It’s Tuesday…
and I wanted to bring some things to your attention.
Well good morning my beautiful people. I’m slowly coming back to the land of the living. I haven’t been able to post as much about Black History Month - like I wanted because I was sick as a dog last week. I just floated throughout the week heavily medicated, probably shouldn’t have been driving, and ended up dehydrated. Guess what, I had to keep moving because sometimes we just can’t sit/lay down when so many depend on us. However, you can still move and shake and feel like you knocking on heaven’s door.
Today is “random acts of kindness” day. It’s not a hard thing to do when you show kindness, you never know what someone is going through - and anonymously paying for someone’s coffee or meal can ease their burden or make them feel “not so alone” with your moment of kindness. I can remember when my mom had her first surgery when she was diagnosed with cancer. We were initially told it would be an 8-10 hour surgery and a week to 10 days in the hospital. Well, her surgery was 17 hours and she stayed in the hospital 29 days. While she was in surgery we decided to go out to try and eat when the surgery was around the 12th hour mark. We sat down, ordered, talked, tried to lighten the mood and everyone’s anxiety for about 2 hours. We asked for the check - that was for 7 people and learned that the group at the table across from us paid for our meal. No one knew what we were going through because we decided to not talk about the surgery while we decompressed. I was already checking my phone every few minutes to make sure the surgical nurse hadn’t text or called, but to know that a group of people who knew nothing about us decided to pay for our meal and they may have sensed our anxiety was an emotional moment. It also brought a little light to a dark time for us. So, show a little kindness today, any little thing can make a difference.
Also today, we lost one of the giants in Civil Rights History - Jesse Jackson. For decades Jesse Jackson navigated segregation, made strides for people of color by advocating for equal rights and equal treatment, was a 2 time presidential candidate, and became a bridge between the generation of his and MLK’s to the next. Pushing Dr. King’s narrative forward and building on it. He was the person who famously told us to “keep hope alive.” In the 100th year of Black History Month, we lost one of its biggest advocates and now have a new ancestor. Rest in Power Jesse Jackson.
“Keep hope alive! Your children need your presence more than your presents. We have allowed death to change its name from Southern rope to Northern dope. Too many black youths have been victimized by pushing dope into their veins instead of hope into their brains.”
Also, we still have 10 days left in Black History Month. As a people, we have so many things to celebrate. We are bold, we are resilient, we are artistic, we are magnificent and magical. We create, we make things happen, and we are over-comers! We’re responsible for some of the most important inventions and innovations of many lifetimes. People like Elijah McCoy, Thomas Jennings, George Washington Carver, Madam CJ Walker, Fredrick McKinley Jones, Katherine Johnson, and Lewis Latimer…just to name a few have changed our lives from the most basic things to the most extraordinary. We are 365 Black, not just in the month of February.
February is also American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. It is noted that Black Americans suffer some of the worst CVD health outcomes, likely due to the increasing prevalence of health risk factors that lead to CVD. Health risks include, but not limited to: high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, genetic factors, cholesterol, and smokers. Women, black women are at the top amongst any other ethnic group in those affected by cardiovascular disease at an almost 50% affected rate. If you’re a Black Woman and not alarmed - you should be. I’m imploring you to know your risk factors, address them, and regularly see your doctor. Never dismiss how or what you feel because you know your body better than anyone else.🫶🏽❤️
Finally, I’ve read some really good books this month and this year so far. I’ve been working my way through BLP Breeds series. Each book is by an author on the BLP team that focuses on the characteristics of certain dog breeds and how those characteristics relate to the characters in each story. I’m enjoying it so far and finished book 5/14 so far. The most unexpected book I’ve read so far was Therapy Session by D. Scott. This book is currently sitting at a 4.5 star rating average with over 1300 reviews. It was released this past December and is a novella at just over 100 pages.
The blurb is as follows: My husband and I have been inseparable since middle school. First loves, first kisses, first and only lovers. But after one wild game night, we realized how much we’d been missing. There were desires and experiences we’d never explored. So we created a plan. One night, one fantasy. No rules except two: neither of us would know what the fantasy was, and neither of us would know who was chosen to fulfill it.
And when my turn came… the choice I made changed everything. Whew shat! Y’all I didn’t read what this book was about, it was one of those “the title and cover has me intrigued,” so I downloaded it. If you read the blurb, you know this couple gets a sort of “hall pass.” Before they make a final decision, they head to a marriage therapist/ counselor to make an informed decision. First of all, wow! They said they were going to do it right if they did it. I can tell you this, I don’t think this is the end and I anticipate seeing more of these characters because my mouth was trying to hit the floor when all was said and done. This was my first book by this author and I immediately hit follow on Amazon because I’m now invested in whether this story continues.
In closing, if you read this far…thank you!💋 Enjoy your week, take care of yourselves, celebrate your wins: big and small, and keep working on your crafts. Oh, congrats to all the finalists in Black Girls Who Write It’s Lit, Literary Awards. Even with the finalists it’s still difficult to choose.🤔🫣 Love, peace and hair grease y’all.✌🏾🖤