Freedom, Friends, and Tone... On Purpose

Hey!

Wassup!

How you doing? How you feel this beautiful Monday morning?

As you can tell, I'm chipper. I think that's because of the turning of the clock back an hour.

Man, I worked the cheese out of that extra hour of sleep. Well, maybe I didn't. I think I went to sleep around one in the morning last night. I woke up at six am.

So maybe I didn't get any extra sleep. I like to think that I did, though.

My weekend. I had a pretty good weekend. I washed clothes. I cleaned up my house. Got a good bit of crocheting done. (I am far behind on 3 baby blankets right now. Babies are here and probably sitting up now, trying to talk, and I am late with the blankets). I also made groceries. (That's how they say it in New Orleans.) Just a normal relaxing weekend overall.

My goal for the last 2 months of the year is to spend more time with family and friends. If you know me in real life, and off of the blog, you know that I'm a consummate loner. Not sure if this is the nerd in me, or because I was an only child during my early formative years, but my goodness, I do enjoy my personal "me" time a little more than others.

My major problem, I've found in the last 10 years, is that I look at negroes alllll day long, and it aint the most positive experience. I deal with a lot of different personalities, clashing with my own "different personality", and more often than not, it wears me the heck out. So as a result, my alone time is like gold to me. It's like, a chance to clear the mental clutter from my mind, regroup, and hit the the reset button... so I can deal with it all another week.

But like I mentioned above, I have to let go of some of this "me" time, and spend time with family and friends. This is difficult for me sometimes, but I am determeined to work it out.

This weekend, I hung out with my BFF, the Infamous LadyTee. I went over on Saturday and we watched The Karate Kid. This was a good night since a lot of her family was there, her man, and her uncle. So it was good to see everybody and just trip out like we usually do. When we get together, we cut up pretty bad.

Very good for my soul. Very good indeed.

Some of this is influenced by one of my favorite blog lurkers, and good friends, The Green Eyed Bandit. She told me earlier this year that one of her goals this year was to work on her friendships/relationships. This jarred and confused me a bit, because I think she's a great person, a great friend to all her friends, etc. So she had to explain it to me. She wanted to deepen her friendships, and be more revealing of herself in them. Yes, this still confused me, as I don't see the issues here. The chick is really cool and helpful to my life. But hey, it made me examine myself, and where I am overall in my friendships.

Thanks Green Eyed Bandit. This Bud's for you, babes! lol

Quote of the week: This quote here is specially dedicated to a blogger I jock, almost in a stalker stan kind of way, lol... that Original Oldgirl Chele. I came across it in a spiritual workbook I'm stomping through at the moment, No Other Gods: Confronting our modern day idols by Kelly Minter.

Lack of inward freedom is one of the most agonizing experiences of human existence. The one redeeming aspect is that blessings can grow out of our exasperating struggles with giants who are stronger than we are. I have been thoroughly changed, mostly for the good, from such bouts with weakness and powerlessness, even though it seemed unimaginable at the time.

That's a quote right there. Chocked full of something. We could all write some serious stuff surrounding that quote.

But I am most intrigued by that first line, highlighted in orange... the ramifications of what happens when you're not free in your heart and mind: agony.

Listen. I've never been in jail. LadyTee has, only for a few hours, and when she told me that they gave her some rough soap, and laughed at her when she requested some Dove or Caress for her sensitive skin, well, that was enough for me.

But we have all been prisoners in our own minds. We've all spent time sitting on the dirty musty floors of our personal inward jail cells, shackled and screaming for help. Crying inside because we think our state in life will be the same forever and ever and ever.

Not a good look, babes. Not at all.

Something good can come out of it. Personal rehabilitation. Identification of what situation in life brought us to this shackled state in the first place. A plan, a path out of it... and most of all, the strength to help someone similar out of the same mess.

Hmm... I got much out of that quote. I read that on last Wednesday, I believe, and I've been thinking about it every since.

I'd like to challenge my big blog sista to write on that quote.

*Chele spits her coffee all over the computer screen. LadyLee hands her a tissha to wipe up the spilled coffee. LadyLee hands her the phone so she can call the peoples down in IT*

Write about that one, man. You're my resident expert on "Freedom". I glean from your infinite wisdom on the subject matter. Why, you even have it tattooed in size 72 font on your arm.

You the man, Chele.

(Okay, I'll stop jocking.)

Whelp. That's all for today. Should I kick a Song of the week? Hmm... not today.

I'll let you ponder that quote above instead.

It's Monday, the beginning of a workweek. Our group regime changes at work. A guy was appointed as our boss, and the appointment made me laugh hard. This guy doesn't appear to want to be bothered. ("Is he even going to be around?" I asked a coworker.) I think he's only our boss for a week until they find someone else to do the detail. I hope it all works out.

My pastor has bashed the following in my head over the past 9 years...

"YOU set the tone for your day. Don't let the circumstances set it. YOU set it."

There have always been *crickets* flying around my head on that one.

So today I set the tone: I GO FORWARD... and I make a declaration this will be a good week. A blessed week.

Amen. Good Day. I'll holler.

Yeah. Sho you right.

You make it a great week too... on purpose.