Good Love
I can't help but to reflect on yesterday. It was different. It wasn’t a lot of people. We all took all the necessary precautions. We ate. We drank. We napped. We ate again…but it felt different to be together. There wasn’t a lot of conversation about holiday plans. We relished in the day. We were grateful for these moments….together. We realized that tomorrow isn’t promised. We appreciated just being in the same room laughing and eating together. If 2020 hasn’t taught us anything, it has made us appreciate good love. It taught us not to take family and friends for granted. Hug a little longer. Smile a little harder. We just don’t know the next time we will be able to celebrate our victories together. Appreciate the moments to share good love!
Fiction
Did you ever play “make-believe?” I loved making up stories and tales. It was my favorite part of a sleepover. I still enjoy works of fiction, especially the ones that transport you to another world. I like the Hobbit and Harry Potter. I like the idea that magical places exist. I do not however like my news to be works of fiction. I prefer facts over fiction. I need my news to be relevant, fact- checked and true. We live in a day and age when fiction can be reported as truth. We live in a day and age where false flags occur daily and everything and everyone has to be scrutinized. I’m not saying everything is a lie. I’m just saying the truth can be skewed. Numbers can be miscalculated. Pay attention. Be alert.
“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” ― Jessamyn West
Course Correct
I know we don't want to go into every venture or project with an expectation of failure, but it is always a possibility. Failure is sometimes out of our control. Market conditions, finances, supply and demand are all potential factors towards our success or failure. Truthfully, most of us probably know how to plan for success. The learning curve comes when things don't work out according to plan. We have to learn how to pivot. We have to recognize that sometimes success has many paths. We can always course correct.
Controversy
There will always be controversy. There will always be disagreement. There will always be a sizzler page. There will always be headlines. The characters will change. The scandal will still be the same. The benefit of life is that some of the issues will be predictable. You will see them coming from a mile away. We know this pandemic is going to be a headline. We know that people are stupid and entitled. We know this election is going to epic. We know that America is a hot mess. We know our leadership is special. Control what you can control and don’t stress the rest. Everything and everyone has a season. The good thing is that seasons change.
Mobilize
The last call to action Killer Mike mention was to mobilize. After all the unification and organization, there must be a call to action. Wars are won by strategy. It isn’t always about the size of the army. Sometimes, it's about the skill of the army. When Public Enemy said, “Fight the Power!” It's a call to action. The attack must come from all fronts. It must be social, political, judicial, and financial. To truly mobilize, there must be active service. Everyday is a deliberate attempt to change the system. We must spend strategically. We must speak strategically. We must vote strategically. We must protest strategically. We must mobilize.
Meditate
Phillipians 4:8 NKJV Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
I based my whole book series on this verse. I recognized that our minds can easily drift to negative places. We naturally focus on what’s going wrong instead of what’s going right. We allow ourselves to panic. We think the worst and even prepare for it, but what if we allowed ourselves to meditate on the word of God? What if we meditated on his promises? What if we meditated on our God-given victories? What if we cleared our minds and thought about what brings us joy? What if we thought about what makes us smile? What if we thought about all our blessings? If you find yourself struggling with anxiety, maybe you should meditate.