WHEN A BIRD SINGS....

Boy do I miss it. I miss being in love. I may be having a hard time giving it, but I miss it. I miss when it comes so effortlessly. I miss feeling comfortable. I miss feeling butterflies. I miss feeling enjoyed. I miss looking at him nervously. I miss being in love. Its a wonderful feeling.

So as I am growing, as I am evolving and becoming more of my true self...I am working on becoming content with the fact that I may truly be a person far from the person that I am today... Lets start with me being a trained academic.  Yes, this is apart of who I am. And I appreciate all the knowledge that I gained in that type of educational setting.  I enjoyed getting my degrees. Community Development is the field that I have studied for 6 years. I have worked in education for the last 4 years or so.  Both of these fields are heavily political.  College is a very political place. My professors would stress all the time that the "person" is political. You cannot separate your self from the political arena that we are in.  As a person, you are a citizen..political...a resident...political....and on and on. As for me, people have always taken a step forward with my being.  They have politicized me.  Always felt that I was interested in politics/gove...

Do you ever feel like sometimes you don’t love yourself to your maximum potential? Well, I know I do.  I go through some ups and some downs.  However, sometimes when I am experiencing my downs, I allow it to get me down.  I have been working through my depression for about 2 years now.  When I made the transition to the East Coast, I was still doing things to stay focused and balanced.  However, once I started working, it sort of distracted my purpose.  What is my purpose? Well I know right now, my purpose is to live a peaceful human experience.  I want to work to find balance in my life.  One thing I know is that I cannot run from the “down” moments.  I have to find the strength and endurance inside of myself to properly handle those moments.  I have recommitted myself to focus on my overall health and well-being.  To reconnect myself to my spirit.  To lead with love. To judge less. To appreciate all walks of life; however, m...

Today's review is on Randal Pinkett's and Jeffrey Robinson's "Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness".  Wow, I couldn't have finished this book at a more perfect time in my life.  This book basically provides a holistic approach to mastering and redefining the game.  In this case, the game is the world of work or career or professional life. The authors speak specifically about being a Black person in a society that is dominated by our White counterparts.  Instead of following the motto of "work twice as hard", the authors focus is on working smarter.  Listed below are the strategies and some memorable quotes/paraphrases about them: Strategy 1: Establish a Strong Identity and Purpose One cannot really be successful in any aspect of their life without a clear understanding of who they are as a person, and how they fit within their surroundings.  As a Black person its important to know ones his...

So, its officially been 6 months that I have lived on the east coast.  Wow! How time flies.  I made a very brave, daring, risky decision late last year to quite my job, pack of my things, and head to the DMV.  My only plan was: growth! They say if you want something different to happen in your life, then you must do something different.  I was looking to grow both personally and professionally.  Back home in Oakland...for the record, I love Oakland! And there is not a better city than Oakland, Ca.  But, I was not growing at home. I had become stagnant. I had become frustrated with my stagnation.  I was angry going into work.  I was tired of doing the same old things.  I wasn't as involved with my community as I would have like to be.  I was not truly happy. So I moved to the DMV.  Since I have been here, I experienced a lot of different emotions. Happiness, joy, frustration, loneliness, stressed, excited, eager...and a bunch of ot...

In 2016, I live in a society where the media (mass and social), promotes this exaggerated version of what it means to be a beautiful or attractive woman. First, lets start with the make-up.  I can say its real art.  I'm saying, people are contouring the heck out of their faces.  Now, bodies. First plastic surgery seemed so out of reach.  Man, I was just reading an article yesterday about non-invasive plastic surgeries.  You can go into a clinic today, and walk out with a new a**. And also, America's obsession with working out.  Okay, I do work out lol, but I don't strive for this "perfect" hour glass figure.  IS ANYTHING ACTUALLY ORGANIC ANYMORE?  Anyways. for girls like me, who "woke up like this" it can be a constant battle with appreciating how you look in the mirror.   Anyways, I just wanted to take a moment and appreciate all types of beauty.  Especially those who wake up, wash their face, and can look at themselves (outsid...

"My guiding principle was to place myself in a position of power so that I could help people with good ideas see those ideas realized" I just finished the memoir of Mayor Willie Brown.  Since I was young, I was always fascinated by Mayor Willie Brown.  He was a powerful, swaggy, Black politician in San Francisco.  And, even as a young girl, I always had a strong attraction towards older men.  LOL...Mayor Willie Brown was high on that list. That's how I knew him, as Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco.  It was not until I interned at the state capitol that I learned that Mayor Willie Brown was also the Speaker of the House.  That's like a big deal! My first time I actually had the chance to meet Willie Brown was as an intern in Assembly member Sandre Swanson office.  SIDE NOTE: It wasn't until I worked at the capitol that I was infatuated with "famous" people.  I never really showed much enthusiasm with seeing your average celebrity.  Howeve...

I have had two different people call me out this week about my reluctance for help/assistance.  About the forthcoming of my independent spirit and my desire to do it alone.  I have to acknowledge that this is something that I am working on. I have a very strong spirit.  I am committed to making sure that my life is in my hands.  I want to make sure that I have given myself a fair shot and put forth all the effort I have to get me where I want to go (where is it that I want to go? Umm, that I am still discovering).   However, sometimes my strong spirit gets in the way of accepting help from others.  I am really not sure where this independent mind of minds came from.  Maybe it has something to do with being the oldest child.  I have always wanted to do things "on my own." But I do acknowledge, that no success, no hurdle I have crossed, was done all by myself. I think sometimes I am afraid of showing vulnerability.  For whatever reason, I...

What does it mean to have a trip of a lifetime? Well, I suppose my visit to Bangkok, Thailand would describe such a trip.  I am still in disbelief that the little brown girl from West Oakland made her way all the way across the world.  I've been dreaming of Thailand since my days of training in Muay Thai at Cheetah Muay Thai Academy.  I can't say for sure what drew me into the culture.  However, I do know that at the time, my gym was an extension of my family.  First of all, I truly enjoyed training. And secondly, my trainer was just the best.  He was definitely like a big brother to me.  He took my goofy, clumsy self in and turned the skinny girl into a fighter!  Since those days, I had long to visit Thailand.  And this year (well technically last year) it happened!  I said at the beginning of 2015 I would bring in the new year in Thailand, and that's just what I did. Bangkok, Thailand. Huge metropolitan city.  So much going on. ...