At long last we have come, once again, to the end.
Year ends are always such introspective times for me; remembering all the things I've been through and all the laughter and great memories I've had as well as all the tears and heartbreaks I've experienced. This has been, hands down, one of the most rewarding, challenging, and heart-wrenching years since 2007 when I broke up with my last ex, Jared.
I'm crossing the bridge but I wanted to stop and reflect on the happenings of 2014!
Here are a few of the most impactful happenings of my year!
Spirit has many ways of communicating with us on the mortal plain - this physical manifestation of Spirit's highest dreaming, thoughts, and aspirations.
The most common way that Spirit speaks to me is through echos. I define echos as recurring messages from various sources over a period of time. The message could be repeated several times in a single day or over a course of several months. The time and frequency varies but the messages remain consistent.
Exposé and Common Tales
Because I believe that the magnitude of this subject matter is so important, please permit me, in this second installment of Race, Attraction, and Cognitive Dissonance, the opportunity to flesh out and create a more contextual and deliberate container, and in the interest of clarity let me begin by sharing a number of passages from one of my favorite life-mirroring essays by Reginald Shepherd where in, at one turn he describes being black and at the next turn, being gay.
It surprises me how many of the things we experience growing up stay with us 'till adulthood. Moreover, even after considerable effort in digging into the past to route out the roots of our present emotional, psychological, and spiritual dis-ease, we find that weeds have popped up bound and determined to increase the amount of work we still must do.
This is where I find myself.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
"Harlem" by Langston Hughes
This has been a very difficult year for me. There have been several bright spots. However, I cannot say that I'm sad to see this year end. I'm crossing this finish line more tired than I began, more bruised, more worn, and more vulnerable than I've been in a long time. Through it all I've been reminded of some valuable lessons.
Today is Veteran’s Day – a day that we as American citizens set aside time to remember those who have fought and died for our liberties and freedoms. So, it’s not altogether unexpected to find articles on why we should appreciate the men and women of uniform. Having come from a family of two military parents, I understand the importance of such honor.
However, I came across an article today from the Salon website that made me think more accurately about Veteran’s Day, those who fight for our “freedoms,” and where our freedoms actually derive from.
"Do not make enemies who are not worthy of your every effort to render them into a state of complete ineffectiveness."
"Leadership Secrets of Attila The Hun" by Wess Roberts, Ph.D
I'm a big movie fan. Let me rephrase that - I LOVE going to the movies!
A few days ago I went to see "Ender's Game." I don't always do my research before seeing a movie. Often times just being wowed during a preview is enough to pique my interest. So, I was quite unaware of the author of the original book, Orson Scott Card. I actually had never heard of the man - not until I tagged myself at Seattle's Cinerama while also posting a picture of my ticket stub.
Over the past few days since my website went live, several people have shared with me their congratulations, encouragements, and emotions about the site. I want to take the time to thank every one of you who have read, shared, and/or commented on my material. I am extremely humbled and comforted to have, thus far, found a soft place to land.
Often times the most difficult thing about being a writer is, well, writing. What do you write about? How do you write it? What do you say? How do you say it? Who's your audience? How will it be received? Will people get it? Will people like it? Will people hate it? Will you be effective in getting your point/opinion/observation across? And a host of other questions swirl through your head.
They say that all good stories worth telling start at the beginning. What they don't tell you is that most beginnings come after much preparation has been done - those smaller steps along the path. Sometimes beginnings start amidst a joyous occasion like a birth, graduation, or wedding. Sometimes they start amidst a desperate act of fear, death, or loss. Even death is a beginning - a beginning for those who have lost and for the one who is journeying on.
Regardless of how our beginnings commence, one thing's certain; they all take a certain amount of courage, a certain amount of resolve, a certain amount of determination.
And this is where I am. At the beginning!
