Month: October 2020

There is no doubt about how anxious everyone must be feeling with the election right around the corner and the Covid cases spiking higher than they did earlier this year. If we add in the fact that some suffer from depressional seasonal changes, and yes, it is a real thing, this weekend will be a tough one. We must turn our clocks back an hour, losing an hour of evening light which can affect your mood. There are reports that complaints of depressive symptoms increase around 11% right after we set our clocks back for the fall. As if some people need another reason to be depressed……

I’m almost holding my breath and devoid of words until I have a sense of where life is going to take me. I know it will go on and I am still positive it will be fruitful. I just find it difficult to share thoughts now when there are either a million thoughts or the need to stay silent and wait.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Right now, the issues of the world and problems we may face at home look like an elephant. For some, it could be Covid, unemployment, underemployment, financial stress, depression, broken relationships, school, hunger, or any combination of those things and others. The key to tackling the problems is to not concentrate on them all at once although they seem gigantic. Pick one, the most pressing, and get started on a resolution for that and it may help ease the tension in the other areas.

The problems of the world can be resolved too. It is not up to “them”. We are them. We failed in our civic duties and now we live with the consequences of those choices. WE begin to heal by remembering basic decency and human kindness. It all starts within and with us. If I decide to be nice to my neighbors and they make the decision to be nice to others and so on, it will spread like wildfire. It is what we need now, not a civil war.

If you are a part of the problem and not the solution, I pray that you will look deep within yourself to ask what is your endgame?

Have a blessed day, if you have not voted yet, get out and do so!

Until next time, I love you all!

I took a much-needed break last week to spend time with my husband and unplug from the world. I have made it my mission to slowly deprogram myself from the daily news updates that have been occurring once I cast my own vote. My mind had been made up for a while and there was nothing short of a miracle that would have caused me to change it. Anything I see and hear now is just information to be “in the know”.
Back in March when we found ourselves in the unfortunate situation of a global pandemic and Zoom calls became extremely popular, along with it came virtual “happy hours”. People were dealing with their anxieties and the fear of the unknown by gathering and drinking and there were no rules to how much drinking would take place. Several times it was asked of me where was my drink and I calmly stated I would be saving my drinking for the weeks leading up to the election which always elicited laughter. A part of me meant it and a part of me was joking. Thankfully I have taken to praying more often than hitting the bottle otherwise I would be drunk off my tail trying to process every breaking news story that I anticipated would raise the temperature of individuals and cause greater divide.
Every week feels like another year lived. I’m thankful to make it through emotionally. We have over 8.5 million people who have been infected by a deadly virus and no national plan to stop it. Over 225,000 have lost their lives because of it and some of them I knew. Others have gotten it and survived but will have long lasting effects for the remainder of their lives. Add in the rise in unemployment, systemic racism, the effects of global warming with the hurricanes and wildfires, there is so much going on that it will make your head spin! I could write a blog on each issue and I still didn’t cover all of them. I salute each one of you struggling through depression and loneliness, trying to figure out how to take care of your family. Wondering how to stretch your last dollar and depending on a government that has shown that they don’t care about you. Politics and power over people!
My heart, my prayers as we enter the most historical election cycle of our lifetime is that we remember who we are as individuals. Some people have really shown their true colors and that is a blessing. It is imperative to do your civic duty and go out and vote for whomever YOU choose and decide whatever interests are best for you and YOUR family. We will not always agree. That is something we are figuring out and it is bringing out the obnoxious side in many.
As I scrolled through my social media before I unplugged, I was so disheartened to see how people were speaking to each. Kindness and compassion were replaced by angry and disgust. The vitriol that was spewing among individuals that once considered themselves friends was less shocking because of where we are as a nation but so disappointing. On any side.
Here’s what I know as a fact. On January 20, 2021 there will be a new president. Whether it is your candidate or mine, only one can remain there from that day forward. What will also remain is every single word we have said to each other, every ugly meme we posted, every time we ridiculed the “other” side and held each other personally accountable for the faults and shortcomings of politicians where one will go back to their own personal life.
Our relationships, how we treat each other, is now forever divided because we let our passion outweigh our common sense and hopped on a train to nowhere. I would like to see us keep this same energy and continue to go out and vote in 2022 and 2024 and every local election in between. Each one matters! Vote like your life depends on it is no longer just a slogan. In 2020, it is real, and it may have cost you a few associations depending on which side of the aisle you lean.
I love you, be kind, be compassionate. We are ALL God’s children!

This morning I woke up extra early like I normally do and the very first thing I did, as always, before I even open my eyes, is I thank God for allowing me to see another day. Sometimes I say it out loud and sometimes I think it in my head. I do it every morning without fail and I really can’t trace back how long I have been doing it. I also know I do not miss a morning, NO MATTER WHAT! The next thing I try to do is run through my head, “what will motivate me to get me out the bed besides the urgent need to go to the bathroom”?
The definition of motivation is having a desire or willingness to act. Most people find themselves restless at night running a million thoughts and ideas through their heads and unable to settle down and fall asleep. They may even have insomnia. I am no doctor so I have no idea what my situation could be called and quite frankly I have never talked to my therapist about it. Perhaps I should because it has been an ongoing issue for years.
I wake up with headaches. I believe many are caused by the fact that my mind is in a constant tailspin of thoughts and ideas and far from a relaxed state. I fall asleep easily, peacefully at most times. It is the prospect of what lies ahead rather than what I just walked through that causes me angst.
This morning, my motivation for getting up had layers. I want to do spring cleaning. Packing up the summer clothes and pulling out the fall and winter shoes. I want to scrub the tub and mop the floors. I also want to complete my ballots for the upcoming elections and that is why I have a headache. It has been sitting on the table for 2 weeks and I have been ignoring it with today being my deadline in my head.
Make no mistake, I am voting, and it will be dropped off TODAY. My anxiety is that I do not feel motivated by either candidate and the idea that I must hold my nose and settle again is unfathomable. I lean Republican. My views mostly align with a party I don’t recognize today. As a Christian, I understand the Democrats. We need to support and take care of our neighbors and those in need. In a perfect world, we would have leadership in all three branches that look to serve the country as a whole and not advance themselves as individuals.
Motivation is a powerful tool. In an indirect way, it is the shenanigans of the said individuals that will have me voting against 4 years of foolery and lack of interest in doing what is best for the people. I am more determined to make sure those around me understand the consequences on inaction and lack of knowledge.
I heard this morning from 2 different doctors that we are now indeed in that dreaded second wave of Covid-19 and it is expected to be deadlier. True leadership needs to take control and get us on a national plan to minimize further loss of life. I will do my part and stay home, social distance when I go out and wash my hands. Will you do the same? Losing a few more months of socializing to see you all for a couple more years mathematically makes sense to me.
Be safe out there and find ways to entertain yourselves within your homes and a small circle! Depression is real. I love you and hope you have a great weekend!

Murphy’s Law states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. That is what 2020 feels like. That is what this past week felt like. Every time I set the bar low, my expectations are met with someone or something finding a way to slither through to the point where nothing is shocking to me anymore. I simply nod my head with intrepid expectation and wait for the next main event.
The problem with that is that I don’t want to feel that way. As much as it can be overwhelming with the daily barrage of foolery from all around, I never want to accept it as “status quo” and be desensitized to feelings of hurt, anger, disappointment, and frustration. I won’t accept that this is how it is going to be.
My “out” is my relationship with my heavenly Father. What’s yours? Amid all the calamity and chaos of this week alone, and I got it from all angles, he sent me some of the best news I could ever dream of.
I started my work week in a meeting regarding systemic racism and ending up screaming at the COO of the company. Really screaming and pointing and clapping in all my angry Black Woman ways. Things I said I would try my hardest not to do, I did. For the cause.
Tuesday, we watched 2 senior citizens who want to represent us to the rest of the world in a debate that looked like they were fighting in a senior care center over who got the last jello. I laughed to keep from crying but there was nothing funny about it. This is America.
Two days later the current white house occupant and many close to him get positive test results for Covid-19 and the conspiracy theories run rampant! No matter what the true story may or may not be, the ripple effect of the news alone….. are we ready for that? How far can you stretch your mind? That’s a blog that can take up 20 pages….
I ended the work with news that as a whistleblower on a situation, it is still not quite resolved however some wrongs are being corrected. That was a blessing. Hard work does pay off and it also takes time.
My purpose here has always been to encourage and let you know you are not alone. This week publicly has been one where you may be questioning the integrity of news reporting as a whole and after the debates feeling confused and anxious about what lies ahead. I am here to say do not be discouraged. If you did not feel out of sorts this week, I would think you lived in a bubble and did not hear/see what has been transpiring.
The good news is, you can always research for yourself the information you are looking and find ways to meditate, pray, relax, and get inner peace to deal with your anxieties. You are not alone! This is a moment in time and this too shall pass.
Be blessed, take a moment to breath and step away from social media and the news for a while!

Love you all!