Thoughts of Photography

I often have thoughts of being a photographer.

Can I capture life as it happens?

Do I have what it takes to be create?

 Will I fail or succeed?

 

Will I be great? 

 Only time will tell

Free Copy of Poetic Outlets

Have you read my book of poetry titled "Poetic Outlets?" This book is about love, life, relationships and the things that keep us emotionally engaged with each other. Come be emotionally engaged with me.

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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is not guaranteed!

What if I told you that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is not guaranteed? Would I be lying? Would my mouth have to be washed out with soap as some mothers did in the past when their children lied? I guess it would all depend on who I ask, when I ask them, and who they are around. Someone that has been living a pretty prosperous life (Mentally, physically, and/or financially) might say that life is sweet and they are guaranteed, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Now, when you think of someone who has been living a less fortunate life (Victimized, wrongly accused, and/or fails to change his or her current intolerable situation), he or she may say that life has been unkind.

Life is not guaranteed. These are not things that we have certain rights to because of who we are or what we can do. Take for example the Smith Family. The family consists of: Jada, Will, Jaden, and Willow Smith. Do you think that Willow Smith is guaranteed a successful career because of her parents? Absolutely not. Willow may have a better chance at being successful because of her pants, but she still has to put forth great effort and dedication in being prosperous. The thing is, because of who her parents are, she may have a certain standard that she will have to live up.

Do you think we are guaranteed freedom? Your interpretation of that question would probably depend on what type of freedom I am talking about. If I am talking about the type of freedom where we can make our own life choices, then most of us can answer confidently yes. However, if I am talking about the type of freedom where we do not have to abide by the rules and regulations set forth by our branches of government, then that would be a definite no. Take the country Egypt for example. About one year ago, Cairo was fighting for its freedom from its dictator Mubarak. It was clear that popular Sovereignty was a fan favorite among the people, but not a fan favorite among the dictators. This is a prime example of freedom not being guaranteed.   

Does everyone reading this article have the right to be happy? The honest truth is that we have a right to be whatever we want to be, whether this means happy, sad, or filled with life. We are in control of our own emotions, so if we decide to be mad at a situation that occurs, we have that right. Happiness only comes after we have decided that we are not going to allow life’s situations to get us down anymore. I remember several years ago, I was at my lowest point in life. My doctor told me that I may have cancer, my finances were in ruin, and I had lost my social flare. On many occasions, I prayed to God for guidance and deliverance. I asked to be guided to a better life. I also promised that if I made it out of my predicament, I would change my life for the better. A few weeks later, tests showed I did not have cancer, I started working a second job, and I started to get my social flare back. I learned a very valuable lesson during that time. I learned that I was in control of my emotions and how I felt at particular times. I also learned that life is too short to be mad or upset at everything. As of today, I am still working on controlling certain emotions and refraining from letting my emotions have dominion over me. Completing this task wholly takes time, and the person has to commit a lot of restraint over what was, what is, and what will be.

~Create your own life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Do you deserve more than an emotional tundra?

Persnickety

Today while sitting in the café area of a well-known grocery store, I overheard two women talking. One woman stated, “Right now I am single and I am enjoying myself. There’s been a lot of spiritual growth and getting to know myself lately.” I could not concur with her more. I agree with her because I truly believe that before you can be in a relationship with anyone, you have to understand your wants, needs, and desires. The best way to understand yourself is by being by yourself for an extended amount of time.

In 2006, I entered into a two year relationship. My prior relationship record was not good because I could not seem to make it past the three month relationship mark. I was definitely going to give this relationship a chance because I had to make sure it could be done. Well, by the third month, I was ready to throw in the towel. This guy was too needy and seemed to have a continuous altering mood; he needed me to walk him through things I considered simple, perform those simple tasks for him and want for the relationship seemed to change depending on if he was working or laid off. I found myself being concerned with this individual more than I was concerned for my own well-being. Within those two years, I had broken up with him at least three times and had considered breaking up with him on a constant basis. What always brought us back together was the fact that I felt bad for him, when I really should have just considered my feelings in the relationship. The feelings that I held for this individual were definitely not being reciprocated; I was often the one providing for us, even when he had a job and I moved forward in the relationship with the perception that the word team included both of us.

My two year relationship made me take a few steps back, so I could re-evaluate the situation. I asked myself a few questions: What was the relationship doing for me? Was the relationship helping me grow? Could I see myself with this individual in the future? Was our relationship built on a foundation of trust and loyalty? And what was I getting out of the relationship? After answering no or nothing to practically all of those questions, I knew it was time for me to get to know myself a bit more and determine my likes and dislikes. I ended my two years of blissful misery and started my four year journey toward getting to know myself. It was such an experience because I started to identify things I liked in myself and things I wanted in a mate. While many of my friends and family found me to be picky, I thought to myself, “Why not? Why not be picky?” I think I definitely deserved to be picky, especially where I was headed. I needed someone that could accompany me on my journey and who could easily fit into my life without all the complications that I was accustomed to. I wanted to be able to have an in depth conversation with that person and be able to talk about life, love, and even politics. I wanted the information he possessed to be fact-based and not emotional-based. I wanted his words to be true and I did not have to determine if he was telling a lie. Is that too much to ask for?

~I'm worth the time it takes to make good choices. Are you?

Broken Dreams and Lessons

Broken dreams
Tattered souls
Reflection in eyes
Of hardship untold

Long days and nights

Ease the pain
Relieves the stress
From the often insane

Things have to get better

They can’t get any worse
I put the worse aside
And tucked it in my purse

See worse use to challenge me

And hit me when I was down
It even grabbed a Louieville Slugger
And beat my head straight to the ground

I finally said no more

And pleasantly got up
Because I truly knew
When enough was enough

See repeating a lesson

I don’t have that to do
Learning from the lesson
Was what I have to do

Now, you can go through life

Keeping doing the same thing
But when you learn the lesson
Is when you ears will ring

More opportunities will be waiting

For you to continue your stride
Just know where you’re going
And when to get off the ride!

He Is...

Sometimes in life

I feel trapped in a place

Where society has yet to uncover

Trampling over my spirit

Which shines so bright

Although dark clouds have tried to overshadow

My sunny days

Sitting in the place of solitude

Waiting for the spirit of a like incumbent

Bringing forth the dreams of a fruitful meeting

And the anticipation of heavily enriched knowledge

That travels out of his lips

And attaches to my psyche

Watching his passionate soul

Continue to push through the heartache and pain

Because he’s set on making it to the mountaintop

By trying

And giving life his all

Courage is what he pushes forward

While expelling honesty from his body

And admirably wearing the badge of commitment

On his chest

He knows his past

Lives in his present

While continuously planning for the future

Proud of his heritage

And stays true to heart

He is love!

It's Not About Where You're From, It's About Where You're At!

Have you ever heard of the statement, “it’s not about where you’re from, it’s about where you’re at?”  Individuals all around the globe use this statement or statements like it to basically say that it’s not about a dreadful past, it’s about a prosperous future.  It’s about getting right back up when you have been knocked down because you have chosen not to let defeat continuously hit you where it hurts.  It’s also about finishing strong and not letting others or your environment determine your earnings in life.

You hold the reigns to your life and how you feel and react to certain situations and whether or not you decide to get back up.  I am a strong believer that “we fall down,but we get up.”  So get up from your defeat, look life straight on and say “no more.” 

Suicide is not the Answer

Today, my brain ponders about life and the many circumstances that have the ability in making us feel a certain way and do certain things to ourselves. Sometimes our immediate answers are not always the right answers, especially when we have only thought of ourselves in the situation. When thinking about current and previous problems, when have you not thought about others when making decisions?

Let’s take a look at the death of Don Cornelius. His permanent action to a temporary situation may not have been the best solution, but it was his solution. Now, let’s imagine that Mr. Cornelius is in his mid-thirties with three children and a wife. The wife is also in her mid-thirties and works as a Case Manager for a Mental Health Institution. She makes approximately $33,000 a year, which is before taxes. The children are two, four, and five years of age. Mr. Cornelius decides to take his own life because he cannot deal with the situations surrounding his family life, job, and social life. What do you think happens to his wife and kids after this tragic event? The responsibility of the family and everything else shifts from two parents to one parent. The wife and possibly his family have to make adjustments to their current lifestyle to support the needs of the children. Now, there are situations where the wife will not receive support from his or her family and will have to provide for the children by herself. What a stressful situation to be in when love did not prevail and get the couple through thick and thin? How will the wife cope with the stress that was often shared with her husband; however now has to be dealt with on an individual level?

A good friend recently told me that, “suicide is a permanent answer to a temporary situation.” You know what? I agree with her. Suicide is not the answer. The answer is finding various resources in the community to assist you with whatever you are going through. Those resources could consist of mental health organizations, therapists, family, friends, running, walking, and just leaving your situation for a temporary moment in time. In the past, my state of mind had the ability in making me believe that suicide was the answer; however I did not give in to those thoughts. I pushed through those feelings and allowed myself to deal with the situation in front of me. I told myself, “I do not want to ever experience this feeling again or think this way.” I also told myself that I had the power to let my mind to react to certain things that I was going through. In this place called life, you have to learn to control your mind and only react to the things you feel that are necessary for a reaction. I also found exercising and walking in the park to be relaxing. I would walk for an hour, looking up at the sky, while relieving my pain with every breath I took. This very day, I still walk in the park and relieve my stress; however, I use it as bonding time with my sisters and nieces by taking them with me.

~Life is tough; however you are well on your way to being a life expert. Become an expert and then empower others to do the same.

Waiting for a Defining Moment

Sometimes in life, you know when things are over and have no chance of being rectified. However, you sit and wait for a defining moment that seems to take longer than your next birthday. Anticipation swells in your soul as you imagine life at that particular moment.  The thought of accomplishing your heart's desire sends you in a passionate thrust forward with your Eyes on the Prize.  You know that no momentum can be gained by siting around and waiting for a miracle.  So I ask you, "what are you waiting for?"  It's time to stop waiting for the moment and define your own moment.  Time is of the essence.