Motivation

You may wake up and feel like you don’t want to do anything. You may feel like the chores can wait. Everything can wait. Guess what? It can. You are living in the midst of a pandemic. Nothing is regular. Your routine is not normal. Things are different, and so are you. It’s okay. You lack motivation. You are tired. You are not your usual self. It’s okay. The routine will come. The new normal will become your normal. You will feel better. You will find your motivation. Until then, relax.

Ideally

In an ideal world, everything would go as planned. We would make plans and execute them and all would be right with the world. Not so much. Life is full of twists and turns, surprises, mishaps, and missteps. Truthfully, these things make life interesting and challenging. I can admit that I am usually the person with a backup plan to the backup plan. My life is full of unexpected obstacles and series of unfortunate events, but I am stronger for it. My faith is bigger. My heart is fuller, and I am wiser. Ideally, we all want things to go smoother, but our character is not forged in serene environments. There are lessons in our suffering. There are blessings in our redirection, and there is a purpose for our pain. 

Narrative

Growing up in New Orleans was a fascinating story all by itself. Add in Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Essence, and Bayou Classic and you've got stories for days. I went to a very Afrocentric Baptist Church that had the seven principles of Kwanzaa on the wall. I knew what the African Diaspora was before I learned American or Louisiana History. Adella Adella the storyteller visited my school and told me stories about Flying Africans. I read all about Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. I learned all about my rich history, and what the African American narrative had been in this country.

Currently, that narrative is changing. We are reconstructing that story. We are our ancestors wildest dreams, and we have the ability to rewrite our narrative. We no longer have to stay within the confines of the page. We are telling our own stories in film and television. We are launching lucrative businesses. We are entrepreneurs. We are writing our own narrative. What's yours?