Friday Freestyles: Earthquakes and Fairytales. Breathe In, Breathe out.

Friday at last.

The weather has been strange, a bit windy, bit rainy and a bit cold. It's been around 50 degrees all week. This is cold to me, since I dealt with 90 degree temps all last week! Sigh.

One work week ALMOST down.

And it hasn't been a bad as I thought it would be.

We have a VERY good interim supervisor right now. I almost wanna touch and ask "Are you real?" LOL. She's getting much done for us, and she isn't a drag like the rest of management. Her detail is done on next Thursday. We're having a big pizza party for her. I may even bake cookies! Oh joy!

The next supervisor is a terror. That's all I'm going to say about that. It's a member of our workgroup, and let's just say I do ALL I can to stay out of her way. She likes to cut me off at my knees, and then smile in my face. (Ya'll know I can't stand no fake mess like that). Sigh. Whatever. It's gonna be fine, man!

All this pales in comparison to waking up this morning and watching the total devastation over in Japan. An 8.9 earthquake hit over there. Man, I've NEVER heard of an earthquake rating that high. Have you? Wow. It really just takes my breath away.

A tsunami will hit the Hawaiian islands at about 8:04 AM. A tsunami will hit the West Coast at about 10:24 AM. It amazes me how they predict these things. Thank God for technology. It is amazing indeed. It means that the coastal folks have time to get themselves together and move to higher ground. I don't think these are massive devastating waves (at least that's what the weatherman says), but just the same, it is something to hear that.

This immediately brought to mind an interesting answer to a prayer I had a few years ago. Well, not an answer, but more of a statement. I get these short statements here and there, and they are seemingly simple, but it takes me YEARS to really understand them. I mean YEARS.

And that is: "Everything and Anything can happen in the very next breath you take."

Something like that. Should've wrote it down. But that is simple enough, ain't it?

Yet it's complex. Very. It could mean something totally different to each one of us, can't it.

Just thinking about it, I could probably write pages and pages of food for thought on it.

I was reminded of it this morning. I slept with the TV on last night (one of my worst habits), and I woke up to a breaking news announcement about a devastating earthquake in Japan.

And then they showed people in their offices, going about the business of their day, when all of a sudden, the office shakes, monitors are falling off the walls, books are falling off of shells, people are running to and fro.

One moment, calm.

Next moment, chaos.

One breath, calm.

Next breath, chaos.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

And it just amazes me. And I understand that simple phrase a little more. Just a little more.

Tragedy can occur in the very next breath you take.

At the same time, something good can happen in the very next breath you take.

I was also reminded of this yesterday, when blogger Ladidahdi, (who I simply adore... and stalk to no end), had a soapbox rant on twitter concerning how us black women sit up and play into the relationship guru foolishness, most notably, how we pine after folks like Ste.ve Ha.rvey, living on every word he gives concerning relationship advice. We run out and buy his book and take whatever he has to say as pure gospel.

Now I don't knock the man. He has found a niche, and I'm sure in his heart he thinks and knows he can offer good relationship advice. Probably so. But I, like Ladidahdi, am a bit more upset with us as women. Somehow our self worth has become attached to whether we have a man or not. It's very sad. Sad indeed. Because it's simply not true.

So we panic. Get desperate. And when one man like St.eve Ha.rvey, who has issues of his own (and I hear he about to get divorced AGAIN. What is this, the third or fourth time? And that may just be a rumor, but doggonit, if it's true, then...) tells you why you don't have a man, then you take it as fact.

When, it really comes down to... you can meet the man of your dreams, the man made just for you, your perfect mate....

Next year.
Next month.
Next week.
Tomorrow.
Today.
In the next hour.
In the next minute.
In the next second.
In the very next breath you take.

"You sounding crazy, Lee," you may holler.

Is that so? Really.

You just saw a earthquake hit. 10 years ago, you saw 2 airplanes hit the World Trade Center.

You just cut your finger on a piece of paper.

You just burnt your tongue on a spoonful of soup that was a bit too hot to eat.

Someone was putting on their clothes this morning, getting ready for their day, and had a massive heart attack.

Someone just got a call about a new job. Someone opened the door and it was the Publishers clearing house peoples with your million dollar check.

Things happen suddenly. Sometimes when you least expect it.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

All in one breath.

As young girls we were sat down in front of the television, and made to watch Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, and their dire situations, and all of a sudden a man comes along and rescues them and they ride off in the sunset and live happily ever after.

When in reality, it runs more concurrent with one of my favorite songs by Anita Baker, "FairyTales"



I think I would've learned more from Snow White, Cinderella, and the crew if I would've seen how they dealt with the issues of life AFTER riding off into the sunset, and how they made it through life's "earthquakes" and disasters together. Hmm.

("Get back to what you were talking about, LadyLee!" Blog family screams)

Yeah, yeah... This is Friday Freestyles. Free to speak whatever is on my mind. It all ties together though. You make what you make of it, man.

We love our fairytales. No wonder we trip out and get desperate... and worship at the feet of Ste.ve Har.vey...

Because he is the one who can teach me how to get this to happen.

Hmm...

I think, with us so called desperate women, we ain't upset that you don't have a man. We're upset because we think we'll NEVER have another man the rest of our lives.

When it comes down to on the serious and real tip... We can't see around the corners of our life.

And that one true desire you have, meeting that man, can happen in the very next breath you breathe. And hopefully, it's at a time when you are loving yourself, loving your own worth, and working hard on your personal inner peace.

What a great place to be in our life... instead of desperate. Ugh.

And I don't think we would panic if we knew something nice was around the corner.

Because you never know what may happen with the very next breath you take.

Hmmm... Something to think about for your weekend. I'm STILL trying to understand the breadth and depth of that simple statement above in green.

Things happen all around me that bring it to mind.

My prayers are with the people of Japan as they recover from this devastation.

You all remember to be thankful for the life you have, even if it's not what you expected.

I know I will.

You have a good weekend... on purpose.