Ain't This The Truth......

Enjoy this day; It is Summer.....

Check out a post from one of my favorite blogs!

This article made me sooooo happy!

Please read and enjoy this wonderful article about minorities and biking...

I love my bike and riding it!

I am begging you to find things that you love to do, and do them often........

Beer, Wine, and Cocktails....

Having a drink, which for me is beer, wine, or a mixed drink, is completely social for me. I am never in my house and think that I want a beer, glass of wine, or a cocktail.

Well, a few nights back, I met some friends out for happy hour, and since I have 'renewed my mind' about my health, I normally can resist a drink even at happy hour. I go to happy hour, because I love to socialize and not to drink. Anyway, at this happy hour, they were serving FREE Grey Goose vodka, and how could I resist a free drink. So, I had one. Then one of my friends brought me another drink, and I refused to let myself drink another drink mostly because I was thinking about the calories, about how Berhane and I are working like crazy to get my stomach as flat as possible; operation six pack is in full force, and I was also thinking about how I like to wake up feeling energetic in the mornings, and drinking alcohol takes away some of my morning umph! My mind would not stop and I was thinking about how alcohol dries the skin out, it is a poison, I have just as much fun whether I have a drink or not and on and on and on.....

The next morning I got on the scale and looked at myself naked in my full length mirror just like I do every morning, and everything was fine, but I mentally felt bad. I felt horrible when I thought about how that drink set me back, just a little, on my 'operation six pack mission,' and I also felt like I let  free alcohol control me, and I strongly dislike the idea of anything controlling me.

Yesterday was the 4th of July, and you know how people in this country eat, drink, and be merry on the 4th. However, I am determined to be concerned about my health, even on holidays. So, I met some friends at this awesome bar near my house, and I drank water. We all went to my place after we left the bar and there was LOTS of wine flowing, and I did not have one sip. I also did not eat the pizza, ribs, chicken, or the potato salad; I did eat a few pita chips with hummus, but overall, I did great on the 4th of July, which is really National Eat and Drink Whatever Day!

So, not having beer, wine, or a cocktail was easier than I thought in a situation where lots of wine was flowing.

This 'renewing of the mind' thing is working!

Let's see how it goes in Chicago this weekend......

I'll keep you posted!

Happy Friday, My People.

What I Know for Sure Thursday: Freedom Really is Wonderful......

Today is the 4th of July, and it is the day that our country celebrates its freedom.....

Today, on 'What I Know for Sure Thursday,' I think that it is quite appropriate to write about what I know for sure about Freedom, because I know a WHOLE lot about Freedom. I value freedom about as much as I value life, and you know how much I LOVE life....

However, Freedom, just like change, must take place in the mind first; freedom is such a mental thing, and this I know for sure.

I am going to use two extreme examples to show that Freedom can be achieved in almost any situation: Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X

In an interview with Oprah, Nelson Mandela stated that:

Before I went to jail, I was active in politics as a member of South Africa's leading organization—and I was generally busy from 7 A.M. until midnight. I never had time to sit and think. As I worked, physical and mental fatigue set in and I was unable to operate to the maximum of my intellectual ability. But in a single cell in prison, I had time to think. I had a clear view of my past and present, and I found that my past left much to be desired, both in regard to my relations with other humans and in developing personal worth.
Read more:
 http://www.oprah.com/world/Oprah-Interviews-Nelson-Mandela/4#ixzz2Xzpdr1O6

Now, even someone who is 'locked up' can experience freedom, because someone can only control our minds if we let them.

Malcolm used the time behind bars to educate himself in the prison library where he learned the fundamentals of grammar and increased his vocabulary. Malcolm basically taught himself to read and and write while 'locked up.'

Now, isn't this some true Freedom! Freedom is in the mind, and nobody can control our minds unless we let them.

Freedom is being able to buy a new dress and not having to hide it in my car; Freedom is waking up and deciding to eat whatever is in the refrigerator even if I do not like it as long as it good for my body; Freedom is going for a bike ride; Freedom is knowing that people are viciously taking about me and not really caring; Freedom is choosing to be with people who allow me to just be me with all of my crazy ways that I am working on urgently; Freedom is choosing who I want to intimately love as my husband forever; Freedom is taking off from work just because I feel like it; Freedom is not allowing my current situation to make me feel un-free, because freedom is in the mind; Freedom is knowing that the situation that I am in is not right and having the Freedom to work to change that situation; Freedom is living in a country where as a woman, I can wear my favorite tank top and be all right..........

However, I know that there is a price to pay for Freedom, but it so worth it, if we handle our Freedom responsibly...

It took me awhile to fully understand this Freedom thing, but after living for over 40 years and actively practicing Freedom for about 20 years, I can say for sure that Freedom Really Is Wonderful!

Happy 'What I Know For Sure Thursday!'

And it's the the 4th of July!!

ENJOY

This is how I feel.......

Most of the Time!

I hope that you laugh sometimes until you are in tears!

I sure do......

This is the day...Rejoice and Be Glad.

Welcome To Today!!

Today, I walked into this nine day class that I am teaching, and I told the students that we would be talking about the essay, and you should have seen the displeasure that was all over their bodies. I realized at this moment that I was going to need to work on changing their thoughts about writing before we could actually start the writing process.

And, that is how it is with most things! We must, according to The Bible, "renew our minds" before any change can take place.

You know those people who want to run, but they tell themselves that they are not runners; therefore, they will never be runners because of their minds and not their bodies. They will  never be a runner until they "renew their mind." Or the people who are miserable or uncomfortable in their current job, but they believe that this is how everyone lives, or they believe that we are in a recession and there are no jobs. Therefore, they will never get a new job unless they "renew their minds" first.

I believe in change so much, I have written several blogs about Change!

Now, don't even let me deceive you into thinking that change is easy, because it is not. Our bodies and minds love comfort, even comfort that is bad for us. However, change starts in the mind, and the more knowledge that we get on whatever we want to change, the changes that we want or need to make can happen for sure, but it starts in the mind.

"Write the Vision and Make it Plain!"

For instance, when I first started working out with Berhane, the greatest trainer in the world, I did not see any chances in my body at all. I was doing some crazy workouts with him in the blazing sun three days a week, and I was running and doing other exercises on my own, and my body was not changing AT ALL! However, Berhane had to help me to "renew my mind" in order for me to see results. However, once I changed my mind, the rest is history. Change starts in the mind first......

Bear with me for a minute, I am heavily relying on my memory....

Quite a few years back, I use to read this short story with my students by Coretta Scott King, wife of Dr. King, and I can not remember the title. Anyway, in that story, Coretta talks about how Dr. King was not sure if he should get involved with the Civil Rights Movement, because he was not sure if it aligned with Godly principles. She stated that after much prayer and thought, he nervously knew that being part of the Civil Rights Movement is what he had to do. Dr. King had to "renew his mind" in order to change this thoughts and lead one of the greatest movements of all time. I don't know about you, but I am happy that Dr. King saw fit to change his thoughts, which changed his actions, which changed our lives.

I know people "who do the same things all of the time and expect different results." Now, isn't that the definition of insanity? I am not calling anyone that I know insane, BUT.......

However, TODAY just might be your day and my day....We can change our tone of voice, our bodies, our jobs, our outlook on life, our perpetual lateness, our desire to always have the last word, the way that we treat people, our financial state, our living conditions, our passiveness, our negative thoughts, but we must renew our minds first by seeking knowledge.

My dear friend T.Smith, who is turning 40 today, asked me to do this 40 day journey where we will read a different quote every day for forty days, write our thoughts about the quote, and mediate on it. Well, when I read  about the program, and the first day assignment, my mind and body rejected the ideas, and I was going to call him to tell him that I was not going to do it. However, I thought about it and went back and read the Day 1 assignment, and I realized that I was rejecting the quote and the program, because it goes against some of the things that are are deeply rooted in me that I was not even aware of, but they are thoughts that I need to change. So, once I "renewed my mind" by going into deep thought about the principles and getting knowledge, I am ready for that 40 day journey, but the change had to take place in my mind first.....

So, today is your day....If what you are doing in your life is working for you, keep doing! if it ain't working for you, Today just might be your day.....

Feel Free to Change!

Welcome to Today....

PEACE.....

People, I need you to send warm thoughts my way today, and know that I am sending them back.......

When the universe knows that we are pursuing PEACE, it seems like it throws everything that it can to disrupt that PEACE.

However, it does not know about me and my army and how we RISE UP when we need to!!!

Let's do this, My People!