An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 6

one thousand words daily

Day 6 : healing, heartbreak, loss & living

               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. 

               

               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.  She named this piece “Davante Tree,” named after her son since as she put it... 

“it 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...” 

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. 

reflection

               During my healing I noticed something about myself which bothered me.  My fiancé had pointed out my disconnect with people as well as my overall “lack of compassion.” 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.  When we try things other folk’s ways and it does not work, we sometimes become distrustful and even sometimes resentful.  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. 

                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.  Understanding another individual transcends a simply what they do and what they do for a living.  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.  One of those essentials is a social outlet.  Some folks use facebook, blog groups, book clubs as well as church activities.  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.

seeking closure  

               Some folks find their healing and peace within the process easily.  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.  Some things for the body, whether it be broken bones or a broken heart, need a bit of time.  Gorilla glue can’t help with this one, sorry folks, as a joke I use is “Gorilla glue can fix anything, except a relationship!”  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.  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. 

               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).  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.  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.

             Looking at O’Nay’s art as well as the description she sent me, I think of so much.  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.  In the family, my son’s Ninong, (Godfather) is experiencing a very difficult loss of a young man in the family.  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.  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. 

               I had to only deal with the physical pain of kicking my legs in the water as well as stepping out of the pool.  This pain for me is temporary, although I might experience increments of this pain throughout the rest of my life.  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.  In what ways have you healed or would like to heal?  Have you helped others in their healing process whether it is relationship, physicality or a loss of a loved one?  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.  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.  Be that happiness that lives in genuine smiles and the heartfelt realness we all crave!

Thank you for reading.  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 www.shop.totallifechanges.com/MyTeaLifeMom.  Thanks once again for reading and have a wholesome existence!

An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 5

one thousand words daily

Day 5: strength & resilience

               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. 

               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.

                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. 

through the eyes of a child, eyes of the wild or eyes from the wise:

               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.

            
              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.

the subject rarely addressed or talked about:

               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?

              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? 

               
              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.   

             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.

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. 

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Many thanks,

S.M. Black

An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 4

one thousand words daily 

“Perfect practice makes perfect.” ~My childhood Tae Kwon Do teacher -Gary Bowles.

An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 4

               Perfection as I’m told is near to impossible to achieve… unless you are Jesus Christ.  What about those that don’t believe in God or Christ?  Do they think that they need to be renditions of upmost precision, as in the perfect machine, or perfect model of human?  Do images they are fed through their family members or social environment drive them to be the stuck up, frugal and selfish pricks, assholes, rude dicks and cold hearted bitches that we think they are or perceive them to be?  Although we as humans experience much trial and error with many flaws, we can sure oftentimes act like “our boo boo don’t stink,” as to say gently. I know one thing for certain.  That is if we try and try again, aside from falling flat on our faces from time to time and perhaps chipping a few front teeth, we will have learned a lot from the fall.   

               The picture I chose for today's exercise is this eraser my fiance is using in her cool doodles. There is no magic eraser in this life that makes everything automatically better however with careful planning and the expectation of "hey, I'll try and do my best but fuck it, I expect something to go wrong... somewhere," we can learn to focus on the positive, make room for error while not flipping out once certain things don't go exactly our way or the intricate way we've planned.

               In skateboarding and rollerblading, you kinda learn how to fall correctly.  We do the same through the trials of live yet sometimes the choice to learn from or to forget the lesson is solely up to us.  We might know someone; perhaps close friend or family member that we look at and judge thinking “They just can’t get it right, no matter what!”  These dynamic characters in our life often have their own time clock, eyes of judgment and unseen circumstances that we on the outside cannot see.  We see them fall over and over, hoping that we could somehow intervene, show them their flaw, or even slap the shit out of them but hey, everyone has their own learning curve. 

expectations: who sets the bar?

             When we shoot for the stars, who is it that we are setting goals for?  What is the destination and what was the influence that brings you to the adventure in the first place?  Are you driven by your own unique ambition is it a combination of social factors, parents, childhood dreams,  a path easily taken or a vision you just had to bring to fruition?  These are the crucial questions we must address within ourselves constantly in order to feel complete and content with how we have spent our time assessing life.  I guess you can call the style how I write, “the Ultimate Guide to Personal Completion,” “Pulling Zen From Within,” or “Messages of World Help,” for the concepts that I address can apply to any culture, those within any religion or belief system, on the basis of complexities or similarities experienced throughout living the existence of the human condition.  One critically important question I have heard time and time again from many folks in different walks of life is “Will anything I do make a difference?”  In other words, some look at how complex the problems of the world is and wonder if they did anything to influence the cause, no matter what it is… will it matter? 

              Relevance is something we live with whether it be knowing what goes on with our families, what it takes to make a living to what goes on in the news, which we can clearly see affecting us. Many decisions made by those in local governments as well as in political power openly broadcasted, as well as back-room deals, directly affect the ways in which we choose to live our lives.  Changing the course of our own history can be fun as well as scary for some.  Standing up for ones rights at the workplace can sometimes mean a demotion, less hours or even being fired.  Imagine that, to be fired for simply fighting for equal, humane working conditions and rights. 

              Aside from the extreme, this type of thing happens quite often, with some foul employers, slum lords, and companies doing the most in the most awful of ways simply because there is no pushback, no pressure from the outside to become better.  Workplace abuse, unfair hiring practices as well as unequal pay-rates are still an issue along with cultural, issues that affect gender and class issues as well as surviving racial and other discrimination issues that are still today in our two-thousand and whatever millennial thread of life we occupy, allowed to go on unchecked.  We have a choice in our lives whether to make waves in our work life as well as our domestic life at home, or not to.  In the same way we have some type of sway in our local governments be attending city council meetings and voting on sensitive issues which directly affect us as well as those we care about.  We sometimes fear negativity from our families, friends, even judgment from some at our religious places we feel safe to go to for openly standing behind certain issues, from education reform to vaccinations to even the complex yet simply understood issue of police brutality in United States as well as places abroad like Israel.

              Although many that live amongst us strive towards that perfect body, perfect house, perfect dog or simply just having and maintaining the perfect front lawn, do the places that we live and the communities we contribute towards strive for that same excellence?  Is there anything, any law, current circumstances or physical or mental condition that prevents you from achieving the goals and the results that you want?  If so, what solutions have you already sought?  What barriers have you already broken down?  Remember, that sometimes you might be alone in your vision, or quest for excellence as the sole “visionary.”  Sometimes it can be difficult to explain ourselves or share our goal or vision in a way that is easily understood or digested by another.  For this reason we have business plans and other common tools that help us.  When there is no template found to fit our model of success, oftentimes we are forced or as I say, “called” to design our own!   We are our own architects of our own greatness, attributed the strength of the wings we find or craft to help uplift our dreams. 

              The only difference between us and the old man in Greek Mythology Daedalus that build those wings for Icarus is that we have no doubt of how hot the unforgiving sun can be, thus we plan better.  We have felt how strong the opposing winds can be and by folly as well as experience, have learned to carefully navigate around obstacles, burning trees, those that do not clearly need help although on their knees, and those toxic in ways that if what they said turned to pestilence, would spread the worst kind of disease.  We have taken both the carefully chosen path as well as the difficult one rarely taken.  Eavesdropping on a conversatioon between two highway patrol man, I was blown away at something I heard. Even on the careful path you choose, you can face opposition and difficulty, such as a police cruiser that cannot catch up to a souped up Dodge Charger.  Oftentimes their cruisers are simply V6 Ford Explorers with extra weight, engine coolers and technology that lack the high-performance equipment even offered in the standard models of cars we get from the lot today.  Although they put their lives on the line (you can tell by all of those freeways named after fallen officers from traffic stops gone bad and drunk drivers) they still experience workplace issues which makes it difficult to complete the task at hand.
               
              I have friends that for reasons, see how their friends and family end up and assume the same yet I have friends that steer towards the opposite, often surprising everyone through their success as they chose to be different than what was expected and “break the mold.”  I know folks whose whole families are in law enforcement so they assume that’s where they will be.  I know friends whose whole families are in healthcare and nursing thus they assume this is the right and only choice for them.  I also know people with both similar stories, of lawyers, real estate, law enforcement, medicine as well as military and business woven deep into the threads of their families that chose a completely different route... and absolutely loved it!  The choice for success as brought for us to look forward or back to dream or reflect rides within our next magical, life-changing choice! Right now I’m just gonna get a coffee refill from Starbucks and doodle a bit.   Cheers!

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An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 3

one thousand words daily

Day 3

“Hope in essence is birthed from miracles that have yet to escape the confines of the occupied mind, resurrected from the spirit to preserve life and resurfaces within the smiles of the future generations we raise.”  ~ S.M. Black

               The rainbow, as I learned when my mother converted from Buddhism to “Born Again Christian,” at Mt. Erie Missionary Baptist Church was a sign from God himself, a promise to Noah and his family that HE would not hurt the Earth in that manner, as in The Great Biblical Flood.  When I think about rainbows, many things come to mind.  I think about Leprechauns, a big pot of gold.  I’ve been within the end of one and never experienced any pot of gold. I think of the breakfast cereal Lucky Charms.  I think of when I was a small child and my mother, before she left, used to turn on the hose and lift it high so that I could see the rainbow. 

               This is a picture I sent my son after he sent me a picture of a rainbow he took with his mother’s camera.  When I see rainbows I think of him.  His middle name partly means rainbow in Hawaiian.  I have been to Maui once and there were very beautiful rainbows there.  Although my son does not live with me right now and although he may be moving further from my ability to visit, there are things which make our bond strong.  

               All in all, when I see a rainbow in from of me, I think of new life and I automatically think of this faith-filled substance we sometimes neglect or often forget called Hope. What does Hope look like to you?  Does it cost anything to simply… hope?  Does it hurt to hope? If you think hope hurts, then why?  How can hoping for something good, positive or greater than any current state of things be a bad thing?  I feel as if Disappointment and the knife that hypothetically stabs folks in the back are two of the sharpest knifes in existence.

               Vision is a gift rarely given, however when we can envision the positive result through some stretch of time of defining action, we can clearly see the outlines of hope there on the bigger picture, somewhere. Completing actions within a plan or getting oneself on the path towards some change we can see are some ways in which we tend to find ourselves getting hopeful.  As long as we make some moves, it is then when we then know and fully conceptualize that we are or can be on the path towards something great.

“Hope resides on wings of the willing. How willing are you to invite and evoke hope?” ~ S.M. Black

getting shot down

               There is nothing wrong with having belief in what others might deem mediocre, outlandish and even impossible. Let’s take into account that will be instances when no matter what the feat, idea, dream, hope, invention or story, some just chose not to believe you or believe in you.  Perhaps it was an event from the past which they hold against you or perhaps they themselves lack the faith and the positivity to see anything good coming from you.  Is it your fault, no, we are judgmental as humans by nature.  It could simply be that yes, life is unpredictable yet it is very possible that the negative party or individual simply lacks vision. 

               For us to fit into the carefully crafted criterion which makes another person feel comfortable sometimes can be impossible.  It is literally impossible to be responsible for another’s expectations and happiness.  As I was reminded by a simple post by a friend Cara Luhring that “We are responsible for our own happiness,” and that is very true.  We as humans oftentimes build mental, non-physical barriers inside of our mind which prohibits the growth and sprouting of such ideas, hopes & dreams. We often do this to protect ourselves from future heartache, confusion, even from responsibility and decision making.

               Perhaps a dream of theirs was killed, they are now perceived a “Realist,” and just wants you to see things from the “Realistic” “Plausible,” point of view.  I am, in no way, making excuses for this type of negative behavior and I am not reinforcing it, just simply throwing some dots out there for you to connect.  This “psyching out,” of sorts can seem as a deterrent, perhaps throwing you off from your initial goal by making you think that you are not capable or that the task is impossible to reach, at fault for some action you had no control over, or a danger or “in the way,” of having something done the “Right way,” whatever that means.  I have found that looking at problems through different lenses and offering new solutions often stops future issues or problems to occur.   Sometimes it is because they were once hurt in some way when an important plan did not materialize and perhaps the breaking of promises upon them has something to do with their mistrust.

               It is literally impossible to be responsible for another’s expectations and happiness.  As I was reminded yesterday by a simple post by a friend Cara Luhring that “We are responsible for our own happiness,” and that is very true.  Within our being, we hold the foundations to our own happiness especially since we are the navigators of our own emotions.  Don’t take this the wrong way, for we can be influenced by what others say, how they say it as well as the timing in which they chose to say it but… we have total control over how we choose to deal with what they are saying.  Straight up though, when someone you care about, or is close to you puts you down or shoots you down using negative language to any degree, even if from a co-worker or supervisor, it can hurt and cut deep. Back to the “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me,” mantra I used to try to recite to assholes as a little boy in elementary school.  Did I say that when the kid called me a Nigger at Palo Verde in Kindergarten? I wonder. 

               What we can choose to be responsible for is how we treat others, what we teach our children, the hopes we instill in them whether intentional or non-intentional as well as the love we show to others.  Those positive memories you leave with people whether you know it or not, help to influence how they deal with others as well as how they treat others.  Since we as humans are creatures of habit, let us develop some good healthy habits which the generations below us automatically swoop up to nurture and protect.  Let us be that listening voice, that shoulder to cry on or that catalyst in a positive decision leading another to some type of peace, understanding and/or feeling of freedom.

An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day 2

one thousand words daily

Day 2

August 1, 2018

               The image I chose to share with you today was these groups of redwood trees.  I call them “Baby Giant’s Convening.”  These trees, if given the opportunity, and if intense winds do not blow them down, will grow to be over two thousand years old and perhaps tower above two hundred feet.  Yes they are baby giants.  They are all each roughly between twenty to forty years old.  When I was young many of my friends as well as myself, did not see us living past the age of 21 due to the inner-city violence.

               For us the strong winds were the police and the jealousy by others that could also kill.  I grew up in a suburb of The Village, named after Nairobi Village shopping center in the city of East Palo Alto.  When I was a small boy the city was still unincorporated and often called Ravenswood. East Palo Alto is translated as East Tall Trees.  Palo Alto is the contrasting city next door where corporate sharks and sub-prime mortgage lenders are still living luxuriously while others across highway 101 remain taken advantage of, suffer.  Things must change for the better, for us all and especially for the children.  It is when greed goes unchecked and another decides what is important in your life that shatters dreams of not just whole generations, but the dreams of their ancestors before them.  These are the eroding fabrics and overstretched sinews that hold this country together.  The people that built this country are now experiencing hardship due to this… unchecked greed.

               I was taught that it takes a village to raise a child however I find that it also takes a village to raise a conscious nation.  Without the outside opinion of those directly affected, governments and societies often have the tendency to underserve their populations in the simplest of ways.  We can look at ancient populations and folks such as the Romans.  As their morale declined and they cared less and less about the people, the people grew uneasy and eventually rose up, allowing for the conquering and destruction of Rome.  If we look recently at the conflicts in the 1990s in Rwanda and the genocide that took place.  Those actions were directly aligned with how the Germans, for work as well as other controlling purposes, classified, one group of people, separating them on a basis of facial features and skin color in that geographic region. 

               Once someone else tells you who and what you are, they not only have power over you but have power over generations after you.  If we... fail to think for ourselves, as well as the future of all children and perpetuate the given myth, what type of future can you imagine being left with? What things were you told that you later found out to be false?  Let us once again look at those Redwood trees.  We know what they are by simply looking at them.  No one looks at them and tells them that they are not, in fact, redwood trees or trees at all! 

               If a tree were conscious in a personal sense, as some attribute also to animals and not just human beings, what would they think?  What would one think if a human person where to walk up to it and tell it that it is something completely different than it was used to being, different than it was meant to be? Would the tree shake its branches and leaves in protest or just stand firm in the breeze as it is used to doing.  Trees are remarkable, even the Redwood with its short roots.  Trees are able to withstand flames, as well as winds and storms.  Can you weather the storm?

               Trees are known to bend as the wind blows, or else it would snap its branches, and trunk.  Leaves dance majestically in the breeze, shimmering in the sunlight like the tall Poplar tree.  Are you able to bend when you are faced with strong pressure and natural forces known to happen in human life, or do you break?  In many ways we can learn to be like the water moving around rocks and the trees, dealing with the strong winds to one day bear pine cones, seeds and fruit.  We too can leave something behind to teach future generations how to bend and how to fruitfully grow.  We can leave seeds of wisdom in words, inheritances and land for others to grow from.  There are also three redwood trees at the entrance to Illinois St. my childhood block and someone once placed a sign there on one of the tall trees when I was about six or seven.  The sign read "Down With Dope, Up With Hope."

              When we build for another other than self, build a nest for family, house, a legacy, it often carries beyond our years in physical existence.  The trees we plant provide shade and fresh oxygen not just for us but for future generations as well as homes for wildlife.  The legacies we build in faith, home building as well as simple conversation with love and morals plants seeds.  Whether it is in the minds of all who hear and benefit, thus often leaving impressions with lessons that they also want to teach, or on solid ground through owned land, cultivating of any kind takes some special type of talent and work.   Cultivation of any kind takes hard work, persistence, and passion.

               Legacies we chose to build with faith often leave individuals morally richer than they once previously were as well as more peaceful.  Some stray from organized religion for many reasons as well as the congregation of churches.  Many cultures are centered on religious beliefs which dictate a certain type of lifestyle and way of living.  Many of these belief systems overlap in the most basic and fundamental of ways in which, they are built to help guide a society spiritually and in some cases not just spiritually but financially as well. For one to have a strong moral foundation, one does not necessarily have to attend a church or find a church home, but be open to the simple lessons in a safe and healthy society which boast, brotherly love, being considerate, taking care of others as well as fostering healthy relationships and building strong communities that benefit each other.

                The strongest societies all the way down to the coolest neighborhoods I have seen are ones where everyone is inclusive of their cultures, family events, music, food is offered, and where everyone communicates with one another.  Tolerance and understanding is key as children should be allowed to learn, ask questions and see difference yet togetherness in ways of love, care and community across one family to another.  Let us plant some seeds as well as some strong trees for our future!

An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom: Day1

one thousand words daily

An Odyssey of Creativity and Wisdom on 7-31-2018

By: Sekou M. Black

               

               This exercising of the mind is my first new attempt at pulling creativity and inspiration simply from images around me. This task is one out of twelve that I have challenged myself to.  I just can’t back down from a challenge even when I challenge myself.  “Hey, I have an idea… How about you also send me a picture of some type of image and I will blast off from there!”  When I was a teenager I used to freestyle on a corner at a park nearby (freestyling: a form of improvisation through rapping) to any subject or word folks would bring up.  So the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  Let us see what ideas, wisdom and anecdotes that I find within my mind from each random picture selected.  Be adventurous and send me your own images to write from.  I will give finder’s credit in a shout out to each picture selected. The subject can be items, scenery, distinct places and even people.  Write on and right on!

               

              As I sit down in the doctor’s office I fill out the questionnaire and see a scenery picture on the wall of a small river with trees surrounding it on both sides.  The trees I notice are all unique in some way, one beginning to change colors with the seasons.  I thought of how hospitals want us to be relaxed so often they try to use colors and images that are pleasing as well as relaxing to the patients.  For those that can’t swim, looking at water might cause them to either look away or perhaps want to learn to swim in order to take a dip in that cool stream.  The peaceful scene depicted might also call someone to have a picnic on the side of some gorgeous stream somewhere.  

              Originality as I say is a very big factor in a person building a good character as an individual.  The uniqueness the tree turning colors displayed in the photo gives us a sense of although the trees were virtually in the same type of spot, taking in the same sunlight, that there were factors that caused this tree to turn colors before the rest.  Perhaps the tree was a lot closer to water. We can look at ourselves in the same context.  Oftentimes we find folks that go grey before us, have certain illnesses before us and so forth. Timing is relevant to each unique individual.

              In our experience we often find some that mature faster or “Get the picture quicker,” than others might.  I have always wondered whether or not environment or exposure was a determining factor is why some folks are the way in which they are.  In some cases my answer turned out to be “Yes,” however I am reminded through daily interactions with people, even from what I see on the media, that the psychology of an individual from home-bringing to who they choose to be today is solely guided by a wonderful variable that we humans take advantage of called Choice.   Christian’s know this as something called Free Will, which was written as a gift the Creator bestowed upon us, a curse from knowing too much and wanting to know too much in the Garden of Eden.  Regardless of your belief system, the reality that we have some say in the choices we make is power within itself.  For those forced into some type of slavery or forced servitude do not know the luxury of choice and only dream of the freedoms that both me and you, share automatically and naively without much thought. 

               At the beginning of this exercise, I believed that I would merely write about one picture, however when I made my way from the doc’s office to the x-ray imaging place I was compelled to write more.  Why?  Well another one of those trees with a very wide stream painting was hanging on one of their walls.  This time the picture was done with dots to make up the picture instead of brush strokes.  What wisdom could I find in this?

               First of all, I’d like to one day be adventurous enough to jump butt naked in a river or stream somewhere.  After watching “Stand By Me,” a movie about little white boys in the 60s coming of age, jumping in a watering hole to get leaches all over them, I didn’t see that as such a good idea.  Who knows, maybe I’ll grow a solid pair and not care about leeches, or little fishies that are known to swim up the urethra, then spread out the fins, causing intense pain and dying.  That is only if you live in some South American country I believe. If I were to take the philosophical approach about this cool picture using dots, I could talk about patience or how often times we are only given dots when we are trying to figure out who we are or what exactly we are to become.  Those dots can represent lessons as well as experience.  It is only after we learn certain lessons or gain a certain level of life experience or work experience when we can fully get a clear picture of how we can make it happen for ourselves and determine our place on this planet.

               Being able to jump freely into anything takes more than determination, but takes the right conditions. Whether influenced by a hot summer day wanting to cool off or having the freedom from a short day of work or vacation to jump off one of those bridges to make a heck of a splash.  Sometimes it takes ability and will.  I for one can’t physically jump, but I remember when I could.  That doesn’t stop me from wanting to try.  I know I might need to know the currents and whether or not it is safe to do so, no matter what type of leap I decide to take.  One thing for certain is that the simple fact that I want to eventually relax, feel mentally as well as financially free, whether making a business move or making a fun move in a natural environment set’s me directly on a path towards happiness. Often the most courageous thing you can do is simply taking the first step.

Living vs-Existing: The Great Love Story

every story about personal struggle, sacrifice or preserving life in some way… is always a love story!   ~s.m.black

               Purpose, as I was never taught, is one of the fundamental foundations at the base of our being in what we know and qualify as existence.  As we wake up in the morning, we are driven to some type of achievement whether spoken or unspoken. There are determining factors on how we choose to spend what we choose to define as Time.  Deciding to take a step, put food into ones stomach for energy, or head in the right direction towards a means to make some money. Every decision I make is carefully planned to a “T,” being both disabled and now, unfortunately without income. 

                I have to decide how much gas I will throw into my van, which foods I can afford to get until the church feeding later.  I have to think and wonder how I will get to my disability hearing at the end of this month but one thing is for sure.  Along with being homeless, having some new strange health stuff going on like a seizure last week and some more bs… I cannot forget to live!  Although I’m in my own situation, when I see someone worst off it doesn’t hurt to lend a hand and it doesn’t take much just to take a moment and send a prayer. 

               Living for me, is making sure those that care for me and that I care most about live well and remain happy.  Living happy is very important, as for someone who has overcome being depressed for many years in a row, being unhappy is definitely not living.  Being negative and losing focus can take away one thing you will never get back or understand which it this concept we have built called Time.  Living is enjoying moments, nature, family, people, smiles and personalities in this short burst of sunshine we’re granted called an existence, or a human life.  In telling my fiancé I constantly love her, the eye contact, the small thoughtful things, the conversations, listening.  In calling my son because I want him to remember well the last time I told him that I love him.   In my understandings, existence transcends the body as well as what we know as the physical constructs of the mind, for this Life we know is only one journey amongst many.

               I am a firm believer in… a lot of stuff.  I believe in a divine plan, no matter how that plan ends and how I am wrapped up in that plan.  Like the animals of the Earth, I have accepted my callings and purposes.  Fighting against what is natural, inevitable, in a world around me as well as within myself is impossible.  What I can do however is choose to try my best to make the world which I experience around myself and my loved ones, a bit better, as much as I can. 

               We must all ask ourselves these questions at some point, when it comes to self, others we care about such as family and loved ones, “What can I do, What will I do to sacrifice,” or “Is there anything threatening the Quality of life and General Happiness of  those I will do anything to protect?”  When those answers begin flying back at you then it is when you must decide when and how will you… “fight, the good fight?” What stances will you take and what attitudes will you assume in order to get the job done?  If you have children, what type of behavior and attitude will you model to show what it is to live a quality life? How will you relay the compassionate messages about life and existing vs-living to them? 

               If you are in a serious relationship or in the beginning stages of possibly nurturing one, what type of messages will you send them on a daily basis?  I like to remind people that life in general is a miracle and requires lots of elements to survive in our harsh environment. Even dandelions that grow from ghetto sidewalks need to morning dew and rain in order to first sprout forth.  Those dandelions hold nutrients to fight cancers and they even quickly seed to blow away, providing the promise of even more dandelions.  Relationships are the same way except you cannot wait for a miracle to fall on it or morning dew, you have to water it and nurture it yourself.  If you don’t someone else will!   I’m just sayin, some pick dandelions for their salads, I’ve seen it at Whole Check (Whole Foods). Poem below folk!!!  Also, if you are able to contribute and help out this writer in any capacity , please simply support by buying me a coffee using the link below. I can be emailed at sekoublack@hotmail.com Oh yeah, don't forget.,.,.,., Poem Below!!

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fANCrVK

Angels nor dragons are to be found behind any cloud to hide since

Creepy clouds collect colliding in chemical-derived atmospheric skies

While we plant the seeds our grandfathers have not given us

They fought hard so we could be here while we, some forget family begin giving up

As a loving young couple kisses reminding us that this magic does still exist

Or is it that he has yet to hear the drowning sound of selfishness and pride and her

Void of “I can get have that better elsewhere,” when the rain still blows in sideways when it storms but

There are those like the cactus, the yucca

Ones that have their seeds sewn strong like the pine and

Even though there is little flame attitude like, “shoot, it’s go’n all be just fine… trust me”

Truths through flame, pain seed burst however only scorching truths to no lies

Being strong has its perks as years digress with brain cells as well as how well we make fake foods digest

No one steps aside to care whether a dandelion dies

As it is found amongst all of these souls that care none

It still moves towards the light in mornings as the sun comes

Remains still as small hands swoop down to pick it and blow it some

Giving joy to child, pestering the white man with the perfect lawn,

Cousin to the rose, brother to the mustard green, food for the fawn

Reminding us how short our try at our concept of life may be

That our roots are also short and we are not tall strong trees

A sign of strength, life and natural defiance

You’ve become a totally different person the moment you can pick wisdom

From Sidewalk Dandelions

Sidewalk Dandelions

7-24-2018

Healing When Broken: Part 2

July 4^th, 2018

I can only hope to gain the scope of accomplishment and notoriety such as Dr. Sibi, Gupta, or even Dr. Oz and anything close to such would be huge accomplishment to me.  I am a healer by nature and one day I will be recognized for my work, although I have learned that success comes with sacrifice.  For everything that I have already learned accomplished with those whose lives I have already sought to change with compassion and diligence, there is still much for me to accomplish, learn and many experiences I hope to grow from. With being a bridge to health and a guide to wellness, I like everyone else benefits from reminders, refreshers, epiphanies a solid kick in the ass or whatever works for you. In this blog I’ll be summing up a few points previously made in a blog prior as a quick and easily digestible follow up, and I mean BBQ delicious-like knowledge that you’ll want to remember and soak up like melted butter in cornbread.

It has been a while, a few years now since I stood in front of a stove stirring anything and opening any oven to pull out delectable gourmet grub. Although I might be a bit rusty behind the stove, I’m still very sharp with the pen, so let’s begin!  Let me stand a testament to success, a marker for you to gauge that I will be forever determined to reach the pinnacles of success. For myself I hold my own markers high, to have that larger stainless-steel kitchen with powerful hood in that house on that hill, reaching hundreds of thousands with life-saving info and wisdom.  Being broken in many ways from mentally, spiritually to even physical stuph I guess can often give one some perspective.

 

Stigmas & Expectations: Be Your Own Power to Reckon With!

We all mean something to someone and for this reason sometimes it is difficult to say no or disappoint some people we know.  We all mean something to this society, a measurable unit of production yet we must set your own standards of success, or settle with someone else’s misplaced and misguided disappointments!  Knowing who and what we are goes further than knowing ourselves, perhaps even our family’s history and breaches into the unknown and amazing realm of… What it is we can become!  Pushing ourselves, in ways we learn and pushing our limits of understanding makes us more dynamic, unique as well as prepared for different life situations.  It is proven that mathematical concepts introduced to children as well as having exposure to classical music have been shown to boost problem solving. 

Acceptance

We’re going to look at Acceptance now in order to easily Move on to Prosper in whatever type of riches you seek, whether it is wealth in material, health, social life,  a greater peace of mind or simply wealthy financially.  Often times we must chose to Accept, in order to Understand or move forward with the hand we feel as if we have been dealt in life.  When it comes to unfortunate lessons in broken hearts, deaths, things stolen from us, family members or friends that didn’t come through for us when we expected them to, even workplace woes, there is one fact to realize.  That fact is that we are in complete and dire control of our happiness, no matter what happens.  It is all in, how we chose to deal with the hand we were given, how we react and respond to the situation often affects how the outcome is in the long-run.

Since we live in a society where the ones in power keep the majority ignorant, even with the internet, I get asked some audaciously racial questions. The Mid Atlantic Slave Trade, Equality, and “Why are Black people still so bitter about slavery? That was a long time ago!” is often a question and comment I should never have to answer or hear as no one… ever asks a Jewish person to forget about the Holocaust. One saying I like to repeat is “Keep it Positive and Keep it Movin,” for good reason.  Remembering past mistakes and taking adequate time for reflection, even if it requires additional education and research is a good thing to settle the heart and build the mind.

I found that I do not need to totally forget the things that folks have said and done to me, yet taking stock, finding a lesson to learn from it and moving on in a healthy manner helps heaps. I chose to learn from the situations/lessons and educate others so as not to fall into the traps, and then move speedily on.  Some think that holding onto the information and truths prevents the healing process; however, directly addressing the issues head on prevents further/future confusion, allows a space to look at and try to develop a feasible solution for the issue.  I’m just sayin… problems can build just like trash if not taken out and I’m not playin, and it can stink!

I’m not saying carrying a demented fake smile on your face is all good, even when you’re dying but it helps a lot to look on the brighter side of things, be positive about everything, have some humor if you can and laugh some things off.  We can only control what we can control.  On the other hand, we are more powerful than we believe we are and have lots of power as mortal, moral beings with free will. Not everyone is moral ya know but everyone has a chance to lead an honest life if they’d like and positively influence the world around them.

Steer Clear From Blaming

Right now the state Lotto is hitting and I am not playing it however I’m not mad.  I chose not to spend money I don’t have on a lottery ticket although I would like to.  If someone who was just in front of me in line at a gas station wins, will I be mad? No!  Will I blame myself for not buying that ticket? No, because it was not my plan to and if I did happen to buy a lotto ticket, before the moment of purchase, I accepted that my ticket might not be the winning one.  How can we blame ourselves so badly when life events and circumstances happen?

 We believed that if we would have gone this way instead of that way, said this instead of that, or stayed out of the fray altogether that we would have been better off.  This is not always the case, as in we are not necessarily victims of anything or anyone, especially victim of a naughty car that just decided to die without prior warning.  Some people and situations are like that, “POW,” without warning and it is within these moments that we discover how strong, super, and resourceful we can actually be.  In some cases we also find out how much others suck but hey, we can’t hold folks to our high or… hehe low standards no matter what they promise or no matter what we have done for them.

Forgiveness, Realization and Moving On

Letting go is not an easy thing no matter what way you look at it.  It can be letting go of a friendship, relationship, a job that you feel has run its course or the act of forgiveness, which I admit to you guys has one of my most difficult.  Forgiveness shmorgiveness, shoot… “how about they can forget and forgive after my fist connects to their chin!” is how I often feel but letting it go with a big Fuck You (inside of my head, not telling them,) is a lot easier. My mother says “Bless You.”  Realizing that some just lack the intellect, couth, common sense or empathy can suck too but knowing that can help a lot and properly realizing what kind of individual that person is can be half the battle.

This does not mean that you should begin to hate the person or develop super bitter feelings, just remember, that that person is “Fucked up,” and don’t forget!  This does not mean that you cannot love the person either.  By realizing our place in the relationship and taking power to change that situation, we often begin to feel automatically relieved, as well as often find that by removing ourselves from the harmful or unhealthy situation, that things begin to move in a positive direction right away!  Sometimes the only barrier to our growth is ourselves via lack of vision, the repeating of harmful patterns and an inability to forgive another.
 
Sometimes we find that loving someone from a distance is the healthiest thing for us, as well as for them as both can concentrate on what they need to do for self-fulfillment and healthy personal growth.  If you can take the analogy of a plant, a plant grows best when the soil is healthy and the roots have room to grow.  That’s exactly what we have to do constantly, make room for our roots to grow. Now for a poem…

Broken shards of bone once again find the familiar lines they once were whole in

While we heal from the non-physical

Searching for remedies in heart and soul to once again make us feel whole

We instead find others in pain needing also to be consoled

Realizing that pain is relative and what I’ve got ain’t nothing compared to that Shit but still…

We open arms, ears, lock glowing eyes and listen to others with stories that might stop a heart

Giving advice or just listening we become the counselor, the brother, the friend they needed or

Might not ever had

Rejoicing in laughter at common folly’s as we all hunger to smile and live happy

Growing wiser while learning from past mistakes we take time… to explain the pain and offer hope…

So that others might smile easier, move forward with their dreams or even just cope

Becoming more human and less machine we offer realness spilled upon minds and hearts

Like lean in a double cup and more potent than the best strain in the fattest blunt

Reaching to help others smother the fires that desire happiness 

As we accidentally become that cool refreshing water they crave and

We too learn to be Ice Cubes and have Good Days without complaints or even AKs

Sending us back to a place called Community where this thing called Love was somehow ingrained

For we only have time for progress and happiness but now

We no longer have time for pain

No Time for Pain!

7-6-2018