Life Lessons

Spread Cheer All Year

‘Tis the season to be jolly…fa la la la la la la la la. I’m sure you all are familiar with that famous line. It brings warmth and cheer during the Christmas season, doesn’t it? Well why is it that we don’t strive to spread warmth and cheer all throughout the year? It saddens me to see how cruel people can be towards one another all throughout the year, then turn around and act like angels and saints during the Christmas season. Something’s wrong with that picture.

If during the Christmas season is the only time you are giving and showing love and care for others, you are a hypocrite. Doing good deeds only during the Christmas holidays and major world crises do not make you a virtuous person. It makes you a pretentious person. If no one else was giving during the holidays, you probably wouldn’t either. I’m not saying you are malign either, but you’re definitely not a saint.

People need love, care, and attention all throughout the year, not just at Christmas. I believe if people exercised their due diligence all year long, less people would suffer and succumb to the evils of the world. People should not have to wait until the end of the year or some major catastrophe to happen just to get help. We love to offer our prayers as support, but prayer with no action is not substantial. God puts people in place on Earth to do His works. If you didn’t believe so, then you would let God himself deliver gifts at Christmas time.

Every day, people need food. Every day, people need money. Every day, people need support. Every day, people need love, care, attention, prayers, etc. You needed it when you lost your loved one. You needed it when you lost your job. You needed it when you were destitute. You needed it when you were trying something new. You needed it when you were lonely. You needed it after your divorce. You needed it when you had moments of despair, anxiety, and pity. Because you know what it feels like to have a need, you should always be prepared to be a blessing.

I see many people’s requests and outcries get ignored all the time. When a person loses a loved one, many offer prayers and condolences. Some want to know how did so and so die? But how many offer their money, time, or services? Why must one be a celebrity or other iconic figure to gain support? Why must it capture the world’s attention to create a sense of urgency? Why must people die to get the attention they needed when they were alive? You can promote the welfare of others with your own good works. You can bring out the best in people by doing something good for them. Many people who do good works all throughout the year either have empathy, a zeal for helping people, and/or they are simply paying it forward.

If ever someone has to tell you to do a good deed, you should reflect on your own life, count your blessings, and rethink your morality.

And remember…
“Make sense of what you do, and make every cent count.”

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Internet Thuggin’ Ain’t Saying Nothing

If fights on social media could actually come to life, they would be something to see. It would be pure bloodshed! Internet thuggin’ or as some would say, “thumb thuggin” is very common nowadays. In a sense, I guess it’s better than having a real fight because typically no one becomes physically harmed. Nevertheless, I really don’t get the social media beef among people who know each other. Many times, they are supposed to be so-called friends or acquaintances. It usually starts from a subliminal message intended for the person who the beef is with. At least, the other person assumes it is for him or her. That’s why social media is not a good place to vent.

The guilty party always replies to the post. Of course, she’s paying most attention because she knows that she may have offended that person. Instead of texting that person directly (because they usually have each other’s number), the guilty person decides to reply in a slick or unfriendly way. Now the emotional roller coaster starts, and things start to get ugly. Before you know it, the two are exchanging expletives and fighting words over the Internet. In many cases, the fight never happens. However, in some cases, it does.

Do you know what kind of message you are sending about yourself when you engage in such fight with a friend? For one, you are not a true friend. For two, you are a coward. For three, you’re guilty. For four, you’re delusional! People have every right to post whatever they want to, including how they are feeling at the time. Nonetheless, what used to be private conversations with a trusted person has become the world’s business.

New technology should never dispose of good old habits. In the past, you would have called or confronted that person, especially a friend or close acquaintance. Why have a meaningless battle on social media with a friend when you have other means of communicating? I can kind of see this happening among strangers, for it does all the time but not friends and associates. Is it really worth humiliating a friend out of feelings? Feelings are temporary, but friendships are supposed to be forever. Would you want to be remembered as the person who sabotaged a friendship on the Internet? I surely hope not. Not only is your friendship at stake but so is your character.

Words of Wisdom

Be slow to speak, and think before you act. You never who is watching and might be placed in a position to elevate you. Some employers visit potential applicants’ social media pages just to get insight on their behavior and character. Once you put it out there, it’s out there, even after you delete it. It can take months or even years to paint a new picture of a different you. When your thumbs go to typing, people are watching. With that being said, let your messages be remembered in a positive light. Use your voice to uplift, encourage, inspire, empower, and motivate others.

And remember…
“Make sense of what you do, and make every cent count.”

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

Submit topic suggestions using the “Contact Me” page.

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Too Thot to Trot

That Hoe Over There or “Thot” claims the name of a treacherous female with no shame in her game. How many of us have been thots before we married or settled down with that one person? What possessed you to behave in such manner? What makes you so different now? These questions are not meant to wake dead emotions or criticize your past persona. They are meant to make you think about how you used to be before you matured and became socially responsible.

You may have not been called a thot back then, but you were called some derogatory term such as whore, tramp, or slut. You were popping, shaking, or twerking in daisy dukes and crop tops and having sexual intercourse with different men before you got saved. You didn’t care what you were called as long as it wasn’t done to your face. Some of you even thought it was cool to sleep with married men. Some of you would go as far as seducing another girl’s boyfriend just to prove you can get him. If that’s not thottish, then I don’t know what else to call it.

Where was your head when you were thotting? Did you have some traumatic experience in your early childhood? Maybe mom or dad wasn’t there or showed neglect. Maybe you just wanted to be cool or accepted. Maybe you had low self-esteem. There are numerous reasons that could’ve kept you from being lady-like or modest. You probably didn’t realize that some unfortunate occurrence from your past was the root cause of your present behavior at the time. You just learned to live with it, or better yet, deal with it in such immoral way. No one ever sat you down and taught you how to be a lady, so you had to figure it out on your own or much later in life after making a few mistakes.

Many of you just had to learn from your mistakes because you wouldn’t listen to anybody. Some of you had excellent role models. But you wanted to be accepted by your peers who were thots as well. You later learned that the leader who is ostracized also gets the prize.

Most men do not value anything with a lot of miles on it unless it has a rebuilt engine. Still, he takes a chance on that beauty. Without proper diagnostic and maintenance, other things will start falling apart eventually. The one with less miles usually brings less worries, less drama, and less stress. If you didn’t think so, you wouldn’t have traded in your ’84 Ford or similar.

Young ladies, if you don’t want to be labeled as a thot, don’t behave or dress like one. If priests started wearing white hoods covering their faces, you’d confuse them with the Ku Klux Klan. Mature ladies, don’t judge them. Guide them.

And remember…
“Make sense of what you do, and make every cent count.”

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

Submit topic suggestions using the “Contact Me” page.

Photo: Flickr. Street by Black_Tux

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