Consumption of Gluttony

Peace & Blessings People:
So, I'm watching tv on a sunday evening, flipping from one channel to the next... And you know as I strolled up and down the paddle on the remote, I paused at one station viewing for a mere 10-15 minutes. This station was broadcasting a show of some high level prison in California I think it was and it basically covered a documentary of inmates and how they conformed to joinging gangs once entering the prison for protection and survival and the need to belong and fit in with a more smoother transition. Then during the commerical break I switched to TLC where they have series of obese patients in some rehabilitation center for the morbid obese. It just amazed me how one flip of a channel can chaneg your mood entirely within seconds. Here were these folks that were fighting for their life, for various regions of even resulting to obesity rather it was genetic, depression or obsessions with food. Young and old individuals filled the wards of this instituion. All I could think was these folks are fighting for thier rights to just catch a mere breath or two to simply survive and every moment of their life is detrimental because it determines if they journey closer to life or clinch to death. After about 10-15 mintues I realized, I had strayed away from the inmate documentary and well, due to the fact my mind was begninning to sway towards the thought of my brother and a close freind incarcerated, I wasn't really comforted watching the horror stories of prision.

But it wasn't until I flipped the channel again to stroll to a show called "30 Days". Well this particualr episode was about a guy who was placed in the shoes of a quadrapalegic. He learned the ups and downs, the many life adjustments and emotional angish frustration that those in that situation expereince. This was actually something worth watching. And well it got me to thinking, we are so blessed because we could be limited in ways that we take for granted. And well the after watching this, there was too, a young guy that was actually paralyzed from waist down, but he triumphed and expressed to viewers and a dear friend, that everyday simpy wan't pie, but it could have been worst and well he had a second chance, and more importantly, he had LIFE, that was and is definatly worth living.

I began to reflect on watching the US Open earlier watching Tiger and some other pro golfers. OK, I am big fan of golf and play as well, so this was realxing to me and reminded me, that hey you can make a career simply doing something you love and something that you are a scholar at. Watching golf was simply a relaxing recreation for me and also a tutorial, because I made mental notes of some do's and don'ts on the golf course. But later on.... I swtiched the channel.

Well there's a then, yeah a then, I flipped to yet another channel, and I stopped at the Fabulous Life of Kimora Lee Simmons. OK, don't get me wrong, I appluad her for her handling her biz and being successful and all the while doing what she loves. But here you got folks on the othe side hungry, homeless and trying to figure how to make ends meet for the next day, then you got folksk fighting for their lives in hospitals, rehabs and various institutions and then you got folks encountered real life situations and then, yeah THEN, you got Kimora tripping, complaining and throwing fits because ten dresses that are picked for her, she doesn't like. She has multiple stylist and assistants yet she is never satisfied. I'm thinking chick, there is more to life than a dress, a dress that gotta be perfect for you to floss for a mere 4 to 5 minutes. It was at this time I realized and had an epiphany. There comes a time in a tv viewers life when you must be able to separate the difference from inpsiration and entertainment when mesmerized by the set. It was at that time I thouhgt about the title of this blog. Gluttony of consumption of the box, idiot box as Damon Wayans called it in the movie Bamboozeled. TV is what you make of it and sometimes there comes a time when you simply must shut it off, because it was at the time after I watched a buit of Kimora, that I reached my conclusion that it's time to be productive. I felt like, hey I wasn't ingesting anything that would enhance or broaden my awareness or intellect.

So dear readers, I challenge you to chastize yourself when it comes to the tv..It can be cool at times, but you simply need to know when to shut the darn thing off.


Until my next post peace, infinite blessings and prosperity..
1LuV
Monique D.

Principles of Friendship

So I got to thinking about the word friendship….. Simplistic term for some, very analytical and deep in theory for others…. I began to think of past friendships and current friendships. Truth be told I am well aware of the fact that friends come and go and the fact that some individuals are placed in your life at certain times for certain purposes and certain purposes only. One of my best friends, the yang to yin we’ll call him, told me that there are restrictions and labels so to speak for certain individuals we call-- friend. He also told me that there comes a time when you decipher and identify rather, there friends or associates.
So in my thinking I immediately had another idea, that sometimes who may be your friends could actually be your foe.. I am getting ahead of myself with this blog so let me slow down and flow in sequence… He then went on to say some friends are just to have fun with, yeah, the fun buddy, the good time buddy so to speak. Then you have that friend that listens, you then have that one that just talk and never listens.. Make sure with whatever problem or obstacle going on in your life be well-aware of who to talk to and who to listen to. But as we analyzed this and that we both discussed that hey no matter what, we all are not perfect and all friends have their quirks, but a person that truly is a friend be there in good and the bad. Its amazing that some individuals can be friends forever and never have an argument, never having fallen out and be although times passes we get older, mature and experience the joys and sorrows of life, that person is still there.. You then have some instances where some individuals could have truly grown apart which can happen to the best of friends.. And,, well sometimes you cross paths again and start a new and some remain estranged….. Speaking from experience, I recently had a an estranged friendship that has been rescued so to speak, .. Well I made a vow not to pick up where we left off but to begin fresh and anew. Since then, its been about six months and the journey hasn’t been easy but hasn’t been difficult either, we learn more about each other every time we speak and are in the same environment. All of the pain in the past we have equally shared our feelings and forgiven each other but truth is we never forget. Which brings me to another friendship that comes to mind that has currently been in existence for about uh.. I’ll round it off and say,, ummm, seven years I think… I accept a person flaws and all, but there comes a time when material things and the attention factor of that person is just mind-boggling and confusing. Supportiveness is a strong factor of friendship, to me anyway. And well I feel it’s a factor that is of importance, if they claim to be a friend…. Some use the word friend, loosely, and some individuals abuse that privilege to even be called friend…. My best friend and I came up with a list of adjectives that describe the qualities of good friend, a true friend and they are:
Un-biases
Supportive
Un-competitive
Of course these are just a few to name…Multiple lists can be developed and I’ll be adding them as I go along.. But my question is what are the principles in a friendship? What values are necessary of a true friend? And how much of oneself can one give to be a friend? Are there limits? Are their rules?

The Simplistic Nature of the Greatest Blessings

Peace & Blessing Readers, Poetry Siblings and Poetry Fam:

You know it is just so amazing how someone inspires you in ways they know not. And for that very simple thought, I can't express enough that the simple things matter the most... TRULY, they do... My Sis, the (SEQ) Self Esteem Queen, sent me a message to check our her latest blog, and she has been on my case about blogging and to continue posting my thoughts and inspirations to share with others, but after reading her blog I immediately had to script this blog. Then not long after I received a call from one of my poetry siblings.. You know the most high know exactly when you need a word of encouragement, when you just need to hear a sincere voice, or perhaps when you just need someone to tell you that you are loved and that you are not here by mistake. OK.. I am digressing a bit, let me get back on the journey I begin.. Sis spoke of all the obstacles we experience in life, be it good or bad, great or small, we must not question it, but instead, draw strength and never give up, never accept being a loser and accept failure as an option,, like one poet spits in his poem--- Failure is not an option,,, (poem by Tavis Brunson)... We must somehow see the lessons and overcome the spirit of defeat and rise up and beyond. Be it stressors that consist of illness, depression, finance, family scrutiny, religious judgment or the spirit of plain ole envy or hate, yeah I said the haters that are always on the road trying to bum a ride to our destination, we have to keep focus and surround ourselves around people who truly love us and have our best interest at heart. Not saying those that hurt you, repeatedly, you cease your love, but love them from a far, like my grandma use to say, love from a distance... Because with those negative forces charging and with your guard down, this opens wounds over and over again that are not accurately able to even heal... I too have experienced that ridicule directly and indirectly from family and friends and I never can heal because that scab can never heal if someone continuously picks as it, scratching it,,, OK you see where I'm coming from with that scenario... But I have a new outlook on life and perspective of my life its simply all about ----Self Love and Self Preservation... Since I have reintroduced myself to myself I am finally being true to me and it feels pretty good... I advise you to do it if you haven't done so.... Simply DO YOU! that's my motto...

The most high is just awesome and I can't research enough synonyms to describe his greatness, because he places people in your life and it is all in his perfect design. I am a perfect example of an individual that can proclaim my closest family members are not that of blood relation and I am just so thankful for them.. Truly if it had not been for them, I would have lost my mind, and perhaps even attempted to leave this earth. To some it may seem quirky or completely strange, but there is one thing that brought us all together and it was simply POETRY... Yeah, we all share the love of it, and within that circle, multiple venues and poetry parties and road trips and poetry cyphering I found family and true friends. They know who they are.. And yeah I guess you, the reader maybe wondering why is she saying all this,, but here's the point, I am and have been blessed with family that loves me and seems like they always call right on time.. We share that bond.. It's not by chance that I get call to say hi,, how are you... what's goin on with you... nah, this isn't a coincidence.. At times when I felt I was on the verge of bursting into tears, my phone rings or I get a txt from one of them, that says, "you know what, you're important"... It's at times like these when I have just had the thought I mean nothing and nothing I do matters... Its at times when I feel like no one loves, me, my sis will send me a txt and just say--- "Sis I love you"... Its at times when I get a txt that starts my day with simply two words-- "Good morning".. And these are all the simplistic natures of some of my greatest blessings...... These things matter so much, when you surrounded by haters, those that question your uniqueness and quest for greater and better things.. to challenge the things that you deem endless possibilities... I am truly thankful and blessed.... And sis, this post you, inspired... You are amazing and oh what a blessing you have been to me...

To all the readers, be inspired, inspire someone, encourage someone and tell them something simple that matters much.. like... I Love You, You Are Important... Nothing Is Impossible, Follow Your Dreams...

Until my next post Endless Blessings, Prosperity & Happiness

1Luv,

Monique "1MOpoeticSoul" D.