Reflections on 2015...

Hello Blogland! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas!!! I did not get back to posting before the holiday; it got completely too busy! I had the family over for Christmas Eve and it was just great to spend time with everyone.  The kids and I had a quiet Christmas morning and when we were finally ready to head out, my car wouldn't start!  So our plans had to change... Spent Saturday at Pep Boys- - 6 hours and $221 hours later...So yeah, it was an eventful weekend!

I did have the stress test done on last Wednesday, everything appears to be fine (thank God!) and I had blood work done as well to try and determine the source of these blood pressure surges.  Thankfully I experienced no problems over the holiday weekend and was able to enjoy the holidays.  Hopefully all continues to be well on the health front.

So it's the time of year where I (along with most other people) start to reflect on the closing year and looking forward to the coming year.  This year, since I have this medium, I will share some of my reflections on 2015 with you. 

Generally, each year I put together a list of "intentions" (I gave up resolutions many moons ago because I never, ever kept them); my intentions then evolved into a super convoluted exercise called "Plan 180 - 20__," which was actually great for my OCD mind.  (More on that in a separate post).  It is always a written plan; if I'm really feeling good, I'll even type it.  And sometimes, sometimes I actually comment and track on it during the year just to see how I'm doing.  I didn't journal much this year, but I can still reflect and comment on my year 2015...

A year ago found me in a peculiar place:  stressed to the hilt about finances, overtaxed in "busyness," trying to maintain a relationship that was going downhill fast, hanging onto some friendships that were probably better left alone, and really off my square spiritually. I was a MESS!  I had joined my church, but even living only 5-7 minutes away, I was still only half attending and not at all involved.  And I believe that my life reflected my lack of spiritual connectedness...

One thing that I do each year (have done since 2006 or 2007) is to choose a Word of the Year (you may be familiar with it also as "One Little Word;" more on that in another post), and this year I chose the word "Be."  I wrestled with "joy," "peace," "faith," but at the end of the day, I chose "Be."  Meaning that throughout 2015, whatever came my way, I would "be" in the moment and experience it in real time. 

Another thing I decided to do (in addition to my usual weight loss goals, professional goals, and the like was to set some concrete spiritual life goals.  Now, I do set some spiritual goals every year from the apparently next to impossible (I'm going to read the whole Bible this year) to the lazy that I should be able to handle with no problem (I'm going to make it to church every Sunday unless sick or out of town), but this year was different.  This year, my goal was to recommit myself back to my faith. 

When I decided to start this journey, I had no idea how it was going to be accomplished or manifested, nor did I know what I was going to have to give up to do it!  But here, today on December 29, 2015, I can say that it has truly been a journey, and though I would have liked less thorns along the way, I believe I am a better person for starting this journey and seeing it through.  So what all did I do this year?  I'm glad you asked!

So the first thing I did was to seriously check myself on my lackluster church attendance!  I mean, one of the main reasons I changed churches was to be closer so that I could attend, but I still wasn't doing it!  I had to go back to my grandmother's rule:  If you can do what you want to do all week long, SURELY you can get up and take yourself to God's house on Sunday...!  I will need to check my notebook to see how well I did in reality, but it was with intention this year that I was determined to make every Sunday that I could.  And you know what?  Each and every time that I went, without fail, the sermon blessed and spoke to me. 

The second thing I did was to work on my lackluster prayer life... which still needs a LOT of work, but it is so much more than it was a year ago!  I have a dedicated prayer journal area in my FAITH notebook, and I do keep my specific prayers and answered prayers there.  I can definitely look back at it and see where God has answered prayers for me, my family, and friends. 

Next, I decided it was time to get more involved in church and meet some people.  This was easier said than done, I am an introvert and am not one to just start talking to people!  I had my one sister friend/soror at church (Pam) and some other sorors I'd see here and there and that was it.  I took my time with this one, because I didn't want to just add more busyness to my world but wanted all of my actions to be meaningful.  That being said, as you already know, in the summer of 2015 I took the One-on-One Discipleship class (10 weeks from July- September) and I truly enjoyed it!  I grew spiritually, and I met some great people.  Due to a personal matter, I had the opportunity to meet with Pastor Brenda Varnado, one of our spiritual care pastors, in early September, and that meeting has changed my life.  She took me and my children under her wing, and personally saw to it that I met some people!  We got the Tween connected to the dance ministry and the young adult choir, and I just met some outstanding people in general.  In addition, Pastor Varnado was a crucial part of me making it through a very difficult time in my personal life in 2015.  For that, I am forever grateful.  The next thing I did was to join the "Journey Sisters" ministry- it is an accountability partner ministry where you share one or more goals with your journey sister (and vice-versa) and they take the journey with you in 2016 and hold you accountable to reaching your goals.  It's like having your own personal cheerleader and drill sergeant in one!  And my journey sister?  Of all people, I am hooked up with Evangelist Darice Whitted, who is head of the Women's Ministry at Victory.  (See what I mean about that prayer thing?  What are the odds?).  I love her to life and I am super excited about our journey!  But anyway, through this ministry, I've met some outstanding women and I am proud to know them!  I also joined the Outreach Ministry (VOICE) and I LOVE IT!  Again, this expanded my network at the church as well.  Last but not least, I decided to start Discipleship University, a 4-year program offered at Victory.  My classes for Discipleship I begin on January 11, 2016, so stay tuned...

Looking back, I can truly say that it is in this area that I grew the most in 2015.  And by staying committed to my goal, I was able to hear God, and that has been more priceless to me than anything else!  Oh sure, having answered prayers is magnificent (and he showed up and showed out on that too), but being able to hear?  Nothing like it! 

In hearing God this year, I had to give up some things that were near and dear to my heart because they were distracting me from my commitment.  I have alluded to this several times in my postings this year, but now I'm ready to state them.  It was almost a tug of war situation; I really didn't want to let go, but God promised me so much more if I did.  Finally, He made me so uncomfortable that I had no choice but to let go of it all and then he opened the floodgates of blessings and positivity into my life and allowed me to experience the greatest of his gifts:  Hope, Joy and Peace.  What are those things that I had to give up?  Here they are, in no particular order:  my sorority (I was the chapter president at the time); my relationship with Urban Dude; and some "friends."  Yikes, right?  But what have I gained?  Time.  Time to, honestly, just "Be."  See how my word has come full circle???  Do I miss those things?  Sometimes, yes, but I am determined not to move until He tells me to, and in order to do that, I must be able to hear, and I must stay committed... you get the picture. 

So what does my life look like at the end of 2015?  Much, much quieter!  Not necessarily less busy, but I find that I can choose better which activities to spend my time on, and it's not so much work.  Also, I have been able to cultivate and renew friendships with some amazing women this year that I would not have had time for otherwise... 

As we bring 2015 to a close, I keep getting news of tragedies in my friends' and family's lives, and I am thankful to be here and for all that me and my family were blessed with this year (especially the second half of the year).  In the past 2 days, I have gotten hit with news of 3 deaths and none of them were elderly.  So my heart is heavy with grieving for my friends and family on their losses during this time.  That being said, I am even more thankful for all that has transpired in 2015, the good, the bad and even the ugly! 

And now I turn the microphone to you - how did 2015 treat you????  Holla @ Darvi,  and let's talk about it!  Be Blessed!!!

xoxoxo

Randomness...

Happy Monday!  I hope that everyone is well.  Things are topsy-turvy in my corner of the world. 

Packing is in full swing; the first wave of moving begins tomorrow.  There was a major, major setback last week, but hopefully it's been handled (not resolved, just handled) for the time being.  The kids are handling it like troopers, even though their little worlds are about to be turned upside down, and yet I know we'll manage in the end.  I think I'm going to do a room-by-room organization post for the new place; I've been researching some new storage and organization stuff because some methods I currently use won't work (did I mention that EVERY room is smaller and I'll have three less spaces in the new place?), so it has been a bit challenging to figure out - had to research room sizes and all that good stuff- stay tuned.
I am looking forward to being creative in that area; it is one of my favorite things to do.

The weekend was mellow (it was so cold here!); ran errands Saturday morning in the 50 degree freezing rain; including making my first drop at Goodwill.  That felt great, donating things that I know others can use.  Did some packing when I returned, then attended a charity event at Balmoral Park (south suburbs horse racetrack); it was fun as always.  Sunday morning I went to church and I was unaware that it was a special membership Sunday for all "new" members; we took a group photo and got an "answered prayer" rock.  It was awesome!  Breakfast after with Urban Dude and Pam (who I hope won't be relocating after all...) and then a bit more packing.  Dug out my one Bears t-shirt and made my way to one of my high school friend's house for an opening day gathering (Bears lost...).  It was good to spend some downtime during this crazy time, ya know?

And so now it's today - been up since 6:45 doing what?  You guessed it; packing.  I am further behind than I planned to be, but it's ok I suppose.  We will get it done.  I'm getting to the point that I'm getting antsy and just want it all to be finished.  So I am hoping to be able to work late into the night (have two meetings at church though, so there will be a break). 

So onto the "inspiring" part of today's post:  yesterday's sermon was about grace.  God's grace, to be more exact.  The part that resonated with me though was the reinforcement of the messages I received last week, which is trusting and depending on Him.  Specifically, Pastor Singleton noted 2nd Corinthians 1:8-9 that Paul spoke to the ability of the vessel to withstand great pressure so that we learn not to depend on self.  Additionally, in 2nd Corinthians 4:8-9, it says:

8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;

we are perplexed, but not in despair;

9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

All of which at the end of the day means that we are stepped on but not crushed by the devil and his trials and tribulations.  I don't know about you, but for me and where I am today, that's good news, because I sometimes feel as if I'm at the breaking point.  Yet, I continue to press through to another day.  When I look back on where I've come from in the past 2 years or so, I can truly and honestly tell you I didn't think I was going to make it on many days.  There but for the grace of God go I...

Hopefully that snippet from yesterday's sermon will inspire someone who might also be going through some tough times. 

As always, thank you for reading my random musings!  Something you wanna share?  You know the drill - Holla @ Darvi!  Be Blessed and see ya Wednesday!!!

Whatever happened to Whimsy????

Happy Hump Day, everyone!!!  I hope everyone is having a great week thus far.

I am happy to report that I have recovered from staying up most of the night the other night and that things around these parts are better.  Everyone is dialoging a bit more, which is always a good thing (nothing beats open lines of communication with teenagers).  So many thanks to all of you that I know personally who did reach out after Monday's post, I sincerely appreciate you all.  Like I've said since the beginning, every day in Darv's world ain't pretty...

That being said, let's move on into today's subject- Whimsy.

Whimsy.  It is defined on dictionary.com as:

 noun, plural whimsies.

1. capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression:

a play with lots of whimsy.

2. an odd or fanciful notion.

3. anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy:

a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.

 

You're probably wondering where on earth I got this topic from, right?  It came from a conversation I was having with Urban Dude the other day about some silly song he was listening to.  Urban Dude, like me, has a very eclectic taste in music (him much more so than I) so you never know what's gonna pop up on the Ipod or Pandora radio.  So I asked him about some song that was playing because the lyrics were kinda goofy and he was explaining to me that it was just a "whimsical" song.  And then we rattled off the names of a few more whimsical songs and I asked the question - "Whatever happened to whimsy?"  I also told him I was going to write about it and ask you!  So here we are.

 

Just to illustrate what I mean by "whimsy" or "whimsical," here's a card I made a few years ago that has a touch of whimsy to it (and not ONE word about the color scheme!):

 

Pink card base - Making Memories, Dragonfly patterned paper - CTMH, Flowers - Prima,
Chipboard Embie - Lil Davis Designs, Brad- Making Memories

 

 

 

Now, I always thought this was a cute card (never did find anyone to give it to), lighthearted and playful - whimsical!  And here's a page I did about six months ago celebrating a visit to a park last summer:

Patterned Paper - Bo Bunny, Alphabet Letters - American Crafts, Butterfly - Prima, Journaling Card



Say it with me - Whimsical!  And who can't help but love the whimsical touches in the movie "There's Something About Mary?" That is one of my favorite movies, by the way.  You can find out all about it here. 

 

So what of these whimsical songs that sparked it all?  I'm glad you asked!  Here is my most favorite whimsical video in the world; it's called "50 Ways to Say Goodbye" by Train (you have to see the video!!!! you can do so here).  The lyrics are a hoot!  And for you old schoolers, who doesn't remember "You Be Illin'" by Run DMC?  Check out this fan-created, animated video for the song here.  That song was always so funny to me!  (Ok, I have to admit I just got distracted for a minute on You Tube listening to 80s rap... right now listening to LL Cool J "I'm Bad" which video looks very funny with 2015 eyes)...

 

But you get the point, right?  These days everything is so serious, so heavy that sometimes you just want something, dare I say it, FUN.  No hidden meanings, no ulterior nothing, just fun for the sake of being fun.  I feel sorry for the kids today, they don't get to experience whimsy.  They are exposed to much too much, and expected to grow up much too fast.  I don't know about you, but I think that's really shameful, so I'm going to do my best to infuse more whimsy into my life and the lives of those around me!!!

 

So what say ye - do you miss whimsy (or is it just me)???  Holla @ Darvi!  As always, be blessed!

 

Straight Outta...

Happy Friday!!!!  Congratulations, you made it!  Here's to a great weekend ahead of you!

So I went to see a movie this week.  Probably not a big deal for most folks.  But for me? It is. The last movie I saw was for the Tween's birthday back in January, and it was Night at the Museum (3?).  I like movies, I just don't go that often.  I have trouble sitting there that long.  I prefer to watch at home where I can take a break if I need to.  (Back in the day, watching Malcolm X and The Hurricane almost killed me!  I had to leave the theater several times during both of those movies.  But, I digress.)

So anyhoo, I keep a list (imagine that!) of movies that I want to see, whether at the theater or at home.  Among my action flicks (I can't wait to see Terminator, Mission Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Hitman 47), I was stoked about seeing Straight Outta Compton. Say what? Yep, you got it.  Here's why:

1) In addition to being a house head, I am also an early-80s to mid-90s rap head.  For a person who loves music as much as I do as well as loves the written word, I was intrigued by rap when I first heard it and the poetry style lyrics.  The first rap song I remember hearing was Grandmaster Flash's The Message.  I was in 6th or 7th grade (can't remember exactly now) and I remember all of us on the bus on the way to school singing it (as much as we could remember).  I kinda left rap for the most part in the mid-90s because things had changed and it was less about being a talented lyricist as it was about things I couldn't relate to anymore...

2) My favorite rap artists/groups from "back in the day" are:  Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, BDP, Heavy D, LL Cool J, MC Lyte (she's my sorority sister as well), Eric B & Rakim, Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick, A Tribe Called Qwest, De La Soul, Black Sheep, Public Enemy, MC Hammer (don't hate!), Salt N Pepa, Kool Moe Dee, Whodini, EPMD, Big Daddy Kane, Digital Underground, Biz Markie and of course, NWA and later Ice Cube & Dr. Dre when they went solo.  I liked some songs from the other groups/artists out there, but these are the ones that dominated high school, grammar school and college for me.

3) I remember the first time I heard an NWA song.  It was on a Friday night, my grandmother was at church and I had the radio blasting (as I did every Friday night that I didn't have to work) and it was around the time that they shifted house music to later in the evening and had rap hour or something like that.  I was already familiar with the New York rappers but then this song came on that sounded totally different from what I was used to hearing; it was NWA's "Dopeman."  I was like, "Whoa, that's new."  And so, using the best of the 80s technology and resources, I learned all I could about this group and their sound.  I learned that they were from California (who ever heard of rappers from California???) and they lived in the 'hood.  I was hooked. 

Now, I was not allowed to buy their music - who was?  But, I listened to it on the radio as it got more and more air play.  And when I went to college I was able to buy the music, but I digress again...

What I liked about rap music the most (back then anyway) is that it was music that told a story.  In a creative way.  Whether or not you agree with the lyrics or the language (and for the record, not all rappers cursed in their songs), you have to admit that they were some talented young people who wrote about the things that they saw and experienced every day. Whether you agree with how they expressed their experiences, you have to give it to them that they were indeed talented.

So onto NWA specifically.  I lived in the era of videos (do they even still make videos???) and when I went to college, videos were our primary entertainment and how we found out about new music as we didn't have any "urban" radio stations in my college town.  So I remember all of their videos as well.  Now, being a kid myself, I can honestly say that I didn't really understand how pivotal they were to the industry and all that at the time, I just know that I liked the music and understood where they were coming from.  And thus began my love affair with them.  

That being said, I was SICK when I found out that Ice Cube had left the group!  But, when his album dropped, I bought it.  And loved it.  The voice I had grown to love was still there. Can you tell he's my favorite?  Not saying that I didn't like the rest of them but his voice was and is amazing!  Kinda like my obsession with Chuck D's voice; there is nothing like it!!! 

Needless to say, I followed all of their careers as they matured beyond rap and into other pursuits (acting, directing, producing, beats!, etc.) as I aged along with them.  So when I heard about the movie, I was uber excited!!!

I purposely didn't read too much about the movie or get anyone's opinion before I saw it; I wanted to fully experience it.  And so on Monday, Urban Dude and I checked out a matinee of "Straight Outta Compton."  And I loved it!!!  

From the opening scenes, I was mesmerized (and I managed to make it through the entire 2 hours and 27 minutes without leaving out once).  It brought back so many memories of that time from 1986-1995 which for me was the time period from mid-high school until 3 years post-college.  Like it or not, the reality of the mid-80s was poverty, gangs and drugs.  I grew up on the south side of Chicago in a relatively decent neighborhood back then, but we were not immune to the effects of poverty, gangs and drugs.  While we never had the police issues that seemed to plague other communities in Chicago and across the country like Compton, we definitely experienced the shift that came with the influx of gangs and drugs. Who didn't have a "hype" in their neighborhood or their family?  (That would be a person hooked on crack).  And so I understood perfectly where they were coming from; it was a reality in Black America at the time.  As a now 40-something year old looking back at it all, in my opinion, they were in reality the antithesis of Public Enemy, who rapped about politics, society, poverty and drugs, from an East Coast standpoint.  Different methods, similar message.  So if you haven't seen it, keep an open mind and remember back to those days and what was going on at the time.  You will then appreciate how they captured it.

After watching the movie, I googled the group and each member individually to learn more about them.  And I learned a lot.  They were truly trailblazers for others looking to "make it" with a different sound.  Moreover, as you look at the members of the group, everyone had a persona within the group:  Eazy was the money man turned rapper, Dre & Yella were the men behind the music, Ren was a writer/rapper and Cube was the main writer/rapper.  In their neighborhood, they had a persona as well:  Eazy was a drug dealin' thug, Dre & Yella were dj's, Cube was being bussed to a better school in a different neighborhood, (not sure about Ren's neighborhood persona).  And at that time, their personas/roles, if I may say, is what identified them and kept them relatively safe in a volatile environment.  Because, as Jerry Heller said in his book, if you weren't a student, athlete, thug, drug dealer [or dj (in Dre's and Yella's case)], there was only one role left for you:  Victim.

I can relate to that, even though my neighborhood was nowhere near as bad as Compton, but we still had roles.  Even the girls.  There were the hype girls (crackheads), drug girls, fast girls, thug girls, quiet girls and school girls.  I was a school girl.  Which meant that I had safe passage and an escort if needed to make sure I got to and from school safely.  It also meant that no one bothered me or tried to pressure me to use drugs, drink, have sex or join a gang.  Because that was my role.  And if someone didn't know and would try to put me in a precarious situation, the folks in the hood would say, "Naw man, that's school girl. She's going to college, so leave her alone."  When I went to prom, the whole neighborhood came out.  When I left for college, the whole neighborhood came out.  Why?  Because they felt just as invested in my future as I did.  It was my role.  

Same for NWA (and in thousands of other neighborhoods across America) - they were kids with dreams of making it.  As they made it, their neighborhood was proud because some of their own "made good."  I can respect that (whether or not I personally agreed with each and every song they made, which I did not). Nor did I agree with everything they did and said outside of their music- that's not the subject of this post either.

I have to Additionally, all of the actors did an OUTSTANDING job of capturing the group's members personas.  Kudos to them all.  Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., looks just like his dad (a fairer skinned version) and sounds so much like him, it's creepy!  Also the other talented main character actors were awesome:  Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (Eazy E), Neil Brown, Jr. (DJ Yella), Aldis Hodge (MC Ren), R. Marcos Taylor (Suge Knight), and Paul Giamatti (Jerry Heller).  

I predict that Straight Outta Compton will become a historical piece, for it is indeed a piece of history.  It doesn't depict America in its best light, but in a true light, nonetheless. Whether you are a rap fan or not, there is no question that NWA's "reality rap" was a true sign of the times.  And if you are a student of history as I am, you know that those who do not know their history are destined to repeat it.  

Speaking of which, can you really say that we are so far today from where we were in the mid-80s (police brutality against people of color, rampant poverty in neighborhoods of color, excessive gang violence/terrorism in neighborhoods of color, kids just looking for a way out)???  Look around people, I'm just sayin'...

What say ye?  Have you seen it? Do you think it effectively captured the backdrop of America at the time while simultaneously telling the story of the group?  Holla @ Darvi! Have a safe weekend and Be Blessed!

How well do YOU do on the second mile???

Good day, party people, good day!  Yes, it's Thursday and I'm a day late.  But the way my week has been set up...  

I hope that everyone is having a WONDERFUL week!  The weather has cooled a little in Chicago, so we're out of the 90s and into the 80s (my kind of weather), so less swelter and more sultry.  The sun is shining this morning and it's just gorgeous out!  Don't believe me? See for yourself:

Told ya!!!

Anyway, onto today's post.  This past Sunday, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a different church in honor of the Pastoral Anniversary celebration for one of Urban Dude's fraternity brothers, Rev. Derrick Garth.  His church is Greater Mt. Pleasant M.B. Church in Chicago, and he and his lovely wife, LaTrina, have been serving there for 4 years. Congratulations again to the Garths on this accomplishment!  A few of the fraternity brothers and their other halves attended, and it was great to see the show of support for Rev. Garth as he is a faithful supporter of their chapter.  Here is the group photo we took after the service (aren't we cute???):

The guest speaker for the morning service was Dr. Robert Cain (didn't catch the name of his church), but he is part of the Black Greek community also (Indy love!) and he gave a wonderful tribute to Rev. & Mrs. Garth, as well as delivered a very life applicable message (see, we Black Greeks do stick together and support one another regularly!).  It was his message, "The Second Mile" that inspired this post.  (For those that are interested, he used Matthew 5:41 to illustrate his point).  This is the second time in two weeks that a minister's message has inspired my post, go figure...

The gist of his message was this:  the scripture suggests that Christians should have a different response to adversity and injustice and that it is more important to give justice and mercy than to demand it.  Kind of reminiscent of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., right?  (Dr. King was also a fraternity man, I'm just saying...)

He went on to say that the second mile goes above the call of duty and gave these 4 characteristics of it:

1) it doesn't wait to see what others do but acts because there is a need;

2) it is voluntary- the actor does the extra freely;

3) it is visible action; and 

4) it's a victorious mile because you are walking in Christ's footsteps.

Dr. Cain said it best, the first mile is easy, but it's the second mile that tests you.  It's easy to love someone when they are loving you.  It's easy to be nice to someone when they are being nice to you.  But what about when they aren't???

Mind you, this message isn't just just for Believers or applicable to the Church.  It is a principle that can guide everyone as we go about our daily lives.  Don't believe me?  Here are some examples as I see it:

1)  On your job when a co-worker takes full credit for a project that you worked on together and in fact, you did the majority of the work.  Now, you could blow a gasket and make a scene or you could just let it go, trusting that eventually the truth will come out (now I'm not saying to keep helping the co-worker either...), just keep your cool - Second Mile Behavior

2) When your needy family member who always wants to borrow money or stay with you and never pays it back calls you to ask for more money.  Again.  Now, you can go off on them about how they didn't pay you back the last time or you can just help them (or not, as the case may be) but without blowing your fuse... Second Mile Behavior

3)   When your partner, significant other or spouse hurts your feelings and yells at you and you want to let him/her have it... instead, you cook dinner or sit next to them on the couch while they're watching television (or whatever it is that you normally do, you get the point) - Second Mile Behavior

4) When someone tells a lie on you that makes others question your integrity and your "first impulse is to run up on them, pull a Rambo, whip out the jammy and flat blast ['em], but instead, [you] chill" ... (old 80's song reference, did you catch it? - I see you Oran "Juice" Jones, I see you!!!) - Second Mile Behavior

As you can see, the message really stuck with me and made me think about how I do on my "second mile."  Believe it or not, ALL of these things have happened to me, sometimes more than once, and more than a few at one time!  And I thought at the time that I was going to literally explode or implode from keeping it in check, but, I didn't.  I'm not saying that it didn't bother me, or didn't hurt, or didn't annoy me, because believe you me, I was all of those things!  I'm also not saying that I get it right all of the time, more times than I care to admit to, I actually don't make it to the second mile (because sometimes you have to let folks HAVE IT!), but I am working on it.  And as I'm not known for my silence, it is definitely a journey.  What do I always say?  I am a Work in Progress...

If you saw the movie Selma earlier this year (if you didn't, you should, and here's more info about it here and here), directed by Black Greek sorority member, Ava DuVernay (we're just EVERYWHERE), it provides a glowing example of "second milers" in Dr. King and his supporters.  And we know from history that they were indeed victorious at the end of the second mile in Selma.  

So what am I saying- be a pushover?  Nope.  Not at all.  However, what I am saying is that in some circumstances it's better in the long run to use a tame word and a tempered sword in the face of adversity and injustice.

So I'll leave you with the question I started with - how well do YOU do on the second mile???? Holla @ Darvi and let me know.  Be Blessed!

    

I'm not ready for summer to end just yet...

Happy Monday, good people!  

I took Friday off from blogging as we were celebrating Urban Dude's birthday!  The weather totally cooperated and I am glad for that.  He had a good time celebrating his birthday; we hosted friends old and new.  But as I look around at the remains of the celebrating that still need to be cleaned up and put away, I'm glad that's OVER!!!  

He looked like he was having a good time, right????

But you know what I'm not ready to be over just yet?  Summer.  Hence the title of this post. I'm just not ready for it to end yet.  Even though I know it's coming because I registered both the Teen and Tween for school last week (I just can't make myself think about school supplies yet, even though school starts in about 2 1/2 weeks...).  

Now, I can do without these sweltering days (I'm more of a spring girl), but there are just some things I love about the summer.  Without further ado, here we go (did I tell y'all that I LOVE making lists????):

1)  Even though adults don't get summer vacation for the most part, I love the easy-breezy, laid back attitude of summer.  No one is really in a rush to do anything and people actually stop to smell the proverbial roses. (I actually do have roses in the yard though and they are blooming great!)

  

2)  I can really enjoy nature.  There's something about the forest preserves that enchant me. They've always been my favorite alone spot to go and think.  They've also become my favorite walking and riding spots (due to the abundance of trails).  Although I love to go year 'round, it's just something different about the summertime!  We are lucky here in Cook County that we have some beautiful forest preserves.  Here are some of my faves:

Yankee Woods in Tinley Park (walking and enjoying nature):  see info here

Vollmer Grove in Matteson (walking/biking):  see info here

Wampum Lake in Thornton/Lansing (enjoying the spectacular view):  see info here

and though not technically a forest preserve, Pine Lake in University Park (enjoying the wonderful view)  see info here  and here is a photo of the view:

3) Sundresses.  I wear a dress almost every day during the summer.  Why?  Just because I can!  And they are very versatile - you can dress them up or down!  And they are also very cost effective summer attire; I buy them from everywhere:  Walmart, Ross, Macy's, Dress Barn, Old Navy, TJ Maxx/Marshall's (some of the website links are on the side of this page).

4) BBQ (or grilling as the urban elite like to say).  Any meal that I can get help with cooking is alright with me; it's tough being a short order cook for most of the year.  In the summer I get to ease up some because of grilling.  Note:  our small grill fell apart during our prep for urban dude's birthday (the bottom fell out) , so I guess we'll have to send it to "grill heaven..."

5) Sitting in my yard, enjoying the view while sipping wine (gotta love it)!  This is the view from my deck:

                       

6) While sitting in the yard, listening to my next door neighbor's band practice (usually on Sunday evenings).  They're not half bad either!  They do smooth r&b, jazz and some blues. 

7) The outdoor Dairy Queen hut in Homewood.  Although there's a DQ store in Tinley, nothing says summer like waiting in line outside of the DQ!  And you can only do it then because they close in October until the second week of March!  If you live nearby and have never had the pleasure, get more info here.  (Disclaimer:  I believe that DQ blizzards can be enjoyed anytime of the year; I've been known to go to the inside store in the dead of winter for a mini blizzard.  And judging from this photo, I am not alone):

8) The mental break.  I don't know what it is about summer, but it's like your body and mind knows that it's summer and they refuse to think about anything heavy during that time. Summertime is for sipping lemonade (or ice cold water, which is my beverage of choice) and daydreaming a bit.  There's always time to get back to reality!

So what about you - what do you love about summer??? And are you ready for it to end?  

Holla @ Darvi!  Be blessed!!!