Dear America,
I am not sure what today means to you anymore. I am not saying today is not important to you, because I know it is. What I means is I am not sure what we’ve done here.
Continue readingDear America,
I am not sure what today means to you anymore. I am not saying today is not important to you, because I know it is. What I means is I am not sure what we’ve done here.
Continue readingI am not sure where the pressure began. I can say in all honesty, looking all the way back (like most people) I could create a timeline and see where the major changes occurred that led to the standards I have created for myself. In some cases, the standards I have for myself are as usual and as common as normal, everyday life.
In other instances, however, there are standards which I have created for myself that are based from the fears of my past.
There were boundaries created —or better yet, these were barriers set in place, like a line drawn in the sand, which was my statement to be read, loud and clear, and to be heard and aggressively interpreted as, “This will never happen again.”
I have this feeling, which is love, which is mixed with so many things, which makes it difficult for me to speak sometimes, which is why I come here to write, because when I write, there is no stutter, and when you read, I believe you can hear me clearly.
(At least I hope so.)
There has to be a time when the excuses are no excuse at all. This is when accountability changes. This is when it becomes personal. The dedication changes. The mindset changes. More accurately, this is when we change.
Continue readingThere is a quote I think about from Charles Bukowski that says, “Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.”
I think about this quote sometimes.
I think about the times I’ve gone crazy. Then I think about the times when I felt crazy. I think about the hard times and the desperate times. I think about the times I found myself on the poor end of bad decisions.
I think about the times I found myself in the worst places. I think about the jail cells. I think about the office visits of authority figures and the jobs I lost as a result to my behavior or performance. I think about being a divorced dad.
The idea is to overcome adversity,
which is something I understand.
But to overcome adversity,
I must first understand
what adversity means.
There are times when the world turns and for the minute, everything is still. The moment could be crucial or even simple but either way, in the moment, thoughts can be heavy or even gentle. The sky is a large, overhead screen, like a portal to an inestimable version of what we call Heaven. The clouds drift. The wind blows and the sunlight filters down from the sky.
Continue readingYears ago, we were sitting in the waiting area at an airport and the flight was hours late. I was listening to the nearby passengers on their cell phones. They were arguing out loud about the delay. I was delayed as well —only, the delay was not so bad for me.
Continue readingOf all things, first and foremost, then first and foremost, I cannot be afraid to step up and rise to the occasion. I cannot afraid or too intimidated to try. I cannot be held down or “held in,” in the sense that I give in to my fears or my doubts, which essentially turns inward, against me, and causes me to shut down or emotionally implode.
I cannot be afraid to fail. I cannot give in to fear. In fact, i cannot even regard these things because of all things, if I am to do anything then I have to do everything I can to be sure that I have done my best.
I have to lay everything out there. Risk it. Do it. By any means necessary.
I am part of a Monday—Friday life in which, come Monday, I am on a bus from a street near my home and heading into New York City to earn my living and pay my bills. I do this for the same reason as most people. I want to have a certain kind of life. I want nice things. I have to drive so I need a car. I need insurance. I need to invest and spend wisely; otherwise, it becomes hard to have financial stability I hope to achieve.
Continue reading