Whateva You Like!

Do you often wonder why people have things you don't? Have you thought that you had been short changed just because you didn't get exactly what you wanted?

We've all been there before. I know I have. When I think like this I recall how good God is, and then I know that He does things; allows them to happen for a reason. Maybe we can't get that new job because there is something even better coming along at the present gig. Sometimes it requires patience, but it is essential to seeing God's plan.

Don't fret about the things you have no control over. It will just guarantee a big stressful headache where you should have peace. God wants the best for us all. Have faith and believe in Him who grants strength to the weak.

The Story of the Baby Bluebird

Here's a little morality story for you. I got this one from the movie My Name is Nobody.

There was a lonely baby blue bird chirping in its nest. It was cold, and the bird was hungry, so he decided to jump out of the nest and try to fly. Well, he wasn't quite able to get his wings to flap just right, and he fell with a "Plop!"

Still hungry and still very cold, the little bird chirped and chirped as loud as he could, until along came a cow who felt really sorry for the baby bird. The cow lifted its tail, and took a huge steaming dump on the bird. Even so, the bird was not cold any longer. All he needed now was some food.

He chirped his little heart out some more until along came a wolf. The wolf heard the bird chirping and took his paws and dug him out of the cow pie. He lifted the little bird up and ate him in one gulp.

MORAL to the story: Everyone who shits on you may not be out to hurt you. And everyone who helps you out of a jam, may not have your best interests at heart.

Secondary MORAL: When you're up to your neck in shit, keep your mouth closed!

Forward

Looking forward, one must be prepared for the unknown. Nearly six months ago I was seemingly at my wits end, wondering if I could possibly become the man that I want to be. I was literally lost within the wake of my choices, trying my best to decipher what it all meant.

Life is so crazy sometimes. One moment we could be angry at the world itself, collapsing inside as what we know to be true comes crashing to smithers. In the next instant, we are just happy to be alive, thanking God that even as we suffer, we are alive.

What I see now is that it is one huge puzzle, a life that we piece together, together, linking our pieces with so many others, helping to create the great experience that is Life. We are connected forever, whether or not we want to be.

God has set in motion such a great chain of events that it would be nigh impossible to unravel the tapestry. But I get it. I understand what transpires and why, and what must happen in order for us to reach the next level. I am no longer afraid of living. I accept commitment. I revere God.

What comes next will shock many, but it is for the best. My mind is at peace and I feel comfortable with my decision. God will take care of the rest.

Y'all be easy, man.

The New Hope Vote

Here we are, much of us crippled with that ever so familiar butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling, on the eve of what will essentially become the most profound historic moment ever: the possible election of a black man to the highest office in the US, and the possibility of a woman as Vice President.

Either way this goes, the shockwaves will be felt throughout the planet, as we make way to reverse the damage to our reputation with other countries that we would normally have strong ties. Our relationships with many of our neighbors are strained, and people in our own country find the government action/inaction appalling and ridiculous to say the least.

I spoke to a soldier, an Obama supporter, and she remarked on how the War in Iraq has gone on too long, now with over 4,000 U.S. troops pushing up daisies, which leaves us with an option to pull out with 2 years. Many desire victory before we withdraw, but with no clear enemy, no face to place on terrorism, we are fighting blind anyway. Terrorism will never be quelled, for those who are willing to throw their lives away for one common cause, make an invincible opponent. They are everywhere...and we can't tell a terrorist from an orthodox sheikh. America is lost in the desire to destroy something we don't understand, and in that sorry ignorance, we may be digging our own graves.

So, be careful to vote for the possibility of peace, but more importantly, vote for what you believe in. My father and I disagree on the candidates, and his reason for voting is a bit of fanaticism in my opinion, but it is his right to choose. That right will be defended at all costs.

Box in Hand

The world waits for angled impressions, ideals with wings and blind morals, and with box in hand, I may wait as well. Heathen masses growl like angry jungle cats, ashamed at everyone else but themselves. I see them following one another like lemmings, each one different but the same, treading through mounds of capitalistic drivel like so much mud. Your thoughts have been subliminally telegraphed to your medulla oblongata via sneaking in the building like burglars as you watch Britney Spears systematically dismantle her life. Box in hand, I briefly misunderstand, is this country suited to the average man? Is this where I make my stand? Is that why I do what most can't, while they do what the can? There are false idols at work, those of flesh and sin, and those we hold close, and covet with a grin.

Box in hand - a gift of promise to share with the world...
A box in my hand, a man, a dream, a conqueror, a thief, a king.
A present for all who talk and scheme,
Open it up and see what I mean.

Excerpt: SOD

When I was getting ready to leave DC, standing in the bus terminal, thinking I had it all figured out to establish a new life and a new career back home, I was just oblivious to the circumstances that would mold a foundation of sorts for my future. My then-girlfriend Angela stood inside the building, her brown eyes teary and sad, not truly wanting me to leave, but knowing deep down there was nothing she could do about it. It was a powerful decision, one that would echo throughout my most significant relationships for years to come. I would become the King of Letting Go, the reluctant ruler of transformational experience. I had ended a four year relationship in order to trace my own path, and it would not be the last.

I had been living with Angela, and she was attending Howard University. I had been, subconsciously jealous of this, and I so much wanted to have a better life and an easier time pushing toward my goal. Yet, it was more likely I would face more adversity in the coming months.

Underestimated

Maybe it's difficult to understand our capacity to underestimate ourselves. Socially we have come to accept the limitations imposed upon us. We dress up in suits and trudge through our 9 to 5 with tunnelvision, just blind enough to miss the life that surrounds us.

I have decided to give myself time to establish a body of work and develop some essential writing skills that will give me perspective. I need to know the true scope of the vision I have for myself. Even as my purpose unfolds, I know that many people think that they have this singular goal for their lives that will define them and make their lives meaningful...alas, you will be disappointed.

You are inside the meaning. Here and now you serve your purpose by just being. It is when you live in the past that you lose that definition, and become spiritually stagnant. Your past is dead, and to feed on it means death to your spirit.

In my book, I do expound upon this much more, but this is just a bit to push you along and keep things in perspective. Do not underestimate your value and power to become the meaning...