Bound by the Cell phone

Bound : in bonds or chains; tied with or as if with a rope

I recently lost the use of my cell phone.  I didn't realize how dependent I had become with this little device that apparently was my life. At the moment I lost connection to the outside world, I wanted to scream... "PHONE DOWN, PHONE DOWN!!!" I tried hand to phone resuscitation, screen and button compressions, along with other emergency techniques. After about 20 minutes, I came to the realization that I had lost it.

 I was  attached to my phone. I couldn't remember a single phone number except my daughter and mother. I used it to stay in touch with my circle and those hanging on the border. I realized that I was constantly on my phone. Whether it was a call, text, or social app, it was glued to me as if it was another organ. If I forgot it at home, I would make sure to go all the way home to get it.  In hindsight, the relationship I had with my phone was toxic.

 I have had more time to do other things. I can actually have face to face conversations. I have read 2 books, took a couple of naps, and have gotten more studying done. I am not constantly looking at that little red or blue blinking light to let me know if someone has called, texted, tweeted, or poked me.

This time, though frustrating, has been liberating. I have been forced to break the chain that had me bound to my cell phone. I will eventually get another one in 3 to 5 business days but I refuse to go back to the slavery that engulfed me.

 

 

Yesterday, I received a great life lesson from a dear friend. I was feeling somewhat defeated in life and she kindly slapped me with a dose of reality.

I have been feeling as if I am not making any progress in life. Currently, I am on cruise control and it is killing me slowly. Being stagnant is not a very good place to be. I know we have all been in this very place. You wake up one morning and realize that you are in the exact space that you were in at this same time in your past.

I have been focusing on the wrong things in life. My eyes are finally open to the negativity that I was releasing unto myself without even realizing it.

Moving Forward:

Today, I visualize myself being successful in all aspects of my life. I visualize all of my dreams becoming a reality. Not only am I visualizing, but I am also "doing". I have a 30 day plan that I am putting into place. Everyday, I will work towards my very attainable goals.  I have been given an abundance of gifts and talents and I will not let it go to waste.

So the moral of the story is...

Focus on what you want to see happen in your life. The more you focus on that particular thing, you will begin to feed it until it becomes a physical manifestation. Choose wisely about what you want to see expand in your life. If you focus on what you cannot do or accomplish then your life will be filled with let downs and disappointments. Change your perspective on closed doors. Find a different route or way. Be positive at all times and continue to climb over obstacles.

What is love?

What is love? The million dollar question….

 

 

In today’s society, so many people are using the four letter word (love) quite loosely. Many are in lust with the idea without truly understanding what comes with unconditional love. Then there are those who cannot stand the thought of love because of a tragic ending to a relationship. Some have lost love that cut so deep, that they built a wall so thick around their heart; allowing no one to penetrate. But is this really a good space to be in? We were created to love. God is love. And since we were created in His image ,that also means that we should be exhibiting the same quality.

CS Lewis wrote: “There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round the hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket...safe, dark, motionless, airless... it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”

I read this over and over again. Locking the heart up is a lonely place to be. No matter how many lies we tell ourselves, we desire to be loved. I have had my fair share of heartbreak. There were times that I thought I would not make it through another day. My heart physically hurt and I felt as if my soul had been ripped from my existence. So why love again? Good question…

I have learned that no matter what happens in my life, I will never give up on love. I can get over a broken heart and learn to move on but I will not expose myself to the selfishness of never loving again. We have an innate desire to find love but a lot of times we confuse it for lust, infatuation, obsession, etc…  This is why we get are hearts broken. We are chasing after something that isn’t even love. So when our feelings get hurt we get mad at love. Love didn’t hurt you. The feeling of being rejected and losing someone is where the hurt originates.

So the next time you find yourself traveling down the road to love, make sure you evaluate the validity of what you are feeling. Be honest with yourself.

So what is love?

Love is two souls becoming intertwined. Love is being able to accept someone at their best and worst. Love is overcoming obstacles. Love is a sacrifice. Love is action. Love is work. Love is gentle and kind. Love is not rational.

Most of all love is you!

I am FREE and I approved this message!  

 

 

Potential

 

 

Have you ever fell in love with someone because of the potential that they posses? Or what they could become? ...

This can be a very dangerous road to travel. There are many occasions where people never reach their full potential. So where do we find ourselves?... Waiting for the what if, living in a pseudo reality, and dreaming without ever truly waking up.

So many times I hear the famous words "only if he/she would get themselves together, they would be..." How many times will you read the same page over and over and over again before you realize that if the person was going to strive to reach their full potential, there would be some growth. You find yourself dealing with the same problems, having the same arguments, and living the same lies daily. Yes!!!! Lies!!!! You are living a lie! One of the definitions of a lie is "to create a false or misleading impression" You have programmed your mind to think that the relationship is one thing when, surely,  it is something completely different. Love people for who they are and where they are in life. If you cannot deal with them in the present don't hope for a better version in the future.

This message was approved by FREE!

When Does One Say Uncle?

I woke up this morning around 2 o'clock a.m. and the Cheaters was on the television. This couple had been together for 4 years... married with children. . and the guy decides to cheat. The lady walks away but then in the update, she decided to give him another chance.

 

It reminds me of Macy Gray's song. " I try to say goodbye and I choke. Try to walk away and I stumble."
 

What makes some stay and what makes some leave?
 

It made me think of past relationships. I let some go over things that would be considered as minor while I stayed in some that were questionable. What makes the heart long for another while the mind is telling you to run? These are questions that I will continue to ponder as I look over my life and look over the lives of those around me.

With each relationship, we pour so much of ourselves into it, that at some point our jug is empty and we have nothing left to give. A relationship should be about give and take. If you are pouring into another person, they need to be pouring into you in return. If you find yourself in a relationship where you are feeling empty, then it is certainly time for you to let go.

Throw your hands up, grab your bags, and walk away! Don't look back! It did not work for a reason so accept that. You can reflect but do not dwell on it. Dwelling on the past only drains you of precious moments and energy. Relationships that do not work will become life lessons so that the next time the test rolls around, you will be prepared

I have learned to say UNCLE!

Wake Up

I overdosed from an overgrowth of mess in my life. Rolling the dice I eventually crapped out.  I lacked the capacity to breathe on my own, so I tapped out and achieved homegrown comatose status. And I was good at it. Walking coma, I called it. Hot grits to flesh couldn't wake me. Stupendously blinded.  Binded by chains that held me together. The pressure weighed heavy on my soul.  Spreading like mold. Infectious to my spirit. Causing the lyrics to the song I sang to hang in limbo. Waiting at the window hoping for butterflies and rainbows that never come. One by one I flicked bricks that built walls helping to stall the process. Stunting my growth, lying under oath... to both myself and God trodding on thin ice. The price I paid when I overstayed my welcome left me drowning. Water surrounding me. Almost brain dead. But instead His hand grabbed me. Saved me from permanently coding blue. I had nothing left to do.... but WAKE UP!!!!!

I Died Today

Today I died.

As I tried to hide my life as I knew it.

I refused to become a statistic

but logistics weren't adding up.

My 1 + 1's didn't equal 2.

I had no clue that my flesh

multiplied by my mind

divided by my soul equaled death.

Each breath became a waste of air.

My affair with the world

became my downfall.

A pinball had nothing on my ricochet.

Each time I disobeyed a hit a wall....Hard!

My constant disregard left me scarred

deeper than a superficial wound.

I assumed my position between here and there...

going in circles, ending up nowhere.

It was in that place that I embraced

who I was and who I could become.

So I clung to the hope

that if I died I might live.

After reconstructive surgery,

my death was a success...

no longer molested by my mind's eye.

I reply with unwanted advances

by taking chances on the new.

Long overdue for a makeover

accepting foreclosure on what was.

The buzz around the water cooler

led me to a ruler with all power in His hands.

So I stand on His Word to withstand

the demand to expand my territory.

I boldly surrender my heart and soul

relinquishing control.

No longer on the sales rack

or a redline item.

I flat lined but was shocked back to life.

With Christ as my guide, I no longer hide

my life as I knew it.

I've committed my days to lifelong praise.

All because I was determined to die to self today.

 

I am FREE and I approve this message.

 

A Time to Reset

Today I realized that it was okay to start over. Why continue to do the same things over and over again only to receive the same result? That would be considered insanity. Starting over does not mean you failed; it just means that you need to try a different route. Never be ashamed to press the reset button. When something doesn't work, look for ways that it could have been done differently. The only time a person fails is when they stop trying.

Supposing you have tried and failed again and again.
You may have a fresh start any moment you choose,
for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down.
- Mary Pickford

 

 

 

Let today be your new start. If you do not like the way something is going then change it. You have the power to create your paths in life. Be the rose that grew in concrete. If I could use my imagination... The rose had to take many paths, meet many road blocks, and endure not so favorable circumstances. But in the end, the rose prevailed! It became a beautiful fixture in a place where no one ever expected.

Am I Really Free?

Today I reinvent myself. I am repositioning in order to bloom. I have grown to big for my flower pot and need to be replanted. Right now I feel like I am cramped, suffocating, and dying. My roots have expanded and are crying to be free...to be stretched.

So today, I revive my life, renew my mind, restore relationships, reaffirm my worth, reawaken my passions, resuscitate my words, and revitalize my future.

Re-inventing F.R.E.E.