written sunday, april 22, 2007

Be blessed. Don’t live life in distress. Them the words I wake up to every morning and can’t imagine anything that could be a better way to start my day. Maybe that’s why I’ve let the doubt of doom cloud my clear thinking today. I didn’t hear my alarm go off. Instead a maid knocking on my hotel door in New Orleans woke me up. It’s crazy because at the time I was miffed that I was cheated out of 15 minutes more of sleep. Looking back I see how blessed I was to be sleeping at 10am in a comfortable bed in a beautiful hotel in the Big Easy. While I was dreaming the woman at my door had already been pulled from the comfort of her home and forced to come to work on a Sunday morning…yet, if we keep going isn’t she blessed to have a job to go to and a home to come from when there are so many people in New Orleans alone still without home or a way to provide a home after Hurricane Katrina?

This is just one event today that can lead down a path that teaches each person to be grateful for all they have. I’m currently (on the 2nd chapter) of The Secret. As I’m reading all I can think is, I could’ve written this book because this is how I live my life. Or at least how I have lived my life for the past few months.

I woke up one morning and decided that’s it! I will no longer allow negativity to guide me. I will never feel that I am insignificant or that things can’t get any worse. Instead I will wake up every morning and thank God for granting me another day in His world. I will appreciate all the beautiful things I have in my life. I will even appreciate the things that don’t go so great because they make me value those that do go great that much more. When things go wrong they also teach me perseverance, strength, patience and humility. All lessons that everyone can use at times.

Right now as I write I am sitting on an Amtrak train from DC on my way home. I spent the weekend in New Orleans with Tracey and her girls. It was Tracey’s bachelorette party. It was a lot of fun and at times made me wonder what mine will be like. But mainly I just enjoyed being out with a bunch of successful women that really liked each other. We did some partying, a bit of eating, lots of drinking and went to see a few bands. Definitely a good time.

I didn’t realize that not only had I not booked a direct flight home but I booked a connecting flight that got to one airport and left from another. Being the resourceful person I am I decided that I would do standby so as not to have to leave the airport. Hmm, not the best idea in the world but I’m a firm believer of I’m where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there. And for a reason I’m supposed to be taking a train home rather than the plane I originally planned. This train is kind of cool.

I sat in the quiet car by accident so it means I can’t be running my mouth on the phone and its giving me the chance to do some writing and some planning. I am putting together the thoughts that will give me the life I will lead.

Til next time…besos baby…

there are a lot of back and forth about the issue and i really wasn’t sure if i wanted to get into it because i felt as if i didn’t do enough research to make an educated response (ie. i didn’t hear the comments, don’t follow imus’ regular programming and sadly haven’t even followed much rutgers ball since i graduated- woo hoo class of 02) but then i realized that a lot of people are making uneducated responses and i figured mine wouldn’t be much worse.

here was my response to a blog on the situation:

The team is actually a very talented group of young women. This was the first time since 2000 that the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team made it to the final four. The team even went on to win the Big East Tournament. But since the ignorant racist remarks were made by Imus this victory that should have been a celebration for the team and everyone connected to the university has now been overshadowed and virtually forgotten.

I agree that nobody should be using the words nappy headed ho towards anyone and that the term is used on the radio and by people in the comfort of their homes. Still I think that this man was completely wrong and deserves more than the two week suspension. When the term is used in music it is not directed at any particular person (not that it makes it much better) but when this man said it he was talking about a group of women that should have been being put on a pedestal not thrown under a bus!

Just the two cents of a pissed off Rutgers Alumni…who happens to be a woman of color…