Happy Monday everyone! I’ll be taking a break over the next two weeks to spend time with family and friends in the DMV over Christmas and New Years. 2014 has been an amazing year in so many ways, and I can’t wait to see what next year has in store 🙂 I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Years – and look forward to keeping this random convo going in 2015!
Only 8 more days before I see my fam – and you know what that means:
This past week has been ridiculously busy for me. As the end of the year rapidly approaches, there are looming deadlines at work as well as last minute items to attend to before I hop a plane and head home for the holidays. For these reasons, and probably a few others that I can’t quite remember, I admit to slacking off on providing the freshness that is Monday Motivation to this blog. Instead, below is a posting that I originally did for blackandmarriedwithkids.com earlier this year and that I’ve provided for your reading enjoyment. This subject also became a topic of conversation on an impromptu roadtrip with a friend recently. Anywho, don’t say I never gave you nothing 😉
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One of the original Boy Bands!
Due to my age I am admittedly a little behind the general population when it comes to my love for the music group ‘New Edition’. I love them, can listen to their music for hours on end, and even sat front row during their reunion tour (and yes, that included Bobby) a few short years ago where I was handed a rose by Johnnie….swoon! Fandom aside, I can definitely appreciate any artist who puts out music with quality lyrics. One of my favorite New Edition songs happens to do just that. ‘You’re Not My Kind of Girl” relays the sentiments of a man who encounters an amazing woman, yet can honestly admit to himself that she’s just not his kind. The chorus goes a little something like this:
Sorry, you’re not my kind of girl
You’re the kind of girl that a man’s dreams are made of
Sorry, you’re not my kind of girl
You’re the kind of girl that a man would be proud to call his own
How many of us can relate to the above? During my dating tenure, I can say that I have met some amazing men, from all walks of life, all of whom I believe are great people and some of whom I have been able to remain friends with to this very day. All of these men have redeeming qualities about them, were hard workers, providers, were family oriented, educated, and the list goes on and on. Now I know what you’re thinking – if these guys were so great, as I’ve claimed they were, then why didn’t it work out between us? The answer to this is simple, they were just not my kind or vice versa. Compatibility is a quality that I find important, and when dating I try to pay close attention to how compatible he and I are. For example, I’m a pretty goofy person who tries not to take myself or life too seriously, and can easily find a couple hundred things to laugh about on any given day. Someone who is more serious may not be a good fit for me. Also, I’m pretty out-of-the box, abhor routine and enjoy trying new things. A man who enjoys following a strict pattern when it comes to life may not be a good fit for me. Notice the emphasis that I’ve placed on each of those statements as I don’t believe there was anything inherently wrong with that individual. Instead I can be honest in admitting that while still amazing he may be better suited for someone else. The same can be said for me, as I understand that not every man may find my dry humor and acerbic wit attractive…and that’s ok 😉 Acknowledging that you’re not someone’s kind does not mean that you’re no one’s kind, or that you need to change anything about yourself – quite possibly you haven’t met the right one yet.
I like to use the phrase “There’s a lid for every pot” to illustrate the point that there is someone for everyone. Now, this isn’t suggesting that we should not continually look to improve ourselves and become better people – because we should and independent of our relationships status. But I am suggesting that you are enough, just as you are, and the right person will appreciate you – all of you. So get out there, have fun meeting and interacting with new and different people while learning about yourself in the process. Because you never know…you guys might just click, and end up singing & practicing the choreography to another New Edition song together – with matching leotards* and all 😉
I’m a feeler – I can’t help it, and this past week has been supremely heavy for me. I was still processing the impact of the Ferguson verdict when news came back that there would be no indictment towards the officer involved in the choking death of Eric Garner. This in spite of it being prohibited for NY police officers to use choke holds and the act being captured on video. And what, pray tell, was the crime that warranted the use of such excessive force? The illegal sale of cigarettes, that’s what. Really? Like, I can’t even with that bogus grand jury *starts to woosah and rub earlobes counterclockwise like Martin in Bad Boys 2*.
Even still, my faith and deep commitment to love (no matter what) has kept me from truly going off and maintaining focus on working towards meaningful change. Listening to music is another activity that has also helped me to unwind and not become overwhelmed with depression. One artist in particular recently released a song that really captured my attention. That artist is none other than Mrs. Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter:
While I don’t consider myself a member of the Beyhive, I do respect her business acumen and appreciate her new single ‘Ring Off‘. In the song, Beyonce sings to her mother about how she graciously handled the demise of her relationship with her now ex-husband and faced the difficult decision to take her ring off. Beyonce expresses a great deal of respect for her mother during that time and pride that she chose to take the “high road”. Less a celebration of divorce, the song celebrates those who are honest enough with themselves to choose to make difficult decisions regarding their relationships. As a single woman, I can attest to the social pressure to be in a relationship and the social hierarchy that can sometimes form pitting singles against non. It take much courage to stand up for yourself, especially when in the public eye, and have the audacity to do you.
There was a recent vlog by awesome YouTuber Bronzegoddess01 where she responds to a strawberry letter from a young woman who felt pressured to get married even though her purpose was leading her in a different direction. In the video response, Bronzegoddess01 urges the young woman to first seek her purpose and not worry about “losing” her relationship as anything that is compatible with her purpose will manifest in her life. Her response was consistent with the message contained in one of my fav Bible verses (Matt 6:33), which talks about seeking one’s purpose in God as being the key to having it all. I too have faced the challenge of walking away from something that “seemed” great but was not in line with where my life was headed at the time. But as the song says, “letting go is never the end”, and my faith in God’s direction for my life has strengthened my resolve to not hold onto anything that might hold me back. Salute to all the women (and men) who have struggled with and yet succeeded in making tough life decisions. You are the real mvp!
In my pursuit of financial independence (and after acknowledging that I’m much too impatient to wade through channels to determine what to watch) I made the decision to give my traditional cable package the boot. It’s been approximately two years since I made that decision, and I haven’t looked back. Thanks to streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, I have not regretted my decision in the least. These services, and Netflix specifically, have exposed me to shows and movies that I probably would not otherwise have watched. The documentaries section on Netflix especially has provided me with an array of interesting items to view – the most recent of which has been the film ‘Blackfish‘. Considering that the film came out in 2013 I’m slightly late to the party, but still glad that I managed to make it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the film, ‘Blackfish‘ details the story of Tilikum, a killer whale taken into captivity within the sea-park industry and the dire consequences that resulted. Without giving too much away, a consistent theme that emerged throughout the movie was this feeling of regret. Regret about the decision to subject killer whales to captivity, of not fully understanding the ramifications of the sea-park industry on these creatures, and the choice to support psychological and emotional trauma under the guise of entertainment. There was one quote in particular from the film that really stood out to me.
“I think that in 50 years, we’ll look back and go ‘My God, what a barbaric time.’”
It was interesting to observe the transformation that some who were involved in the sea-park industry underwent as they realized the true consequences of their actions and the harm that had been done. As I watched their remorseful and tear-strewn faces, I couldn’t help but wonder when the same degree of revelation about the adverse treatment of killer whales and the respect/humanity they deserve would become applied to Blacks in the United States whose lives have been cut short by law enforcement.
The response of protestors to the Ferguson verdict highlights a growing state of unrest. The legacy of slavery in the United States is something that many try to ignore or treat as if it were antiquated. In reality, it is our lack of reconciling the nearly 250 years of slavery followed by an additional almost 100 years of Jim Crow laws designed to enforce segregation and that supported racist practices and terrorism towards Blacks that has contributed to the current state of race relations in this country. To put things into perspective, there are still people alive today who experienced segregation and Jim Crow. Martin Luther King Jr. would have only been in his 80’s were he still alive. Unfortunately, it is not until America acknowledges the atrocities that were imposed on Blacks and work towards true reconciliation, which includes addressing privilege and dismantling institutionalized racism, that we can work towards true healing and justice. And unlike the above quote from Blackfish, I truly hope that it doesn’t take 50 years before this country has a Laurence Fishburne ‘School Daze‘ moment and truly wakes up.
differentnorm 