Truthfully Speaking

Making It Real

I've spent the last few days watching CNN intently. It's not because of the Democratic National Convention, but it's because of this Tropical Storm they are calling Gustav. Jeez, these weather folk sure do come up with some funny names. But there is nothing funny about what's looming right now. I feel so bad for the people living in that area. I've seen the same thing happen in Pensacola, Fl. Building and rebuilding your house is never anything fun. Personally, I can't say that I would come back. But, as I watched interviews with some of the inhabitants, they stated that they will rebuild. 

soul searching

There are words on the tip of the tongue that can only be revealed to the right person. There are conversations explaining past behaviors, waiting to be had. There is a connection ready to happen with a kindred spirit. But seeking such a being proves to be difficult. In the interim, burdens are quietly carried and feelings are muted in the litany of sounds that make up life. It is not until the curse has been lifted, that true solace can be reached. Until that time, one should approach life with peace and positivity; recognizing that those who wait patiently will receive, in due time, what they deserve.

the company you keep

I had a very interesting mini conversation with a colleague of mine the other day. We’d been casually moseying along when she uttered a confession that she had been leery of getting to know me in the past because of a specific individual that exists in my life in the friend capacity. When she said that to me, I really couldn’t be mad, because I had been wondering the very same thing about my own interactions with many people that I deem to be my friends. In fact, as I have been doing this self analysis, I’ve wondered this one thing: Why have I made the conscious decision to befriend and stay true to certain individuals whose characters do not warrant the type of friendship that I am willing to extend? Furthermore, why would I keep myself in the company of individuals that would lead others to come to conclusions about me that truly do not depict or match who I really am?

I’ve always been a “different” type of person. I feel like I came out of my mother’s womb bucking the system. If someone told me to go left, I’d always want to know why I shouldn’t go right. When people told me to leave certain folk alone, I’d become intrigued with getting to know them. So, I’ve cultivated a plethora of individuals that many people might consider to be unsavory. Sometimes, people are correct about those individuals, but sometimes they are wrong about them. The sad truth though, is that most times they are right. 

I’m not perfect in any stretch of my imagination. I do things I shouldn’t. I’ve said things that I didn’t mean. I’ve gone places I shouldn’t have. And I think that many of us have done the same. But, at the end of the day, I’ve learned that it doesn’t benefit me to be in the company of people who will ultimately make other individuals’ opinions of me jaded. When I was young, I guess it wouldn’t have mattered. If I had a friend that was a hoe, she would have just been that. But now, if I had a friend with what the world considers to be negative character traits, I have to be careful of my affiliation with them. 

There is something to be said about wanting to be contrary to society. At some point in time, going against the system no longer poses any benefit to you; instead, you spend your life trying to get people to see you for who you are and not for who your friends are. When people say that “we are the company that we keep”, we need to recognize that there is a lot of truth to that. If we don’t want to be pigeon holed into a group, we need to distance ourselves from it. No one said that something like this is easy though. 

Think about what you want in life. Then, think about the people that surround you as you move towards reaching those goals. Are those people barriers in your journey? Does your affiliation to them put you in a compromising position? Take some time to really think about whether your association is truly worth it in the end. In the meantime, understand that you may miss out of many opportunities because of the people you call your “friends”

DEDICATION

Dedication is going into your weekday job on a weekend to paint and make the edifice beautiful. Dedication is getting up early to go to Home Depot to purchase the paint necessary to make the place beautiful – with your own money. Dedication is going in to work on a Saturday evening, setting off the alarm and getting busted by the cops all for the purpose of priming a stupid radiator covering and then, having the nerve to show up the next weekend day to volunteer.

Dedication is being willing to do anything it takes to make your child’s room inviting – even if that means that you have to hang off a door after being boosted by a flimsy chair just so that you can reach the storage space above…to paint. Dedication is turning around and coming back to work early Monday morning at 8:30am and leaving at 9:00pm.

Now, at 9:55pm, dedication is the amount of time and effort I will put into preparing my lesson plans for the remainder of the year (or as far as my hands will allow me to type). I’ll go to bed, wake up in the morning, and do it again! I am a teacher!

SINK OR SWIM