Everything Happens for Reason

Does it?

Why do premature deaths happen, why are people laid off from their jobs, why are women raped, innocent children killed, why do some people go to bed hungry...the list goes on and on.

I'm really not sure why we experience bad things or suffer from unpleasantries, but on the other hand I don't know why we experience good things; love, happiness, unexpected blessings even luck as some would call it.

It's funny how we question the bad things in life and not the perceived good things. I believe that our lives are similar to mosaics. Our experiences, both the good and bad, our personal victories and regrets are the colorful pieces of tile, glass and stone that make up our mosaics. That being the case everything does happen for a reason. Our experiences shape and form our lives into beautiful pictures like the tile, glass and stone that make mosaics art. We need all of our experiences both the good and the bad to complete our pictures.

Everything does happen for a reason.



For those that may need a visual check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic

Life is Short

I've always believed that life is short. No one knows the moment, second, minute, hour, day month or year they are going to die. One could choke on a chicken bone or go peacefully in their sleep one night. The point that I am trying to make is that no one is invincible and as Chris Rock said in No Sex,"...you're gonna to die."

Knowing that I am going to die has made me very intentional about the life I live. Those that personally know me, know that my personal mantra is Carpe Diem (Seize the day). I believe we have to make it our personal mission to seize the day. No one is going to make sure you are happy, that you spent enough time with your family, that you took vacation or that you went to the doctor for your yearly physical. It is each individuals responsibility to make sure that they are seizing the day.

I think Americans are obsessed with status, toys, tittles and money, but do those things really add to our life. They may provide temporary happiness, but they don't define people. When we die it's not the things that will miss us nor will they be our legacy. It's the people and the lives we have touched that will be impacted the most by our time here on earth.

Take some time to reflect on the life you are living. Are you living each day to it's fullest? Remember each day is a gift that's why they call it the present!

CARPE DIEM

Relationships are like Split Ends

I didn't run out of thoughts. I took a little summer vacation, but I'm back now and I have lots of thoughts!

I just got of the phone with a friend and her situation reminded me of one my favorite JBS original quotes..."sometimes relationships are like split ends and they need to be cut" This can apply to both sexes, but I think women will really understand the point I'm trying to make.

Sometimes a woman goes to the hairdresser and is told she needs to get her split ends trimmed. For what ever reason she decides that she doesn't want to cut her hair. Relationships are like the split ends the woman at the hairdresser doesn't want cut. At times we end up in relationships (romantic and platonic relationships) that we know are on a slow train to NOWHERE. Instead of being proactive and ending the relationship, WE STAY. Why do we stay when we know there is no future....is it the companionship, the fun we have with the other person, sex, a fear of being alone or the status that the other person represents (I'm sure you could add a few to the list too)?

When a woman finally does cut the split ends her hair is healthier, shinier and prettier. And more importantly it grows back stronger. Similarly when we end relationships that are not nourishing to our entire being we make room for healthy, loving, positive relationships.

Do you have any split ends that need to be cut?

When I...

I'm convinced that most Americans live in a constant state of "When I."

When I get a new job...
When I lose 10 pounds...
When I get the kids off to college...
When I get married...
When I turn 30...
When I get a promotion...
When I make a little more money...
When I retire...

The list goes on an on an on an on.

I find that most people are so consumed with reaching whatever the "when I" state is they fail to enjoy the journey that is life. They don't enjoy the phase of life they are currently in nor do they really appreciate the things (materialistic and non materialistic) they have already been blessed with.

Perhaps the most ironic thing is that "when I" never ends. It's a never ending cycle.

I am a firm believer in goals, plans and dreams, but we need to make sure we aren't missing the forest for the trees as we strive for our personal "when I." It's our duty to enjoy the journey that is life and to take time to smell the roses along the way to "when I."

A Dream Deferred

A Dream Deferred
by Langston Hughes

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?

Misunderstood

Sometimes the best things in life are those which are often misunderstood.

I remember when I was younger (and even recently) my mother warning me not to become common. She was basically telling me to dare to be different in an "old school....read in between the lines" kind of way. She was encouraging me to go against the grain.

So often we become common as we fall prey to the status quo. We do things because other people are doing them, we fall victim to peer pressure or we try to keep up with "The Jones." The status quo is not necessarily a bad thing. In common land, people are often accepted and quite comfortable, but why settle for comfort when you can be GREAT?

It's okay to be misunderstood. Look at Albert Einstein, Terell Owens, Kanye West, Wendy Williams, Hillary & Bill Clinton. Several of the decisions these individuals have made have been misunderstood and scrutinized by the general public, but they have definitely left a mark on modern day society.

Be a little misunderstood. It's okay...let's settle for GREATNESS!

FINDERS KEEPERS LOOSERS WEEPERS

Remember that saying?

Last weekend I lost my wallet. It was turned in at the airline, but an employee of the airline tried to purchase gas with my credit card. HOW SAD IS THAT!

Focusing on the good in the situation- I'm happy they returned it to me and I'm grateful that American Express noticed a fraudulent charge.