Re-Mix

"There I go thinking again, All up in my brain"-Miss Jill Scott*

Re-Mix

I often wonder why I am stuck in a pattern of behavioral sameness, that while comfortable, is oh so bland in its monotony.

Wake up. Shower. Coffee. Dress. Subway. Work. Lunch. Walk. Work. Subway. Home. Blah.

Have you ever noticed we react to situations and circumstances on auto-pilot? Why is that? Have we programmed ourselves? Why do we get stuck in ruts? Ruts come in various shapes and sizes. Some of us are stuck in a rut of a job. Some of us are stuck in a rut of a relationship (more on that later) Some of us are in a style rut. I take the subway to work and i see the same woman every time and my girl is in a style rut. Winter , spring, summer or fall,  she is lining her lips with Fashion Fair circa 1982 brown liner, with no thought as to what color lipstick actually matches. And her poor eyebrows have been tweezed to non-existence, but i digress....Have we forgotten spontaneity?

Have we misplaced impetuousness? Has our joie de vivre taken a long walk off a short pier?

My personal challenge today is to engage in one glorious, improvised unplanned act. Give someone an unexpected hug, randomly smile at a pleasant looking stranger (don't want to attract crazy stalker people...)Stop by the kids playground to hop on the swing. Sing at the top of your lungs in the car-I mean really Get It-Pump up that Jill Scott!!-With the windows rolled down! (Watch out there now) Mix it Up. Stir it Up. Won't you join me?

*Jill Scott is the BizNaZZ.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (did I say love?) Jill Scott. If you have not listened to her newest album-Light of the Sun-Please check for that immediately.

Friends

There is nothing like a good girlfriend. Do you have a childhood homie? A gril from around the way you always stayed in touch with? A cousin who is more like a sister?
These relationships are priceless.
Make sure to cherish them

My Musings

Have you ever wondered....

Why talking is harder than thinking?? Aren't they the same words??

Forgive Thyself

It’s amazing how saturated my life was at one time with negativity. My past life experiences, relationships and my own negative viewpoints clouded my perspective. This prevented me from seeing the positive in myself and others. I got tired of living on the pessimistic side of life. Mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually it was draining. Therefore, changing that negative aspect of my life became necessary; yes imperative to my inner happiness.

Immediately I took a good look at myself, evaluating both the inner and outer person. I was pretty cool and content with the outer me, for I looked good and appeared happy. However, as I started digging below the surface, sure enough there existed unresolved hurt, pain, fear and a measure of insecurities.. It surprised me how I still remained hopeful.

I started accepting the fact I made a lot of mistakes .

I knew facing and dealing with my past was something that had to be done. I thus surrendered to the reality and the very sobering truism; change could only come by means of dealing. Pretending I was fine, placing blame or ignoring the pain kept negativity alive and ever so present in my mind and heart. I didn't realize I was only putting a band-aid on my wounds and sticking a pacifier in my mouth hoping I would soon feel better. By focusing on the outer appearance of happiness, I failed to see how bad I was suffering in-side. I then heard the words of my Brother Paul say, “wherever you go, that’s where you will be”. In other words, I had to stop running from myself and start dealing with me and me first.

Taking Care of Me
Last week my focus was to take care of me. The more I took care of myself, the better I felt. At the end of the week, I felt satisfied, content and at peace within…….
As women we assume roles that add value to the lives of others; but also has a way of robbing us of our self identity. Taking care of the husband, children, house, job and girlfriends is important; but in order to stay fulfilled,
we MUST take a moment to take care of ourselves!
Here are a few nice remind-ers of how to replenish ourselves as we go about taking care of others:
 Indulge in a candle light bubble bath and enjoy the moment!
 Take time to meditate on the direction you’d like your life to go.
 Write down some short
term goals on self-improvement.
 Take a nice walk out-doors!
 Take your workout to the next level.
 Get more rest!
 Write down a few things you enjoy doing and do them.
 Help someone in need