When a man’s best nature cannot be withheld, he<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Draws his sword with one accord upon the promise that with
even while pimping his pen<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His swift might with the angel’s sight will be felt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pain knows no tolerance as hell know no furry as the woman
he protects<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As babies that leave this Earth much too soon wait to hold
their parents who<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the same time work understanding time given and the
waiting in-between to hold them once more<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We decide on our own what things mean and how exactly we are
to handle things when<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Things fail to add up and when handles on old schools fall off
and windows fail to roll up <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While mosquitoes gladly fly in sucking the blood we hold to
keep warm for another day<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Praying for strength others will never have even in ten thousand
seasons<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Excuses float on toxic oceans of shame as we see ten
thousand reasons<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Babies see none of this, nor do children as all they want to
do is play, be loved and dream<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Work must be done still under our Creator’s given burning
sun <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even if cancer is allowed to come along with the climate
change and so-called unforeseen pain<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We create conditions persistent with the mission of smiles
and forever thanks<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Due to the promise of new life as hope resides forever
regardless of death <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amongst syringes, man-made diseases, false reasoning for
greed and amongst the sharpest of shanks<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No Permission to Squash Opposition<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10-19-2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-47438863852115762222018-10-16T16:16:00.000-07:002018-10-16T16:16:00.493-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day 16<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4A9XcuDkFQ/W8ZrmPO0DUI/AAAAAAAABGc/TWFfJ_HNrjgixgiDNk1WAjWtc_m6fJwLACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180210_091055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4A9XcuDkFQ/W8ZrmPO0DUI/AAAAAAAABGc/TWFfJ_HNrjgixgiDNk1WAjWtc_m6fJwLACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180210_091055.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Who dat is? Th</i><i>at bandana is really dope though!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />Day 16: </span><span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">the tides<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As I
rise before the sun as I do many days for one reason or two. This reason being
intense pain in both legs and not simply insomnia, I say a prayer of gratitude,
for that’s only the best attitude and lay out a plan of many things I must do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My day doesn’t differ from others much except
that I have to navigate my surroundings in particular ways from how and where I
decide to drive to where I decide to take a step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With determination in my mind, pain
throughout my body and love in abundance in this tired heart, I embark on a
journey which leads me to this post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
days I have had plans to write, with many ideas such as the crazy dreams I have
been having while in slumberland, dreams we hold as individuals all the way
back the dreams of our parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
today, at least just for this day I will talk about my dreams as a successful
writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEripOfI8wQ/W8ZtgQ6qadI/AAAAAAAABHQ/nZNFbyI_C5AGsdxnhby8NvK8bZ9JZ5qsgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180804_105627_913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEripOfI8wQ/W8ZtgQ6qadI/AAAAAAAABHQ/nZNFbyI_C5AGsdxnhby8NvK8bZ9JZ5qsgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180804_105627_913.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Two of many manuscripts in the works</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt;">plans
and detours</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
plan was to finish typing from manuscript, the second chapter to a book I once
started yet got stolen once one of my laptops and belongings went missing,
along with a car rental a year ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
this time I was just learning to once again walk yet had organized most of my
writings… without using a good flash drive or online cloud drive to save
things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy did I learn a hard
lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today I completed that second chapter
of <u>The Lioness</u>, a very surreal yet detail oriented dream I once had many
years ago before my son was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
never forgot this dream nor the impact of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This dream was like a sign of things to come, a promise from our Creator
that “There is something specifically meant for you and you alone.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to square away some ideas from that
dream, so that I could begin with task number two of today; complete my book of
<u>Robin and the Red Tailed Hawk.</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although
I had to start from scratch (think of a DJ scratching a classic Hip Hop record)
with <u>The Lioness</u> and although I was once between four-six chapters deep
in beginning, I think I’m off to a great beginning, setting a realistic pace
for myself as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>Robin and the
Red Tailed Hawk</u>, transformed from a short anecdotal story I once wrote on a
lost/stolen manuscript into a magnificent work of art, with enough imagination
and wisdom for a book to fill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
trip how things turn out, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who
knows if I’ll be done today, as I have a few illustrations I would like to do
from my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My overall goals now are
to complete between two to four books before this year is done. I find it
difficult enough just to walk to the bathroom now or to my vehicle if I forget
something, like the power chord to this computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">positivity
and getting it in: a short history of me<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I take that stroll, with sharp mind, flag in my
back pocket, sike!!! a dinner towel I got from a gas station with mason jars on
it I use as a bandana, having Jimmy Cliff’s “You Can Get it if You Really
Want,” playing on repeat in this crowded brain of mine. I know I have many
miles to still go regardless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as
that rag, or flag thing goes, I’ve been on that grown-man shit, my hustle since
I first decided that I was a man (say around 16 and ½, 17 or so). I’ve been a
counselor of many sorts since: starting from a Street Outreach Worker (street
counselor), Health Educator to a Prevention Case Manager, HIV Test Counselor,
Drug Rehabilitation Counselor for youth, Medical Case Manager, Soldier for
Truth and Gang Counselor at “Rock in the Hood,” (something my bro Flo began as
he got his life in order and was given a way, a supreme outlet to uplift
others,) I reflect on success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
Health Education, before as well as after the accident, I turned into a
progressive and very hungry Cannabis Consultant, starting many things,
influencing the game and helping hundreds, perhaps thousands in many outright
as well as unseen ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXppRmy29lw/W8ZvST7W_iI/AAAAAAAABHk/nWSaIm_IooQ2vNTSuIV3q_QbCXoE-rMkwCLcBGAs/s1600/sb%2Bny%2Btimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="650" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXppRmy29lw/W8ZvST7W_iI/AAAAAAAABHk/nWSaIm_IooQ2vNTSuIV3q_QbCXoE-rMkwCLcBGAs/s320/sb%2Bny%2Btimes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A pic of me from the New York Times conducting Outreach & Testing... in Manhattan!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Being
a visionary ain’t easy and I’m not even trying to be cheesy. I now write and
I’m cool with that. There’s a ten year old that wants to spend more time with
me, also a child waiting to be born into this world with my genes attached,
therefore hope for many reasons resides here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With assistance unseen from the divine or concrete such as the amazing
support and compassion shown from my fiancé, I can only be thankful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As this gentleman sitting across from me
offers to assist with plugging up my laptop, with my legs on “Damn,” mode,
although there are troubles in the world that piss me off, I can only be
hope-filled and seek solutions within my reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can all shoot for the stars to say the least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can plot and plan throughout all of life’s
twists and roller-coaster turns. What matters is how he choose to go forth with
we are left with, how to handle the situations presented to us, whenever and
however they come on a plate or platter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">take chances
yet choose wisely<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
given an unbelievable opportunity or a stroke of insight which benefits, we are
encouraged by others to “run with it,” like a wide receiver that instead of
running far with arms wide open, took the hand off and the yards he could take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we sense the tide rising or falling we
have but a few choices; stay there and deal with the waves, which will pass,
swim, paddle or boat to deeper water so we don’t get stuck in the mud or get
the fuck out of the water, period!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
folks have opinions which differ such as “I wouldn’t have been in that water in
the first place,” adding, “I don’t know what’s in there?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why be afraid to get a little wet, I mean,
it’s bound to rain some muthafuckin time so… live with it and enjoy what life
it brings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
reminds me of a dream I had the other night. In the dream I was visiting a
community of folks that lived on the water, on a river somewhere:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As the
dream changed quickly from good times and laughter to immediately dreary, the
water soon rose, causing massive flooding which some could not escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The owner, or elder in charge of one
property, which had its own dock, had the task of what to do with the bodies of
the deceased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did as his neighbors
did and tied and wrapped up his deceased loved ones one by one, letting them
float with a small weight attached to their legs so their head barely touched
the surface, at least until the waters receded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I swam in this dream, yes I had to swim in the flood waters at one point;
I remember small bubbles being around each of the submerged bodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have yet to pull the meaning from this
realistic dream but it’s all good in the hood! Now to do a poem for y’all that
had courage to read and get back to the task at hand, completing my book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thick murky waters rise ever so high regardless if
we can swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In a places that for the decisions we have made<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Refuse to run dry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As toxic refuse floats along with lost dreams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We once again look for answers and a way seeking
refuge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amongst real folks, those strong with deep
foundations and dry land<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Realizing mistakes must be made we..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Building businesses, relationships and friendships
upon loose shifting sands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then we wonder how it could have happened<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What must have I done wrong if any<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prolonging the electric change we are meant to
create as well as participate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Knowing hard lessons learned, hold as much gold as
money earned<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Perhaps then we will learn to plant in better soil
or<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Swim up river where the waters are fresher and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dig the foundation of our houses miles away from<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On higher ground from the levels of the seas <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For, we will arise, standing up proud with
integrity held and dignity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Seeking no pity whether we are tall or broken down
to our knees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Praying for justice some can do while<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Others build differently each for the heavens for
that hardcore miraculous substance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Building and moving mountains where others meager
foundations have failed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Materializing dreams into reality, making believers
out of the most hectic of skeptics<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Showing the many ways in which having faith
prevails<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Tides<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">10-16-2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-28816139831659517752018-10-09T14:46:00.002-07:002018-10-09T14:46:46.673-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day 15<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BgDWmud_RuM/W70faiW0x4I/AAAAAAAABDU/FArznOBK1boN0R87rNrs0FGNdZeaPWz0wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BgDWmud_RuM/W70faiW0x4I/AAAAAAAABDU/FArznOBK1boN0R87rNrs0FGNdZeaPWz0wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4725.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Acorns under a tree. My son was collecting some... to feed the squirrels where he lives. Note: Many large oaks we see were purposely planted by Native Americans, hundreds of years ago, as a food source</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD", sans-serif;"><br />Day: 16 </span><span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt;">patience and the
waiting game</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever I am faced with issues and adversity,
I revert back to times when I was worse off, in order to deal with the current
struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My thought path is usually, “At
least… I can remember when… or I am thankful for… blah blah because ya know,
things can always be a lot more worse. Remembering the good times as well as
the bad ones that were, in my opinion, shittier than the current predicament
always has me thankful for just being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even while in constant pain, I must admit that I cuss, curse at folks
out loud as well as quietly because my take is.. “There is no way that people...
are just that damn stupid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I
remember the thing about expectations, which is we cannot expect others to have
the same values, morals or expectations as we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would be insane and unrealistic of me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5iBsmTz3nKg/W70ff7nXP8I/AAAAAAAABDg/svuPCC0pdIo8xrztrYQ8k9HXB5oazN6mgCEwYBhgL/s1600/1536817253530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5iBsmTz3nKg/W70ff7nXP8I/AAAAAAAABDg/svuPCC0pdIo8xrztrYQ8k9HXB5oazN6mgCEwYBhgL/s1600/1536817253530.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Another ER visit.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">perception
of things<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yesterday, upon waiting for the nurse
to discharge me from the ER, after her offering Motrin, a pain reliever which
does nothing except make my stomach upset and piss me the fuck off, I forced
myself to look on the brighter side of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For one, my headache was almost completely gone! So what if I didn’t
have the right tools to combat a migrai</span><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD", sans-serif;">ne the next day because for today, I will
live </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD", sans-serif;">. Although the ER previously had my medications
on record and were able to assist me times before with such pain issues, there
was no reason for me to get all bent out of shape over it. My previous train of thought would be to
blame my primary care physician, the healthcare plan or insurance that I’m
under, or the laziness and lack of professionalism of the doctor as well as the
ER staff. This time I just said to
myself, after I left of course, “I hate Tracy, this ass-backwards small town of
a city that I’m currently in, while looking forward to better times and
brighter days. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I had to rush after I got out of the
doctor to pick up my wife to be to also feed her as well as the baby to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called my son to let him know I
love him and to encourage him to have the best day possible while trying his
very best at everything he decides to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Exercising my writing skills, even while a bit drugged up, I was able to
write one short article for The Candid Chronicle about Hemp in Wisconsin as
well as begin a blog on Trumps Secret Marijuana Committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was afraid, especially with nauseousness
from the migraine and the meds that I would be rendered useless. I even thought
my pregnant woman might need to drive our big van for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v9FL3r2-Q5s/W70fxpMhtDI/AAAAAAAABDo/gTNwa641bE8jSuSwDOs_QNrL9f1H0GOLgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180919_145922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v9FL3r2-Q5s/W70fxpMhtDI/AAAAAAAABDo/gTNwa641bE8jSuSwDOs_QNrL9f1H0GOLgCEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_20180919_145922.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I was trying to capture this bee with my phone but...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gdg4VWcOv_A/W70gy5b4qyI/AAAAAAAABD0/E6dtuAG2Wqwn-IRrjMrrp2n4zWITNxuAwCEwYBhgL/s1600/1537508780060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gdg4VWcOv_A/W70gy5b4qyI/AAAAAAAABD0/E6dtuAG2Wqwn-IRrjMrrp2n4zWITNxuAwCEwYBhgL/s200/1537508780060.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>... it kept doing this cool acrobatic shit.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">high hopes and aah-hahs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With patience comes many things such
as insight, rewards in knowledge and wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wisdom is only gained when lessons are filtered through a proper lens
and learning occurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I await this child
to be born into not just a healthy-loving environment but also into one where
it has little wants and needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love is
in abundance in this new family of three and although my own family didn’t jump
for joy when I mentioned this pregnancy, I am fully aware of the opposition
that comes with expectation, judgment as well as lack of understanding,
regardless is miracles are involved or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I just want my woman to have the best pregnancy ever and to be the happiest
she has ever been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it comes to my
happiness, I’m happy rest assured that she has everything that she wants and
needs, especially for this new miracle of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I say miracle because she was not
supposed to be able to have kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
had a procedure done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I truly believe in the divine and in
providence, God, Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus, whatever you choose to call
your Almighty, Higher Power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
answering my callings, my God-given talents, and that is an
understatement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I say that “I am
exactly where I am supposed to be,” is difficult to say with everything going
on, yet I understand it fully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know
that there is more for us out there, as our dreams and daily realities remind
us of it in hints and blessings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
smile I get, filled of unconditional love from my woman I love is nuff
assurance that I am on the right path and the messages and love I receive from
my Higher Power solidifies my faith and exemplifies my wisdom furthermore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just know that no matter where you
are in your walk of life right now and how far you have come, that there is
always something more to explore, something new to learn and some amazing,
positive experience worth sharing with another soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although there are many things we can in no
way control, some pain so deep that it is hard to console, things can be done
with the right outlook, the right push, the right amount of faith, yes, and
mountains can be moved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I’ll
write a poem for you too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">I hear
that large sets of wings sometimes fall from the sky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">With no
attached body or bird and they still don’t know why <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Some
believe that future generations now lack the magic <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Once
tragedy hit, striking the wrong nerve<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Some feel
as if the future is lost to those which do not deserve<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">As
failure is digested along with progress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Where
dreams once sprouted fresh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Now are
left poisonous seeds of neglect, pollution and regret<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">For
power is presumed by no real earth movers or soul influencers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Tide
breakers stand in the waters firm while the man-made storms spin wild<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Although
it is costly not to notice the violent storms which brew from within<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">So we
blame and banish instead of feed and nourish, we take for granted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">The
hearts and lives which require as much love as we do<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Ain’t
shit soft about telling your child you love them or<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Playing
dolls with your daughter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">There’s
nothing more ambitious than dancing with children and laughing repetitiously <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">For
their happiness, safety, solitude and artistic attitude turn into our riches,
instead<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Nations
of those have failed, cop out for the dollar and turn into punk bitches<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Taking
it up the ass with no Vaseline in order for rent to be paid and to “look clean”
when<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Their hearts
and very souls are soiled with filth that even with bleach, cannot be scrubbed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Turning
into the monsters they once feared when they were children that cannot be loved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">When
listening and acting takes just a note, a hug, a taught lesson and a turned
jump rope<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Oh my oh
my, the everlasting seasoning of triumph filled with promise and hope<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Resuscitating Hope</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">10-9-2018</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-87814337625301784562018-10-02T21:36:00.000-07:002018-10-04T10:46:42.949-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day 14<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand
words daily</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kX-zJ9PUxMQ/W7RDbAgpE3I/AAAAAAAABA8/V8kEBxi5GN4vgo1UOddakVkWBN6PNfyEwCLcBGAs/s1600/1536817254733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kX-zJ9PUxMQ/W7RDbAgpE3I/AAAAAAAABA8/V8kEBxi5GN4vgo1UOddakVkWBN6PNfyEwCLcBGAs/s1600/1536817254733.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One day I had to force myself to take a walk for clarity and came upon this olive tree in a front yard.</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>"Perpetual peace is indicated by an olive branch which the dove brought with it when it returned to the ark."</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>~ St. Augustine</i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 14:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">focus, clarity and the realizations
that stuff brings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
believe in many things. One belief is that all of us would like to live to our
full capacity when it concerns doing what we to have a little more after we
make ends meet, do what we need to accomplish for self-satisfaction as well as to
do what we are meant to in our lifetimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like to think that I am a sort of reminder of sorts, one who guides
others towards their potential, kind of like a life coach, except without
getting directly paid in cash for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
would love to get paid for it but that is now what I have been doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holistically as well as spiritually I see myself
as a conduit, an avenue for the growth of others, one who directs, counsels and
leads others towards success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently I
have found that I am not “reminder,” as I need to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact I have found that it is I that has
needed the reminding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need reminders
for how to take better care of my physical, mental as well as spiritual
self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
be one who is supposed to be carrying the water for the next in terms of
nourishment or leading one to it, and being a path/conduit to aid in that flow
of richness, to find myself needing the reminding has been a real trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being humbled in a good way is a constant
thing if we are open to the challenge of learning, however to slip and get
humbled due to unfortunate circumstances, please believe, has its share of
surprises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately it has been more
positive experiences than negative that continue to ground me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I can look at any of the instances in a
negative light however it is undeniable how things happen as well as how things
get worked out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing for sure is
that entering each circumstance and challenge through eyes of faith has
determined the outcome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLC05WH_XmM/W7RFIkiMslI/AAAAAAAABBI/lr7fY4UgLSAnWcKucuLgh1Z10lJfBO7WACLcBGAs/s1600/1536817253823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLC05WH_XmM/W7RFIkiMslI/AAAAAAAABBI/lr7fY4UgLSAnWcKucuLgh1Z10lJfBO7WACLcBGAs/s1600/1536817253823.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In the er again, but they said "it's all good, don't trip, here are some pills..." lol</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">taking that cautious step back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Upon
helping others with their health needs, I am reminded of how I need to focus on
myself in a more serious light and take a stance when it comes to “Exactly what
it is I ought to do.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trying to inspire
the creative side of others as well as in listening better to what others I
have discovered, I have recently opened up a new found fire for writing as well
as with art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In taking care of others I
have found how I need to be in the healthiest of conditions in order to be
there physically (and not die or something) for those I love that rely on me
from my fiancé to my children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some work
so hard in order to provide for the ones they love, killing themselves slowly. Their
mental mind state is on edge, blood pressure rises, the body slowly takes a
toll and health begins to deteriorate and they become, naturally, by a cold
society, bled completely dry and used up to useless for the ones they love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
type of drive can be good if focused as well as fed positively yet sometimes this
can result in a loved one growing unattached as in divorcing or even sometimes
can result to stress-induced early deaths. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I refuse to “go out like that,” and I suggest
that everyone find a path that serves as both productive as well as healthy for
all affected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Re-evaluating often needs
to happen, reality checks, checking oneself or perhaps simply listening closer
to the wisdom from those who care about us. By doing this, focus is regained
and perspective is broadened, eyes opened to newer possibilities and/or chances
for growth sprout like seedlings awaiting those first drops of fall rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To share my personal experience, I find I
need to fight for my health and life when it comes to being served in a timely
manner by medical professionals, as I have discovered not everyone is as professional
as I am or have been in the realm of helping others. I have had to be more than
proactive and concerned by demanding what I deserve on all life fronts!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rDffTbSb6og/W7RF-Re85II/AAAAAAAABBc/eppJ-luWaV4Lj1NEYHS0yF8dshmp0WwfwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rDffTbSb6og/W7RF-Re85II/AAAAAAAABBc/eppJ-luWaV4Lj1NEYHS0yF8dshmp0WwfwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6736.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Who is this funny lookin dude?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V793ewaD6cI/W7RGPLqfBNI/AAAAAAAABBk/cf5rnM_2pc883CdULZJjPUyLHGJ6xd4-gCLcBGAs/s1600/1537741445664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V793ewaD6cI/W7RGPLqfBNI/AAAAAAAABBk/cf5rnM_2pc883CdULZJjPUyLHGJ6xd4-gCLcBGAs/s320/1537741445664.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Son and Pops, the teacher swimming together.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">cultivation station</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">… (across the
nation n stuff)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
I have mentioned above, cultivation is something which we should consider when
it comes to wholesome lifestyle as well as personal wellness. For myself I have
put some water and fertilizer on some talents that I have not forgotten about
but have put on the backburner, or for farming and gardening sake, in the
compost bin but have forgotten to turn it or add it to the soil already
existing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Realizations occur, such as I
have had to admit that in the past I have been too nice, to the wrong
kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also failed to surround myself
with the right kind and as a head of a family; this can be a serious issue to
those that depend on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So as I type
this beating out “The Jacka,” my flow is relaxed and I find the proper words to
give you the real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
prayer and meditation I have been able to focus on the talents and loved ones
that need that “watering.” Sometimes when there are clouds ahead that refuse to
produce we need to find a good, viable water source and can no longer wait for rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have re-discovered my artistic abilities in
drawing, beat making, rapping, writing songs and it’s on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of that I have been waking up from
dreams, writing down the ideas as well as have had melodies from dreams on my
mind as I wake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When your subconscious
speaks to you and especially when your higher source, whether it be your scientific
analysis or for me, God, “you better listen, speak up and answer,” shoooot!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt;">picture uncertain to picture perfect
enough for</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">…</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> the right stuff<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If we
fail to get the memo, the very things we forget will grow like weeds, strange
diseases with no seeming cure like an unexpected deadly cancer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes separation from the situation and looking
at “what exactly it is…” from different eyes can gift you a growing surprise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some things we have to let go while others
require more focus… and it’s just like that, deductive reasoning with guidance
and faith and proper pampering, treating, and action while believing it can be
accomplished at its best. How you choose to cultivate depends on you if you
need to do any at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I can do now
is show you to the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether you
drink the reverse osmosis for your psychosis and obtain nourishment and positivity
from it is up to you. Below is a poem for your enjoyment and review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lost souls and waiting ones, spirits that do not yet
know the warmth of bright light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Watch us folly and fail time and time again slapping
their foreheads in agony and irritation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we think we are forgotten as others no longer
here we can in no way evade from our thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For some, what is not seen is better than the
reality they hope to never encounter but<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How can we begin to discover what needs attention
when we have not lost enough to learn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We cannot begin to neglect the very soil under our
feet any longer nor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Can we fail to acknowledge the weeping skies above
our lowered heads?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While there lies a balance between ignorance, knowledge,
wisdom and what to discern<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To acquire not just the nourishment needed for all
but<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To ignite the passions and gladness that overcomes
the sadness and pain that burns when<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All we need to do is find the proper water that helps
our blood flow ripe through veins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Encountering gold in the streams while feeding the
child within that remains<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Discovering talents, resolutions and cultivating all
which helps us break the mold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Walking along streams with those we care for finding
other footsteps in mud and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the same time floating petals, fresh water for
burning kettles and gold for…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Only we can define and appraise what is precious for
the heart as well as soul<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Perfect Appraisal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">10-2-2018<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Follow me on bloglovin as well...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19628375/?claim=jppyrbpa9ay">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-2437911718247089182018-08-31T19:35:00.001-07:002018-08-31T19:35:15.263-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 13<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Day 13: <span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt;">a
calling</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">…</span><span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and the answer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When someone knocks on our door, our first inclination, our immediate response is to find out who it is and what
they want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same goes for when our
phones ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a choice, either to
answer or to ignore. Even if we choose to answer, the method and <u>how</u> we
do is what usually determines the outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For many, they wait, ponder, and hopefully, finally they choose
wisely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the right direction is
the only direction to move forward, carrying some form of strength,
determination and faith as they answer their callings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although it might seem like a simple
answer for some based on hobbies, interests, skills and obvious, noticeable
talents, the path to finding your own niche in life and way of being, your
purpose can prove difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For others,
finding and answering a “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">calling</i>,” as
to put it takes courage, direction, responsibility… the most valuable concept
related to Hope called Faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First off
the best start to doing something that might possibly seem different than what
others are doing, especially if you are a firm believer in it is getting to
know yourself better, your likes, dislikes as well as recognizing the gifts
given to you, not in physical form but mentally as well as spiritually. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I chose this picture, simply because I like Redwood trees and wanted to get in a few macro shots to see how it would turn out. My decision was self-pleasing however in touch with one of my callings/gifts, which is having an eye for photography. My decision to charge the battery and purposely seek something I wanted to capture on camera served multiple purposes. These purposes are in effect right now as part of me writing this blog. Purpose, in having one becomes more important as an induvidual grows older, seeking meaning in their lives as well as constantly adding meaning and value to the world around them through understandings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Personally speaking, getting to know
my “new,” self is an adventure, as I struggle to with things I can as well as
can no longer do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the
blessings/gifts which I have received, I have to be realistic whether I can do them
or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shiiiiet, I’m struggling now
just to stay awake to type these ‘one thousand words daily,” in the library, as
I’ve been slackin on my days, out of gas as well as money for food to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local church meetings have supplied us
with food each day, as long as I have enough gas to make it there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many gifts I have, discernments, skills,
talents all God-given gifts to share with others now need to be on hold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now tell me… what do you do or say when
divine hands reach down and give you a gift(s) some would kill, even die for?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">erase doubts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Automatically we question, trying
our best in our understanding, to determine whether or not this gift, these
gifts or calling is meant for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
told and conditioned what our possibilities lay, by brainwashed teachers,
clergy as well as workplace supervisors, we can often “pass off,” what is only
meant for us to receive, as “noo, that’s not mine.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes a co-worker, supposed friend or
family member takes what you’ve shown them and decides to run with it as if the
idea was solely theirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oftentimes
individuals intercede in what you are meant to do by interjecting what they
believe you should be doing with your valuable time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we might not feel as if we are in
the right financial, social place, or state of mind to reach the set
accomplishment, even when it is us with the dream and us which ultimately sets the
bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My choice is to slow down on these
here “one thousand words daily,” blog posts in order to focus more of my time
on book projects that need to be completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another choice I am making is in seeking out known magazines and
periodicals to write for, something which generates some reasonable income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things are different when your calling is
simply help others and life in general in many capacities, when it is yourself
that needs help and your life that needs to be saved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is spiritually, I feel better
about exactly who I am and physically, I have learned to accept that I might
never again go on a long hike, climb mountains, and that people are what and
who they are, that empathy cannot be persuaded or taught, only modeled. Having
high expectations is a good thing, especially for ones’ relief and wellbeing
however it is unrealistic to expect others to magically acquire the same
values, morals and habits as you have, no matter how long you have known
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">how do you answser</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How do you answer a calling and how
do you know that you have been given one?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a difficult question, although I’m not going to look anything up
to help, just shoot the shit as I often do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I recall a couple of times when I received a questionnaire, which helps
determine which job path that you would be better suited for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recall, as I was asked to give one of these
to some homeless youth I used to counsel, how narrow the results would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, I quickly noticed how there were
so many professions and jobs left out of this fucking survey, that not only the
kids, but I was also a bit pissed off and discouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember that it felt like a huge waste of
time and effort and that if anyone truly wanted to help, they would counsel
each kid, look at their strengths, weaknesses as well as their priceless dreams
as viable answers to who they could possibly become in the work world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was recently told to do this by one of my
family members and the only thing they were concerned with was… “Did I make the
appointment?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How we answer our <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">calling</i> is completely up to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What others perceive of us is solely up to
them. In some instances a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">calling</i>
might come creeping out once you find a task or skill that you wouldn’t mind
doing for a very long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oftentimes a
calling you receive can be a solution and benefit to others as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am told that when given a gift, we are to
share the gift with others, especially if it brightens their day and helps
improve any facet of the quality of life they seek to gain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have faith in the unexplained, then
sometimes calling you get can come to you in waves of gifts or discernments,
ways in which you excel as a human being; for instance, drawing, photography,
building, counseling, public speaking, writing or a knack for engineering and
fixing things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One way to answer a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">calling</i> involves a bit of trial and
error however, when you are sent a task and you, yes you seem to be the only
one able to do the job, that is one clue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another clue to your calling might be a natural ability that grows although
you feel as though you have not practiced or polished the craft of which you
are working. A way to ignore a calling is to refute everything about yourself
that you know to be true and undeniable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By knowing yourself, you may be able to direct your life-path, not just
simply upon what “feels good and right,” but what you know to be right within
yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although others might notice a
change in you or hype you up about some amazing ability which you have that
they have seen, only you know if that is what you are supposed to be doing at
the moment, and for life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some pray to
get a sense, asking their higher power for guidance and direction while others
prefer aptitude tests or simply ask others to help them fulfil their niche by
hiring them for the occupations and duties they desire. Poem posted below…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am told that under bridges that are both unseen and visible<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lurks
creatures with ghastly features waiting to cross our desired paths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
many holding no weapon but book, the only sword, yet no small knife to stab<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
grandma and grandpa knew well, the way of opposition just as<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Old
wise folks, which still hold tight to childhood and teenage dreams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That
in no way will allow such priceless things such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">imagination</i> to perish <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Using
their valuable time to spend with the able youth we see and teach truths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Although
their time being vigorous has passed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
stories are enthusiastically told about the times and memories they still hold
fast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Trying
desperately to gift the armor they have once used in love spoken not abused <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Telling
us that a bridge does exist no matter what desired path you choose and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How
to shove that sword strategically and deep into that bridge-troll’s ribs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Under Bridges</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">8-31-2018</span></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-44138271929828887322018-08-28T21:57:00.001-07:002018-08-28T21:57:48.041-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 12<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-taqNNPGnmic/W4Yiz2QLTRI/AAAAAAAAA6U/EG1Y9p47OVASsFhDVapevfZoYiTlasmRwCLcBGAs/s1600/photo%2Bjun%2B28%25252c%2B9%2B11%2B05%2Bam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-taqNNPGnmic/W4Yiz2QLTRI/AAAAAAAAA6U/EG1Y9p47OVASsFhDVapevfZoYiTlasmRwCLcBGAs/s320/photo%2Bjun%2B28%25252c%2B9%2B11%2B05%2Bam.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Day 12: </span><span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">creatures of habit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whether
inherent or purpose-driven, we all learn and develop habits and patterns upon
action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we try something and it
works, we tend to stick to it like gum to a shoe, just as well as people we choose
to involve in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some habits are
good habits, the best method chosen by us to get the things we need, done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some habits are destructful, unsafe and
unhealthy, yet for us it is the choice we’ve made which we’re either
comfortable or not completely comfortable with. Other habits are revered by
those that know us and might be building us as well as others we know up
positively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> I chose a picture of me up top with a blunt in my hat, once which either held cannabis or one I unrolled to re-roll a little tobacco cigarette. This to me is one vice, not exactly blunts, but tobacco products in general. Habit forming can be either physical or psychological and even both. Some habits die fast while others, due to addiction or convenience often prove difficult to shake, like a large, heavy apple jug filled with of coins. Collecting coins is a good thing though. Collecting bad habits can prove destructive and oftentimes fatal, such as driving fast or driving without a seatbelt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes
it is an action or decision that forces us to shift the way we think or
sometimes it is a personal choice we’ve made without influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I for one have learned that eating too much
salt, just might kill a brotha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like
eating out as much as anyone that can afford the opportunity but there are some
things that I cannot eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance,
when I have pizza at a family gathering or church gathering, I have to consider
the salt factor and turn it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
no longer assume that the food “looks okay,” and that it might not make me feel
sick. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">action<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to take a pro-active stance in my own
well-being and monitor the food I’m offered as well as what I choose to buy at
the local grocery stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not
fortunate enough at this time to eat everything and buy everything I need due
to my financial circumstances yet I still hold choice to say no thank you and
tell myself “Hell-to-the-No!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same
goes for the way and patterns I exhibit among others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, when my ten year old son
visits, his diet is different than mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His mother, after meeting a new man, decided to go completely
vegan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This I have small problems with,
especially since he is a growing boy and we have noticed that he gets cold fast
in a warmed swimming pool. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
attribute this to him lacking the proper nutrition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also noticed how she polices him to a “T”,
yet lets her other children run amok and be disrespectful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from him not having his own personal
toys at age ten and him afraid to bring things home because they will get
broken by his little brother, I have some issues to address or else I see them
negatively impact my boy, as well as eat away at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I get the opportunity to spend time
with him, what I can do is show him the positivity, love and encouragement he
seeks and at the same time allowing him the freedom with guidance necessary for
healthy development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember when I
wasn’t such a happy kid and that’s what our goal should be… to make it so our
kids know it better than we do, get shown love beyond what we were shown,
without the pain and unnecessary struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
bad habit I had to shake along with others such as cigarettes was
complaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a nasty habit out of
complaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not that the
complaints weren’t warranted, it is that they served no purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one, no one wants to hear me complaining,
yes folks will listen but who wants to hear negativity so much when there’s
already enough of that everywhere?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I for
one was told by my fiancé as well as my mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">a needed change
within</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea that I had become some bitter
muthafucka, complaining about every pain, ache, injustices and things which at
the moment I had no control over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes we
can do many things to change our situation as well as the world around us
however there are methods that prove more effective than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also a time and a place for
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one I had to realize
that in spite of the injustices which occur that “no one owes me anything.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had to realize that I was not the only
one in that situation and that if I wanted to change things on a grander scale,
that I had to scale down my approach and organize, perhaps contacting the
right folks and being the right presence, as well as in the right state of
mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Quitting
cigarettes is something that I have been struggling with a bit, yet they make
me feel sick, nauseous, and I had some strange growths and I know that free
radicals, such as the ones found in processed food and tobacco might have been
the cause. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My uncle had emphysema,
asthma and my grandpa John passed from too much tobacco use. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
still healing from the recent surgery I just had Monday to remove them, finding
good sleep has been a bitch, but I’m forever thankful I don’t have those
painful lumps anymore. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a quick
surgery, only an hour but I suspect there is one more (an itchy son of a gun I
tell ya) in there as I have told them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will see what happens after more tests and junk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">for the future<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Developing
good habits benefits our children as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know we might not think about it but
everything we say and do, directly affects our children and the quality of life
we hope to give them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son has
developed healthy eating habits because of his mother as well as because of how
I chose to feed him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My issue is, is he
getting the proper nutrition he needs being a vegan?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My father had some input on the subject, such as I should not discourage
him from the healthy education he is getting, which is contrary from the heavy
consumption messages fed to us through media in commercials and TV. These messages tend to advocate what the companies want, not necessarily what we in fact
need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
thing is, my son isn’t going to get obese if we let him have a slice of
non-gluten free cake with sugar in it… on his fucking birthday alright!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time I acknowledge that we are
creatures of habit and I see what happens when children later rebel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last thing I want is for my son to reject
everything he was taught, simply because he was forced and brainwashed a
certain way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see all of the good and
the bad shit and right now I am not a happy pappy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matter of fact; let me call my son and his…
not so understanding and yielding mom now. "Everything in moderation," my beautiful wife to be reminds me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish you Persistence, Prosperity, Purpose, Patience and Inner-Peace y’all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poem below!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Crows circle in skies then rain down
in sideways torrents<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Raiding the unsuspecting nest, picking
to shreds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Baby birds within and out of eggs
another failed to protect<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">While we too move in obvious
directions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Repeating patters both positive while
trying to blot out the negative<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For the purpose of pleasure, want,
necessity and for some, simple addictions and sex but<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Do we too neglect our once carefully
watered seeds?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Do we tend to go with the flow of things
as we are expected yet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Become blinded to the point we fail to
stand for truths, leading to neglect?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As our purpose solidifies furthermore
in more than just our own mind’s eye<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We raise fists, as well as the future
against forces unseen and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In-between struggle and the hustle
both understandings do collide<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we begin to place trust and love
in the spot where we once placed pride<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Hope then beams from unstoppable rays
like the Sahara sun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Drying up the lies while rich aquifers
flow underneath shifting sands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dismembering lies while bringing
abundance into everyone’s lives<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Learning as many times it takes to
heal within and properly provide<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Bringing abundance in gift form
contrary to the norm with sword by our sides<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Replacing a vice with habitual healthy
tasks which last for legacies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For no parasite or scavenger to grab
with ease while simply flying by <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Winged Habits<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8-28-2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-4453160231512170142018-08-25T16:13:00.000-07:002018-08-25T16:18:14.017-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 11<br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Day 11: </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">second chances</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There
is not a day that goes by that I forget to give thanks for being here.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As those that know me and know of me have
followed, a couple of years ago I was in a horrible accident where I almost
died. That accident on Hwy 36 in Humboldt left me severely disabled but it sure is a trip how crazy circumstances can either change your perspective or open up your eyes, including your third one.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Every few weeks I find out something new with my new but old body.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I discover pains, funny as well as painfully
shocking nerves, growths, stomach and digestive issues amongst other worries.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Although all of this strange stuff is
happening with me, I cannot look at it from a victim’s standpoint of “things
are happening to me.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I am thankful that
although I still fall trying to stand, that I am here by the Creator’s popular
demand!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
this writing exercise, I picked a picture of a rose (pictured up top) which I asked my fiancé to snap
earlier after one of my medical appointments, since it had to be cut back, from the dead and diseased parts, in order to once again grow strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we are cut back from something on
our desired path, just to find out that there was another, perhaps better and
much easier stress free way of getting to where we need to get that provided
the better fit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes it is a
relationship, life path or job we didn’t get that we desperately wanted badly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we are cut off from individuals or
situations to later find that… it was just not right or unhealthy for us from the
beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We oftentimes can also be
like plants yet moving plants, growing too close to an oscillating fan, which
tends to chop off part of us which we need, self-sabotaging ourselves and
beating up ourselves for not being in the right mind or place from the start.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> There was a period of time (Oct 16th-November 15th, 2016) when I basically lived in the hospital in Santa Rosa. Every time I was able to see the sky, I was thankful. At one point I didn't believe that I would be able to hike once again or take walks on the beach with the woman I love, let alone run with my awesome son in the sun. He can now outrun me, but shhh, I can outswim him! I don't know If I will be able to do a long hike, as I've tried a bunch of times, leaving me immobile and unable to walk for up to a week. This however does not mean that I'm gonna stop trying!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> It
isn’t every day that we get a second chance at doing something, trying
something twice, speaking words to a soul we either despise or hold close, or
just plain being us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As many of us have
found, these second chances, although some seem to have more luck than the
average, are quite rare. “Only if I would have… did this, did that, said this
and that, if I had another stab at it, I would do it THIS way,” we say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, doing things the first time and
living within the current moment to our best ability is what makes you such a
dynamic person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Character we have
built through trial and error as well as perfecting ourselves, our bodies, our
minds, spirituality and even our craft is one which most who come in contact
with us, will remember. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a new path:
forgiveness and relevance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
thing I’ll share with y’all is my opportunity to forgive… let me take a deep
breath about this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgiveness isn’t
something I’m used to as I used to be quick to say “Only Jesus Forgives,” yet
know that moving on without bitterness tills the soil of the soul for
exponential growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like plants,
a lot so you’ll hear me making analogies that are nature-filled errry now and
then alright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t like it, go
hug a tree, then tell me how you feel?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>AHahaha, I make myself laugh but seriously, there are many ways to show
appreciation, give love and express genuine gratitude toward others as well as
the natural world which surrounds you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the testimony<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yesterday
I met an elderly woman at a meeting whose life was once one way, only to be now
helping folks instead of hurting them (she was cool as fuck!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She as well as one of her children, were once
addicted to many drugs including alcohol and methamphetamine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She chose to re-direct her path in life, her
using the Faith in God and Jesus, others as she told me just quit cold turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now she is in the capacity of giving to
others and helping others with their addictions and sorrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Addiction as I have been taught is a disease,
yet my opinion is that it is a choice from the very start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">choice, chance
and direction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unlike
stories told to me from my father about shoot-up parties in North Philadelphia,
where folks standing in a long line had to receive a shot of heroin to enter,
no one forces the needle in your arm or holds you down to light and turn that
meth, crack or any other kind of pipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At some point however the addictive nature of the person though genetic
makeup as well as the strong addictive, mind altering effects of the drug take
over most of a person’s logical decision making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point some hide their wallets, while
others still step up and lend a hand towards the disadvantaged, whether or not
we believe that they did this to themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have to admit that I have been on the opposite side of the fence, once
selling the drugs however due to my conscious, it wasn’t for that long, as it just
wasn’t the lifestyle I wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanting
change and to finish high school, I desperately wanted a second chance, another
shot at being something great and chasing my childhood dreams.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">goals and dreams:
our perception upon the possibility<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although
in college, a bad teacher I had suggested that I not take Biology due to my
grade and try another profession, I discovered that I am a pretty good writer.
Thus was able to construct new goals and re-invent myself as a poet, something,
although I had hundreds written, for some reason I didn’t consider within
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now cannot do the duties
needed if I were to become a park ranger or zoological veterinarian, but I
still love animals as well as enjoy being in nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In what ways do you wish that you could just
drop everything and re-invent yourself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are
there any obstacles or troublesome hurdles that prevent you from following your
dreams?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know folks joke about some
experiencing their second childhood, spoiling themselves with an exotic trip or
a new car but how much love can we give ourselves?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Answer,
there is no limit placed upon how much to love oneself, as long as we continue
to openly acknowledge those that still matter so much around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we love ourselves to the point that it
becomes unhealthy? Are there any choices that you regret or words that you with
you never would have said? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like a fifty
dollar bill we accidentally walk past, while the more cautious one picks it
right up, seeming to smile at your loss or lack of attention, we have a duty to
try our best the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes
mistakes happen and some things become unplanned and circumstantial, such as
traumatic auto accidents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">control, balance
and awareness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Being,
out of control of our own lives or maintaining control are two things which we
constantly seek in having balance and finding the happiness we want to
attain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes happiness is achieved
in something simple as an apology, while others find happiness in weddings, new
births and others through personal or financial growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgetting to stop and “Smell the roses,” can
be remedied by smelling one the next time you walk past as well as forgetting
to let someone know what’s up, how exactly you feel about them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When granted a second chance, whatever it
might me, please consider the time spent that you can never take back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also please consider the impact you have on
others, as what we leave folks with can sometimes change not just their
perception on you and life but their outcome as they encounter more people and
more opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
try to be aware of how I treat folks as well as what I say in everyday
speaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have a responsibility of
some sort, whether to self or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nothing in our complex life can be summed up with one word and no change
can be done by some simple quick fix to re-direct our life paths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything takes work, a tedious, yet
enjoyable occupation we all share in humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I recall a wedding I went to, Shyeena and Ralphie’s wedding at a
water-temple. There, they had the chance to bring together their love from high
school to create a loving family, in spite-of the trying opposition we all face
in life, which tests the strengths and resilience within us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a poem y’all! Cheers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Giant raptors of the sky return before
the sun burns to their cold nest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Reigniting a cycle of life that mostly
children remember best<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Acknowledging similar struggles here
might occur<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks was given constantly so the
pain a reminiscent blur<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As people gather, smile and laugh at
the news<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Of a child being once again brought
into this world <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Knowing they too as parents must be
wiser and stronger, thus filling difficult shoes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For some the first time was the worst
time but<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Others rejoice at the opportunity to
see awaiting wonders and experience <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As if for the first time, something
fresh and new<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Regret gets hurried off as goals of
tomorrow become closer, floating into view<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dreams can be seen in both the child
as well as grown up that allows their imagination free<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">While limits are set by controllers
and gimmicks, the wise smile and fly past with winged shoes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Taking time in their decent as being
down to earth has its own colors, moods and scents<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Living each moment as if our last and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Letting no opportunities for
appreciation, love and growth slip slyly past<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Living Moments <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8-23-1018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-27412757078840253482018-08-22T15:15:00.000-07:002018-08-22T15:15:14.975-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day: 10<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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(I chose these paintings above because I liked them yet...</div>
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chose the ones below for other, much stronger reasons)</div>
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Featured Artists: Tim Brandt, Oakie Protege, Richard Bernstein, Samuel Obiri and the awesome... Theopphilus Bateng Kwaku Sarpong </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Day: 10 – <span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1";">respect and
belief </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let us
be reminded by sister Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul,” and much more how
important it is to stand up for who you are and what you believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today I was at a church feeding when one
gentleman of the congregation offered a sermon. He first began with hello, well
let me get through this sermon so we can get to this food we’re about to eat,”
as if it was a chore and not out of heartfelt love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of those “fire and brimstone,”
sermons that suggest that “if you don’t know Jesus, and that if you don’t
accept him than you are going straight to hell,” type of preaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost completely stood up and cut him off
yet I held my tongue, yet I did let out, “It’s my responsibility as a Christian
to say something,” but I let him finish and waited for the prayer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WgiM2lTp_Sg/W33doNSrzbI/AAAAAAAAA30/MjKsHMsqRu4XRnV7fxHta9TnNqEFqdhXgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Richard-Bernstein-Aretha-Franklin-1986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="865" height="207" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WgiM2lTp_Sg/W33doNSrzbI/AAAAAAAAA30/MjKsHMsqRu4XRnV7fxHta9TnNqEFqdhXgCEwYBhgL/s320/Richard-Bernstein-Aretha-Franklin-1986.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1";">the old, not so effective
western way<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
explained to my fiancé that this is the typical, western, white way of
preaching that was first done in this country and that this is the type that
often turns folks away from Christ and churches in general instead of to Him. I
read and was taught that God, the Creator, Yahweh, The Great Spirit, judges us
all accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also a Mormon
church that serves breakfast yet I won’t go there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we have to seek to look at the
system of things to either gain appreciation or some type of understanding for
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the struggles we
experience along with what we learn help to lay the foundation of what we
believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whatever
the case is, it is of utmost importance that we consider others in our actions
and what we say. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If close to family or
in a relationship, how well do you listen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have also read and believe through experience that “the power of life
and death resides in the tongue,” broken down as “there is power in spoken
words.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we respect and believe
everything we are told depending on the source or do we question until we
figure our own truths for the matter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
someone we love and respect tells us something, do we take it as face value, or
do we automatically seek our own answers and solutions due to our mistrust and
skepticism?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must admit that I have
been the skeptic and I can use much improvement when it comes to listening to
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1";">being able to bend<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I am
told that I am stubborn, that no one can tell me shit and that’s pretty much
true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I do now try is to improve
all facets of communication and understanding and I also need to learn to
apologize for being wrong more often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do
we listen when the information and wisdom we are given is much older than us,
let’s say from our elders and leaders, or do we say “fuck it,” and run through
life on a trial by fire basis, constantly erring until we get things right in
our mind’s eye?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether we believe what
we hear, or need more compelling evidence in order to sculpt a valid opinion,
we all need to consider the community and character building morals of
consideration, sensitivity and Respect!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve been told respect given is respect earned, treat others how you
want them to and things from my own neighborhood such as “Real recognize Real,”
and “Game recognize Game.” I can go even further using African Adinkra Symbols
as well as some through acculturation, Sicilian as well as Italian symbols
which share similar meanings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1";">the messengers and the
messages</span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If I
talk about famous folks that spread the messages of Respect, Dignity and openly
shared their beliefs, Aretha Franklin automatically pops into my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it was her signature song, first
created by<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which gives me the feeling
and that “I’m Every Woman,” with late Whitney Houston and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>soulful Chaka Kahn that also leave me with a
feeling of “You go’n respect my Black woman!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One thing for certain is that their reminders will always be remembered
through their actions as well as their legacies in song and words left
behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, look at these
quotes by Aretha? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“We all require and want
respect, man or woman, black or white.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s our basic human right.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sometimes what you’re looking
for is already there.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Be your own artist, and always
be confident in what you are doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you’re not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></i>Aren’t those words powerful
or what? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel confident in the words
and thoughts I choose to share with all of you that something good and genuine
throughout all of the anecdotes, stories and wisdom resonates deep. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also think about other woman such as Sojourner
Truth, Dorothy Dandridge, Oprah Winfrey as well as men that have left an impact
such as Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, Muammar Gaddafi (yes he was a dictator
but he loved his black people everywhere and loved Africa, look into his great
Man-Made River project that the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Bombed) and Kofi Anan that recently passed a few days ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kofi Annan, from Ghana, was the first black
African to Head the United Nations as The Office of Secretary General of the
United Nations (1997-2006) and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His words and ways of keeping peace will be
remembered well after he is gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
so dedicated to world peace that in 2016, he was appointed as Joint Special
Representative for Syria by the UN as well as the Arab League yet resigned
after being frustrated about the UN’s lack of progress in regard to conflict
resolution.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Respect is something we either receive or give.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of us hope that we are respected on
some human level, to a degree in which we feel comfortable around others and
even comfortable of what others perceive about us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without being self-conscious and utterly and
completely aware of every facet of the world around us, what I have repeated
and what I will continue to remind is that we can choose to change the bit of
planet around us in regards to how we treat the natural earth as well as how we
treat and serve those we come into contact with on a daily basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel compelled to write a little poem and
so I shall do so! Enjoy y’all!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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While men lie with demons speaking for their every whim,
decision and move<o:p></o:p></div>
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Only the swift winds know the truth<o:p></o:p></div>
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As exceptional individuals leave impacts known Better than
the names of the largest crater<o:p></o:p></div>
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Known to give life, remind meaning and to build…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of destroying what one and all should inherently
protect<o:p></o:p></div>
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Proven the basic instincts within us to nurture, care, dare
to and to succeed<o:p></o:p></div>
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Gifting remedies in song and actions made beyond music notes,
speeches made and the page<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now knowing that we too, deserve through birth-right,
dignity, peace<o:p></o:p></div>
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A right to hold on to what we believe the base of
communication for every person and nation, respect! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dignity, Peace, Belief and Respect<o:p></o:p></div>
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8-22-2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sources: The brainy quote.com, un.org, kofi
annanfoundation.org, and yes, this time I used Wikipedia as a last resort. <o:p></o:p></div>
Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-16170952252967779022018-08-16T19:50:00.003-07:002018-08-21T16:09:49.510-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day: 9<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand
words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<br />
Day: 9 <span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">giving your everything </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">–</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> the dangers
and the joys</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It was two years ago, around this time,
growing season in Humbolt when a friend of mine... downloaded an episode of this
interesting cartoon laden with adult humor, a cold satire on the human
condition known as “Rick & Morty.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just walked up the mountain from a plot
I was managing and long, hot day of farming, popped open a beer that was handed to me, as I exchanged for
some I brought up from Chico’s cabin. To my surprise on the screen, were
giant bald heads, with butts on the opposite side saying “Show me what you got?”
As it turned out, Morty and his twisted grandfather, Rick had to music battle
with other planets in order to save ours or else the giant heads would blow up planet
Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily for us, when we “show
them what we’ve got,” when it comes to relationships, family and the workplace,
we don’t get blown up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately,
sometimes when we give all that we have got without recognition, acknowledgement
and thanks; it can sometimes feel as though our whole world crumbles around us
in a sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can end up feeling emotionally
as well as physically exhausted and used.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
The pictures I chose were from a trip up north (one below at Sacramento High Times Cannabis Cup) I took to say hello, thank you, as well as to show my future wife where I was working, right before my life-changing accident. My goal was to show her the beauty of stuff, especially since the stories I told about here sounded quite hectic as far as how I was roughing it and stuff, in the great outdoors and all. I wanted her to smell the freshness of the air, see the sun shining through the trees and smell the bay trees as I have. I knew she would appreciate it and I was right. In the photograph up top you see me picking some of the last of Chico's Elephant Garlic for her. She loves garlic! When you love someone so deeply you tend to want to bring them into your world and share all of the things that make you smile.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">titles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My last two jobs,
I called myself a cannabis consultant however I did so much more than any scope
of work or job title could define.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due
to the fact that I was undervalued and taken advantage of by both companies I
helped to build, I gladly resigned from both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This
was not the compassion that I was first met with in the industry,” as folks in
the beginning talked the talk but no matter what I said or how much I tried to
convey and educate, they all refused to walk the walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized that you cannot force a soul into
a demon, that some are just not wired to think differently. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many instances, it doesn’t matter how hard
we work, what we show them, or what we do for them, because their intentions and
expectations, whether realistic or not will always supersede yours. This is especially the case amongst those that for some reason or other, place themselves on a platform higher than you. Religion, upbringing, community, class and yes... racial background have everything to do with these misconstrued assumptions and preconceived notions of hierarchy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 18.6667px;">placing value</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Recently
I was sent a link for a position by my former business partner and after much
thought and evaluation, I told my fiancé straight up that, “you know, the last
thing I want is to give my all just to be undervalued by another white man. My
heart just can’t take it anymore.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let
me first explain that most black folks are taught at an early age to be five
times as smarter and work five times as harder, because we have to in order to
get ahead in a “white man’s world.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Women suffer similarly from a primitive patriarchal society and way of thinking yet without the same judgments and stereotypes,
undervalued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not even sure what kind
of heart issues I currently have, as my cardiologist is still running tests but
as a health educator I know enough to know that my heart is not as strong as it
used to be and that even with a healthy diet and exercise, that high stress
alone is a determining factor for strokes and heart attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I regret those years in San Diego helping “big
nose” build his business and his dream instead of going for mine as a writer?
Yes I do! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12pt;">know exactly what
you</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12pt;">re doing, where you are and regret not</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Time
can in no way be reversed and I know that I could have been a much more
attentive father to my son instead of shoveling out all of my ideas, insight
and skills trying to make the next buck, for another person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t regret everything as I have learned
much from every experience but I fell back into a hole with the next position,
where corporate guys saw my insight, took it, built their company, then
pressured me when I didn’t jump how high they wanted me to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t matter how much I knew or how right
I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one mistake that I will
never make again! I will never again be taken advantage of by anyone… or
undervalued!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot change the way
people think nor influence the way in which they were brought up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You must, by all means, know what you bring
to the table, know who you are and know your worth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have no clue, a muthafucka whether
corporate or not might tell you exactly what they want you to be, what you are…
and pimp the fuck out of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Just being
real y’all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most
people’s values and morals solidify as they approach their high school years
and by example, we learn how we want and do not want to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some look at their parents thinking “Heck no,
I’m going to be opposite of that dipshit!” only to end up kind of just like
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t it amazing how genetics
plays into things? Although genes are strong, we all possess the ability to
break cycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are cycles of abuse,
lack of communication, drug abuse, and cycles of physical as well as mental
violence that each person had a choice in changing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt;">your will</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch";"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It
is up to us to want different, seek different patterns and act upon those “Good
vibes,” that we want to see in others, by giving positivity ourselves. When we
approach a new friendship, relationship or job, how we deal with people and how
much of ourselves we offer often determines the outcome.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In some cases in the beginning of a relationship
or job, you might not want to put all of your eggs in one basket, so that you
can pull out a golden egg later. For instance, in some beginning stages of
friendships and relationships, you might want to keep it spicy and keep
surprising the person with new things about them that they don’t know. Another
reason to withhold personal info might simply be to establish trust, as to see
their “Staying time,” in other words, how genuine they are and what their
intentions truly are.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
you are in a serious relationship it is important to show the other person who
you are wholly, so that there are no false ideas or expectations that come
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last thing you want is to be
with someone that doesn’t understand you or know you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In matters of the heart, it is better to be
an honest open book, water the heart with conversation, love, exploration,
ideas, share your dreams and hang on for the ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can only expect to receive what we give
right, so “show them what you got!” and take a chance with being yourself and
genuine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Show them the nice things that
make you smile and treat them the special way in which you also want to be
treated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a trip me sitting here
typing basically “the golden rule,” of treat others how you want to be treated
but I guess we are declining in morale and as you might have seen and
experienced, some might just need that kick in the butt of a reminder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the workplace, especially with a new company, you might not want to give them
all of your secrets upfront, as they could capitalize and use them for their
sole benefit, while you could be left with pennies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other instances you might want to speak up
if you have a certain desired skill so that the job position or opportunity
does not pass you up. We must all decide how far to go in every established as
well as unofficial relationship we have whether it be professional or personal,
at work or at play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If whatever decision
you make compromises who you are as a person, how you function or makes a
negative impact upon what you believe, you might want to re-think that to save
your soul, gain some insight and perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Feeling as if you have lost part of yourself or have wasted priceless
time is no way to feel, believe me!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there are regrets, what would you do different?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Have you forgiven others and yourself for the choices that you have
made?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever, either intentional
or unintentional, taken a proverbial shit on someone else’s dreams or
completely shafted someone because the position called for you to do so?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes self-reflection, looking at that “Man
in the mirror,” like Michael Jackson, or woman in the mirror can lead you
towards an unexpected change in thinking, goal setting and even shift the
progression of success that you previously sought by opening up your eyes to a
new way that might perhaps be better for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My hope is that everyone simply thinks about what I write and that
everyone from here, by simply paying attention will seek a more quality filled
existence, something that they can go to sleep at night as well as wake up,
feeling purposeful, wanted and complete… regardless of what goes on outside and
behind other walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us put on our
favorite song, not give a fuck for just one moment and have a ball!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLSw7UaHZlM/W3Yv_I1DzxI/AAAAAAAAA18/jyAWSBWjbS42921U2cnSuUzmwo6WTdtcwCEwYBhgL/s1600/0F7C5F6D-2487-425D-88EA-2D1A8E75B7E5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLSw7UaHZlM/W3Yv_I1DzxI/AAAAAAAAA18/jyAWSBWjbS42921U2cnSuUzmwo6WTdtcwCEwYBhgL/s320/0F7C5F6D-2487-425D-88EA-2D1A8E75B7E5.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <i>This was a picture we took in front of Chico's cabin. RIP Chico, the Legend! Miss you man!</i></span></span></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-90999637324160902082018-08-15T17:00:00.000-07:002018-08-15T17:00:11.122-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom Day: 8<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one
thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_SklLOrhB8c/W3S8TMWWOHI/AAAAAAAAA0w/C4WTLuYkXnwX3XfuhY1bpsWJjJb79Ez1ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_SklLOrhB8c/W3S8TMWWOHI/AAAAAAAAA0w/C4WTLuYkXnwX3XfuhY1bpsWJjJb79Ez1ACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4604.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Day: 8<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">against the grain</span><span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Owning the
audacity to do something different or being something different than the norm
of what is often expected takes a large pair of nutts or ovaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right, I said it, some cahones!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doing the exact opposite and shooting towards
those goals others might perceive impossible, unattainable or just plain
unrealistic to their meager standards and lack of vision is very courageous!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I think about “going against the grain,”
I think about the design and makeup of shark skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shark skin it is almost impossible to rub
your hand against the opposing grain of without badly scratching or cutting
yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><img alt="Image result for sharks skin up close" height="200" src="https://www.sharksinfo.com/images/shark-skin.jpg" width="199" /></div>
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<i>pic From sharksinfo.com</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">My fiancé just
reminded me of a feline’s tongue and I, as someone who used to be a veterinarian,
remember how big cats such as lions can slowly rip the meat off of bones with
their very rough tongues.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I guess we
can conclude from these observations that deciding to “go against the grain,”
can sometimes be painful.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While
exploration for some can be painful in regards to struggles and through the
growing pains of self-discovery, for others it can be uplifting as well as
quite the liberating experience.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So what
if your friends or family doesn’t approve!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Those that are truly concerned with your wellbeing as well as your
happiness will support you through almost any endeavor you so choose, as long
as it is safe, and for some selfish folks, as long as the choice does not, in
their opinion, “make them look bad.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">outside influences<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How far does
“caring what others feel or think about you,” influence your important life
decisions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we as independent as we
perceive ourselves to be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose these
pictures I took as an example to show how beautiful as well as how well-off
someone or something can be that grows without outside help or influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about the Elon Musks, the Steve Jobs
and all those success stories from folks that have not graduated college, or
chose to do something different than what was expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are their cases and how they began that
different than ours?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When we think
about influencers and visionaries who made a large impact on us, I think about
those that had the audacity to steal their ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I immediately think about Thomas Edison and
how he stole ideas from both Latimer (for the light bulb filament) as well as
how he stole ideas from Nicoli Tesla.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
try to be positive, I try to think, “well shit, some of these guys were born
with less than what I had, they had skin color on their side and the ones that
stole… they often were well off and came from families of prominence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shoot, I even think about Benjamin Banneker
that designed Washington DC and the slaves the built it, how George Washington
Carver had clothes with missing buttons and that he died poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But these are different times we live in,
right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The black dude
that had the original recipe for Jack Daniels is finally getting his
recognition long after death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there
prices to pay for having the audacity or is the reward that much more sweet for
being that darn brave, or that damn stubborn?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No inventions, ways of living or creations by us are in any way beneath
greatness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that we can use our
imagination to craft ideas, concepts and solutions, not just for self but for
all makes you not just the exception to the rule, but the one that courageously
broke the mold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In your eyes the idea
could have been an accident, opened up by a certain circumstance or, you had a
surprising stroke of awareness, epiphinizing, mind opening moment or simply
created the change with the intention of “it just had to be done!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Chicken Scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">choice and change<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How simple would
it be if we had all of the resources to bring about the change we imagined or
hoped for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are comfortable with the
decisions others make for them while there are others that demand to create the
change as well as to make all of the decisions themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a child many of us had to be patient in
order to get what we wanted or needed, being told by adults as well as shown
“what it is we truly needed.” We learned the difference between want and
necessity as well as what was necessary in order to live life by their, our
parent’s standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same goes for
the societies as well as the communities we are a part of not apart from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have said this and will say this again… We
have to truly decide how we desire for ourselves as well as our families to
live and what quality of existence we will give them and what to fight for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Next time I think about influencers
and visionaries, let’s see if I can focus on more positive thoughts such as
Walt Disney (I’m just going to forget that he was a Nazi Sympathizer a “Nazi
Symp” for this post, alright y’all).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After much trial and error trying to build his own animation company in
the Midwest, he came to Hollywood, California with stars in his eyes, only 40
dollars in his pocket and one shirt in his suitcase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me think about the artists that rose to
stardom, the chef that although wasn’t trained in Paris, got to open his own
gourmet restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can even think
about the common story of the successful hip-hop artist, such as E40 and Too
Short, and like others, chose to hustle hard, start their own businesses and
weren’t deterred when selling albums and mixed-tapes out of the trunks of their
cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes they rose to stardom and yes
there were hiccups and trials and errors along their journey to achieve whatever
goals they were determined to reach. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
I’m told and as I have witnessed, going against the grain, depending on your
support network can be very trying and is often a path many have to walk alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although
walking the unbeaten path can sometimes be scary and even dangerous depending
on the crowd, I must admit as someone that has stroked against the waves and
tried to swim up a waterfall, that… It feels GREAT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It feels great when you find ways and
solutions others, for lack of vision could not see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You begin to feel like an explorer, an Indiana
Jones, Laura Croft or Steve Jobs once you do something spectacular and
different or invent something that no one else had the ingenuity to construct
on their own. My thoughts gravitate to the song by the Roots "Walk Alone." <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us raise a toast to
success, struggle, pleasure, pain and in finding a way with going against the
grain. Cheers! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-37239723275779045772018-08-09T15:03:00.003-07:002018-08-09T15:35:03.048-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 7<br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Day 7:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">the little things</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It takes
a certain type of awareness for an individual to come to a realization that
they too, like the sidewalk dandelion, like the baby bird, like most things perceived
smaller than us, are quite fragile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fragility is often looked upon in different societies and cultures as a
weakness. However, being aware of our sensitivities in all things guides us to
become stronger and prepared for whatever outcome might arise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even blades of grass in their state of mercy
if stepped on, seem to bounce back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
we cut grass, I am told that the smell we smell, you know, that wonderful smell
is actually them releasing a scream in the form of a smell from being cut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human life, as best as we understand it, has
its limits, such as speed, strength, intellect as well as the time allotted to
exist in physical form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">open your eyes to the
miracle of life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These
are limits which we love to push and test and although things are what they
are, the miracle of life and the existence of small miraculous things cannot,
in any way be discounted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I
communicate to many folks through conversation and wisdom sharing, I like to remind
them of these miracles, these small overstepped things that we often take for
granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using the example of a handful
of soil, I remind “you can take a handful of dirt and guaranteed that it holds
many if not all of the nutrients we need for survival, the iron, copper, zinc
and other minerals.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In relation to how
difficult it is for anything to live in this world, I use the example of weeds
and grass, that if they do not find adequate soil or a secure nestled place and
if they cannot grab a few drops of water or even morning dew drops, that they
will soon die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life as I remind requires
attention and love and that it is a miracle for any living thing to exist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">on a positive foot, a
positive path<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In birth
there are things that grab our attention, such as a new tree sprouting up from
seed, a new birth in the family or by friends as well as the opportunity for new
horizons and growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with birth,
death still has its beauty as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
would argue as “There is nothing gracious or luxury in death, that some of us
die in pain and often die alone.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
rebuttal for that negative shit is simple, that it simply does not have to be
like that if you don’t want it to be so, lonely and miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot plan our lives to a perfect “T” nor
can we anticipate the coming of harsh medical conditions or the transition of
death.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We also
cannot account for others reactions and emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we can do is live to our full out best
polishing our potential, so that hopefully when those times come, we will be
supported and hopefully will not be alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Last night, while I was parked in my van, using the free wifi at motel
6, I was approached by a young guy looking for his skateboarding pals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was worried about them, since they had to
leave in the early morning. A few moments later they returned and I discovered
that they were just visiting the states from Canada, on a little vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
gentlemen ranged from age 18 to the oldest, which was 21 and they all met each
other at a church group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eager and full
of questions they rattled my brain from questions as to, “why other people on
the street do not talk like I do and do not express things with a hope-filled
and positive attitude as they noticed in me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My answer was simple, that #1, I’m not on drugs, and #2 that everyone
experiences some type of struggle and what separates is the ability to learn
and grow from the struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked
about Christianity, religion and I brought up some cultural truths, about
America and the will to be able to dream and realize those dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explained that many folks do not believe in
miracles and simply digest what the media as well as what their society tells
them to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question of love
was brought up and I dug in!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Upon
leaving, one of the last things I told them was that Love is one of the
strongest things we know of, sharper than any knife, any sword and more
powerful than any bomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I relayed to
them that things come and go and that love is inherently passed down from
generations through cultural memory and genetics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also for this reason I was able to explain
why love is perceived to be one of the most dangerous forces to certain ways of
thinking, such as the choice to dream and want more than what is offered, for a
more quality existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used the
example of how with love, individuals are forced to think about more than just
their selves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If someone is conditioned
to produce, for a certain government, business or group of individuals that
selfishness by means of self-progress is stressed instead of the “golden rule,”
as well as communal thinking in a community sense, which benefits all whether
directly or indirectly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">being kind: the
natural thing to do, right where you are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is the
little things which make life enjoyable, the “Thank yous” the “your welcomes,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>along with common methods of help which are
now considered “Random Acts of Kindness,” that build communities and push
societies morally as well as economically forward. Being kind is inherent
within all human beings as it is a means at getting not just what we want but
as a community, helping others grow towards their goals and eventually when it
comes back to us, finding what we need. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is the pat on the back the person saying “Awesome, good job,” and other
endearing human gestures which remind us of our worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can all determine our own sense of “Worth,”
as in what we do for ourselves, others and how we choose to spend our priceless
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never, and I mean Never let
another convince you that you are worthless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although some might not realize or let alone grasp the ability to find their
purpose on this planet or realize why we are here, there are concrete reasons
that make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reasons for being where
we are, and where we are supposed to be in life, as in what we could or should
be doing are all around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some
might get epiphanies, seek job resources, and fill out questionnaires to find
what works for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some choose to
experiment by taking different classes or even travel abroad until they find
the niche in life that best suits them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then there are those that we can clearly see that “have a calling,”
almost a divine reason for being chosen to do what they do so well, a sort of “mission”
in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is these folks that accept
their gifts, whether built, learned or inherent in their daily being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing I know for certain is that when our
final curtain is closed and the pages fail to turn in the book that is us, is that
we better leave something good and positive behind to look at and remember us
by. Let us all hope for the impossible, reach towards those breathing dreams
and never neglect to notice… the little things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-188235792932899262018-08-08T20:02:00.003-07:002018-08-10T11:36:34.246-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 6<br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">one thousand words daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 6</span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: </span><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">healing,
heartbreak, loss & living</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I
find it amazing that not cannabis, not art, nor being creative and telling your
stories is my focus now. As it seems
healing is the most important thing that I can currently focus on. While in my own healing processes from my
physical reality, being disabled to past instances where I was mentally
scarred, I cannot be blind to others and the many ways in which they too, are
healing. I was sent a painting by the
talented O’Nay Michelle or as I first met her on instagram O'Nay Poet of Prayz-Williams as her Instagram suggests, for a writing
prompt. The painting she did represents
the healing she and her family has undergone since the passing of
their son now years ago to cancer. They spend time
near a special tree as this one and often feed the birds and animals. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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This
prompt was full of more than I imagined with the story attached, yet it
resonates with me, as I still seek peace in my healing process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She named this piece “Davante Tree,” named
after her son since as she put it... </div>
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<i>“it </i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>uncannily
brought me comfort as it seemed to mimic every season of pain, triumph, healing
and eventually devastating loss that we endured while the doctor's butchered
him throughout an eye opening year of fast acting chemo followed by an
unnecessary but nearly forced & failed b.m.transplant...”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I cannot imagine what the healing process was and is like for her and her family, as I hear that a person's worst fear is having to bury their own child. A passing of a young soul we call an untimely death as it suggests that young people die before their time allotted on this planet. As we all know, nothing is for certain and nothing tomorrow is ever promised. When I meet dynamic individuals such as O'Nay, it reminds me how I should be living, positively and purposefully and definitely how beautiful life still is In-Spite-Of. </div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">reflection</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "chicken scratch";"> </span>During my
healing I noticed something about myself which bothered me.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">My fiancé had pointed out my disconnect with
people as well as my overall </span><i style="color: #222222;">“lack of
compassion.”</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Unprovoked personal struggle and injustices led me to being a
very angry dude with lots of bitterness inside. Healing takes listening, as in
listening to the self, as well as listening to others.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">When we try things other folk’s ways and it
does not work, we sometimes become distrustful and even sometimes resentful.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Being a good listener is very important in
any relationship, as everyone in some capacity, wants to be validated for what
they know, who they are as well as what they have experienced.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">I found that I heard mostly myself and that I often neglected
what she needed, which was simply an ear to listen to and maybe a ready
shoulder that she felt comfortable crying on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Understanding another individual transcends a simply what they do and
what they do for a living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In being open
to folks, we help build a better community as you discover every human has many
of the basic needs, bare essentials for survival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of those essentials is a social
outlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some folks use facebook, blog
groups, book clubs as well as church activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some, like my 81 year old dad, go windsurfing
and enjoy giving back to the community in the form of attending important city
council meetings and even exercising your amendment rights with peaceful
protesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">seeking closure<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some folks find their healing and peace within
the process easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For others it is
often a trial by fire, searching for the adequate tools or time needed to fully
recover, from whatever it might be that troubles them from mental to
physically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some things for the body,
whether it be broken bones or a broken heart, need a bit of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gorilla glue can’t help with this one, sorry
folks, as a joke I use is “Gorilla glue can fix anything, except a
relationship!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes not even the
confines of Time can help the healing process, as when it comes to the heart
and emotions, some folks need some type of closure, which happens in many ways.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Closure is sought a variety of ways,
from telling another how you feel, to finding peace within, hearing an apology,
even to visiting a place of past trauma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The ultimate closure I have discovered comes from forgiving
others, realizing who they are in the first place (A snake is a snake and
bites, we know that, a dog barks and bites, we know that too).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In understanding not just who we are, what
the situation is and agreeing with yourself to acknowledge the faults, we can
learn to move on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This doesn’t mean that
we need to forget the pain and the instance or person that has caused it,
simply that we acknowledge that “we know what’s up,” and have ways of either,
not allowing the pain to occur in the first place, or know exactly how to
handle it once this type of pain occurs again. Other healing such as the
healing from the loss of a loved one is a complete different story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Looking at O’Nay’s art as well as
the description she sent me, I think of so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today I was simply looking at the water in
the pool at the gym, trying to get over my own fear of pain and the hurdles I
must overcome in my own recovery and healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the family, my son’s Ninong, (Godfather) is experiencing a very
difficult loss of a young man in the family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To be honest, at times as this, I’m not sure what to say to people
except let them know that I am there for them and whatnot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time is sensitive for all of us and although
I view time as well as death as a small sheet of saran wrap, as not too
significant in our whole existence, I must be sensitive as to the way other
folks deal with death and loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I had to only deal with the physical pain of kicking my legs
in the water as well as stepping out of the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pain for me is temporary, although I
might experience increments of this pain throughout the rest of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The physical type of pain comes and goes
however the pain from loss takes a lot more paying attention to, as it is
around for as long as we let ourselves feel it and find ways of overcoming
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In what ways have you healed or
would like to heal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you helped
others in their healing process whether it is relationship, physicality or a
loss of a loved one?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I for one hope I
never have to bury my son, as a parent’s worst fear I’ve heard is having to
bury their own child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I can do and will
do is assist others and be that ear, shoulder, friend and brother for any
deaths, losses, lost jobs, relationships or animals that cause others
sadness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be that happiness that lives in
genuine smiles and the heartfelt realness we all crave!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thank
you for reading. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can find more from
O’Nay Poet of Prayz at her Instagram link mytea.life.mom, an awesome page filled
with holistic goodness, wisdom as well as some health-wise strategies. You can
also check out her website at <a href="http://www.shop.totallifechanges.com/MyTeaLifeMom">www.shop.totallifechanges.com/MyTeaLifeMom</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks once again for reading and have a
wholesome existence!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1709989513318947026.post-2493583563402237112018-08-07T16:28:00.002-07:002018-08-07T16:50:32.824-07:00An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 5<br />
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1"; font-size: 18.6667px;">one thousand words daily</span></div>
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Day 5: <span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">strength
& resilience</span><br />
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The oak
tree is known to be one of the strongest of trees. The wood, often made and crafted into the
most intricate shapes as well as furniture pieces has a place in history as well as
purpose beyond what people can put in their house to hold dining ware and
clothes, or bed to sleep on. The oak,
takes a beating, often being split by lightning bolts or succumbed to a wildfire. If it survives the flames it keeps growing strong. Some oaks encompass their whole
environment, for example, if a boulder were next to the tree, some oaks will
grow around the rock, eventually possibly splitting the boulder in pieces. We by nature and by design are like many
things in our natural environment. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The reason
I chose this picture is simply because to me, the oak represents strength and
inner wisdom. We possess different types
of strength when the time calls for it.
Inherently we position ourselves in certain places, amongst certain
people and plan according to our wants and needs when it comes to where we work
and what type of work we do. All of this
we do whether carefully planned or automatically by instinct for our very
survival. I was at a church feeding,
thinking that “When I’m financially able, I’ll come here on Sundays and BBQ for
the whole community, not just for the homeless that know about this, and the
food will be top quality,” I tell myself.
Oak trees that we often see as well as take for granted in this gorgeous
state of California were oftentimes planted by Native American people to help
sustain them, since the acorn after conditioning, was one of the main food
sources for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What or who represents strength to you? Do you know that there are different types of
strength not commonly thought about or taken into accord? Emotional strength is one type of strength,
although very powerful, has a different level as well as measurement for each individual. For instance, we can in no way expect two
different people, no matter the environment they were raised in, to react the
same when faced with difficulties such as heart aches and loss of a close
person. Some perceive themselves as the
strong oak while others would never assume, hoping to be as strong as, or even
stronger than another individual they might know. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">through the
eyes of a child, eyes of the wild or eyes from the wise:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I have
heard time and time again “Damn, she sure must be strong to deal with that,” no
matter what the circumstance was. By acknowledging
our weakness, and thus trying to achieve a better ground on how we handle
situations, people and even the physical around us, we have a chance to find a
way to build a stronger mind, better approach or even stronger muscles. Being resilient doesn’t necessarily mean “How
strong I am to deal with the circumstance,” but more of “How do I deal with the
circumstances which I have been given.”
The word Perspective comes to mind as in the way we choose to look at
the situation, incident, circumstance or whatever, the better we seem to handle
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Being
realistic about who you are, what you can put up with and what exactly it is
you are facing is one way to approach finding out how resilient and yes, strong
you can be at a time of extreme trouble, consequence or need. I have titanium rods in both legs but dealing
with the pain and having the stubbornness trying to walk no matter what doesn’t
even touch upon the strength needed to push ahead in my daily life, just to
function and survive. Being strong, in
any capacity, for self, for preservation, for the future, and for others takes
one key value we oftentimes struggle with.
This value is known as Courage. While
some are just that way, courageous, it often takes some spark of interest and
wanting to either change a situation or prevent one from happening when “Courage,”
shows it’s shiny face.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "chicken scratch 1";">the subject
rarely addressed or talked about:</span></div>
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To
properly talk about Strength, Resilience, Courage and stuff I feel as if we
need to dive into the murky waters of the opposite, the substance that also
sticks to the ribs just as these values, which is the substance of Fear. Fears, for some reason other than exposing
weakness and fault are rarely openly talked about. This “Fear,” is treated as a value by some as
in a means to control others, a situation, or as in a fuel to perpetuate false
truths and cause dissent and negativity towards individuals or amongst large
groups of people. By focusing on fear,
the individuals involved might have a difficult time knowing or learning how to
cope with, change the circumstance of, or get over that particular type of fear. What do we do when those close to us, around
us, even our own communities or society in general is all wrapped up in many
stagnating types of fear? How do we stay
positive with what we believe and know, in order to move ahead towards the
better? What if we live in a house where
Dad and Mom won’t let me do anything, or always has some negative opinion due
to their own personal fears? <o:p></o:p></div>
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We can
find ourselves blindly directed towards a fear-driven perspective or opinion
based on what we are allowed to see and told to think. Even within our tightly knit neighborhoods
with individual families there can be fears circulating which everyone hears
through one message or many. Let us take
on Justice, Equality and even the subject of Immigrants. I have heard lots of negative comments,
mostly that have to do with misconceptions, supremacy as in entitlement and White
supremacy as well as well well-placed, misleading propaganda which have led
some folks to believe that their way of life in our forever changing, adolescent
of a nation called the US. Of A. is threatened.
Are there any fears, preconceived notions or misconceptions that you
also admit were fed to you? <o:p></o:p></div>
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It is the most difficult times I am told that we find how
strong we are, how resilient we can be.
We notice the change within us and perhaps we attribute it to our strength,
smarts, ability to “Get the fuck outta there,” before it came because you saw
the signs coming, or resilience, faith or chance of luck which some call
Fate. Being courageous and actively making moves to
change things for ourselves, whether we think of what we’re doing or not, places
us in a moral place of power and strength as a mover, a positive contributor to
the world around you. So, so what if
they don’t see or know how hard you’ve worked, tried, or have seen the change
you have helped to bring about. Know that
you are courageous beyond the beliefs of many and triumphant, able to do what
hundreds in your footsteps before, have not been able to accomplish. </div>
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One more thing about the ancient oak. If you notice, the oak trees have very small leaves. Although the leaves are small, when bunched together, can provide a whole lot of shade as well as shelter from the falling rain. Oftentimes we neglect the "Big Tree With Little Leaves," in our lives since we are used to them being around. Perhaps we ourselves are used to being the overlooked Big Tree With Little Leaves," as a poem I once named years ago and understand as well as accept the patterns of injustice and judgment around you. We all fight in our own way I'm told however I also know that there are some, for whatever reason or excuse they use, will never fight, never have the courage to change anything except for their own dirty draws. I bid you Persistence, Purpose, Patience, Prosperity and Inner-Peace my friends and family.</div>
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If you like what you see here, support a brotha and consider
simply buying me a coffee with the link below.
I will be offering a few of my short stories as well as other works as a
gift eventually. Let me know what you’d like
as far as art, poetry or a free half an
hour consulting with me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fANCrVK</div>
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Many thanks,</div>
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S.M. Black<o:p></o:p></div>
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Free YOUR MIND!!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02990199832649153210noreply@blogger.com0