Life is not always a sea of roses but an incessant ocean. It is a quagmire of occurrences. A room of lifeboats. A roller coaster of hurdles. An inexplicable mayhem. A chest of drawers. It is full of curves and curvatures, ups and downs, loops and bounds, hills and downhills, scales and balances, tornados and thunderstorms. It is a twenty four hour merry-go-round of not so jolly and friendly skies. It is an handkerchief of events, a broken tray of popcorn not always at our disposal. We learn to dance to our favorite songs when things don’t go our way. We may not always get what we want but are given a book to look through and solve the puzzle. The menu is not always in black ink but one can never go wrong with a good scrambled egg. Life is always about choices. Either you drive in the turnpike or design your own nest. Living does not require much or equate purgatory. It can be one walk in the park if you know how to navigate its trails and accept its daily dosage of bourbon. Breathe. Create your own adventure and ride that bus as you may find yourself at the tip of the road begging for that perfect ride. Face today with gusto. Choose to live and praise your possible authentic self!
soul
I Am Me, African!
I am caucasian but in the eyes of many, “you are white”, they say …
Silently I tread, smiling I march.
I cannot point fingers at anyone, so I sit still because let’s face, it takes a special deftness to be or feel something that you are not. How can you convey a state of being to someone?
As human beings, we act and behave differently. We are not the same. We don’t have the same DNA. We are individuals.
Perception does not always denote being, so I smile. They don’t get it. So, I keep going. And when my African roots unintentionally manifests itself, verbally or through dancing, many react and do a double take, as it unhurriedly becomes apparent to them… yet bewildered and bashful, in a quite whisper they ask, “are you white?” Grinning, I move on.
I know who I am. Half of me belongs to the world and the other half, to me. I am me. I am my own creation, a blend of color, life and dreams. I am white. I am african. I am million other things the word cannot define. I am the “whisper” that defines us. I am the hip-vibrating hips when I hear the drums playing. I am the spice I grew up eating. I am the color of my flags. I am a person. I am me.
Happy African Women’s Day my beautiful country women. You are every race and hearts in this one continent of ours, Africa.
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P.S. My niece Marta wrote this beautiful piece in portuguese, she speaks and writes perfect english, on her Facebook page in observance of African Women’s Day today, I love it so much that I decided to translate it and share it with you.
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Cindyly Yours: Day 1
I am starting something new today. A friend, Cindy Prud’homme, was given a challenge by a friend to post three positive notes each day on her Facebook page. I found the concept brilliant and inspirational with a touch of zeal – actually she is the second a person I know doing this. I decided to share them, with her permission off course. Let’s face it, we are all in need of a kick or two to brighten our day. How it comes, it doesn’t matter but it comes. The world would perhaps, be a better place if some of us would take time and do it often. Grateful. Blessed. Positive. Thoughtful. Write it down. Controversial or not. Funny or bad. Ugly or not. Whatever moves you. Whatever groves you. Whatever floats your boat. Let’s get started. Happiness is additive. I call the corner, Cindyly Yours.
Day 1 Post 1
I was given a challenge to post three positive posts each day. There is SO much to be happy about, and we often forget about those things in the midst of our daily struggles. For starters, I will nominate three people to do the same. Now, for the first positive message I have for this day… it has been a beautiful, perfect, Michigan summer day, and I spent it caring for the most beautiful, perfect miracle our family could be blessed with, Kennedy, who turned 2 last Wednesday and is back to her sweet, funny, loving self after a nasty, scary two weeks of being sick. She’s finally eating again, and CHOWED DOWN at the Japanese steakhouse tonight, just about cleaning an adult sized plate of fried rice, noodles, mixed veggies, and hibachi chicken. Then she came home and put away two sippy cups of almond milk and went to bed without any fuss at all. We are so very blessed!
Day 1 Post 2
The next positive thing I want to share is how much I appreciate congress passing the Affordable Care Act. As I’ve been struggling and frustrated the last week with my health insurance company playing games about a surgery I need to have, it dawns on me how many others whose need is so much greater, but they cannot fight the battle I fight because they have no insurance at all, and treatment isn’t even an option for them. More than 7 million Americans now have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. I am a woman of strong faith, and I know that we are charged to care for the earth, the flora, the fauna, and all those who are weaker or meeker than ourselves. Caring for each other is our responsibility, and if that makes each of us a little more burdened, so be it. I appreciate that in these times where only ME matters, we have this law that seeks to protect those who need our help.
Day 1 Post 3
Finally, the last positive message of this day. As we read the headlines that scream of poverty, a declining economy, threats from abroad, and an uneducated youth who turn to drugs, gangs, and violence instead of education, I would like to correct the record, refocus our attention, and encourage all of us to keep our eye on the ball, think rationally as I know we can, and deal in truth. This moment in our lives presents more opportunity than ever before. The stock market has been at its highest, employment is at its highest in 8 years, and our youth, the gen-y citizens are motivated by social responsibility and making the world a better place to live. It is time, and is safe to come out of the bubble. Our country is safe from enemies abroad, and 80% of terrorist attacks on U. S. soil come from our own citizens who are incited to violence by this culture of fear that certain politicians have fabricated to advance their play for money and power. We have a strong, beautiful, caring country and population. There is no shame in that, and we still have the power of our votes. We can take back our country, live in peace with one another, care for each other as we always have, and remain one nation, UNDIVIDED. But only when we follow our hearts and the values our parents raised us with, and only after we commit to reject this culture of fear and divide that our politicians have created for us. Use your head and follow the money. It’s all been a big money grab and we let it happen. Stopping it is as eady as turning out to vote and refusing to accept the lies that are told to us.
ludlum drive 
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