Love Letter to HIM

There is a post circulating on social media sites that says, "Today is the first page of your next 365 page book. Make it a good one!" or something to that effect. I choose to start my first page on page five, so here goes ... Today, I looked around at the material things I've been blessed with whether I can actually afford them or not. I was grateful for what I have been blessed with, I can say for sure. As I lay back and stare at the ceiling, I noted how quiet it was. The next thought that came to mind was the memory of how noisy it used to be on my ceiling. I would hear the pitter, patter of toddler's feet, the gallop of a dogs paws, something that sounded like a basketball and the general noise of a family living their life. While I certainly can't begrudge human beings simply living their life, I couldn't stand that I lived in a space where I couldn't enjoy the peace and quiet that delivered great ideas, a sound sleep, a meditative ambience and the joy of pure silence whenever I wished. It was only at the will of other families sleeping and/or not being home. As I came back to my present circumstances, I became overcome with joy and appreciation. I thought to myself, "Wow, I really have come a long way!" It's true, I have come a mighty long way. And while I have also given up quite a bit to enjoy the present circumstances I find myself in, they aren't ideal because much of the time is filled with thoughts of, "How on earth do I maintain this? How in the world am I going to continue to live this lifestyle without the income to pay for the things I'm enjoying now?" The lightbulb came on for me on the heels of those thoughts. I know that for all intents and purposes, the life that you live has to be paid for in an exchange of money for goods, services and the like ... something that is very scarce for me these days as I embark upon new ventures and no steady income to speak of. And while we all innately know that you need money to survive and maintain any type of lifestyle you live, I know in my heart that I need and I already have something that is far more valuable than money. That thing I have that will enable me to continue living the life I've carved out for myself and the life that I need to live in order to continue to flourish will continue to be maintained by the one thing I already have and CANNOT ever begin to hope to do without ... that thing is FAVOR ... GOD'S FAVOR. If it weren't for GOD'S FAVOR, I would have been sleeping in a ditch somewhere long ago. I would be homeless, hungry, desperate and alone, but with GOD'S FAVOR and continued blessings ... I do indeed have everything I need. I won't forget it again. I won't take it for granted again. Thank you God for your tender loving care and mercy for without you, I am absolutely nothing.

Wanna lose weight? You gotta up that water intake!

Water...yes, it does a body good!

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight AND keeping it off for good!

Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true 'magic potion' for permanent weight loss! Here's why:

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat! Isn't that amazing? There is an additional way to get to that stored fat after all! Woohoo! So, you know what that means right? It means that the opposite is also true. If you decrease your water intake, this could cause fat deposits to increase while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits! You know why? Well, let me tell you...the kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver.

One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body but, if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate the way it's supposed to. As a result, the liver metabolizes less fat and more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops...bummer, right?

So, get that water in people! Especially if you're trying to lose weight and just because you need water in your life period. Can't drink water straight up? Try it with a twist of fresh lemon and lime. Still not doing it for you? Add one of those drinks to go from crystal light into a 16 ounce bottle filled with water. Add that fresh lemon and lime to the mixture and you'll soon be slurping that water by the gallon. By the way...the daily minimum goal is 64 ounces but, you can do better than that...try to work your way towards doubling it! 128 ounces. If you're trying to lose weight, that 128 ounces will have you looking slim and svelte in no time! Remember, there are only 13 weeks until Memorial Day weekend! Get ready, get set, Drink!!!

Relationships...to be or not to be...for me

For as long as I can remember, I've been a voyeur. I love to watch people go about and interact with one another. I think it's because there is a lot to be learned from the simple act of observation. We learn to mimic, or as some like to say, 'fake it til you make it', right? Is that really how we learn to do things? Or should we learn to do things by having the experience for ourselves?

Until recently, I thought it was better to watch and learn vs. do and learn.

Now, I feel differently. I've found that by watching vs. doing, I've missed out on a lot. By watching vs. doing, I take out a bit of the authenticity of how a situation can really evolve. Especially when it comes to building, fostering and maintaining relationships.

You simply can't watch people interact and learn how to build and maintain a relationship...of ANY kind. Whether it is a friendship, business relationship or love relationship, you simply have to get down in the trenches and experience it. By simply observing, you aren't risking anything and; unless you're willing to risk something, you aren't going to gain anything.

You guys won't believe how I actually learned this lesson. But, I'm going to share it with you because we're all friends here right? No judgments, no ridicule, none of that. Just pure acceptance, living and learning and maybe even improving because of what we share.

Okay, here goes...I learned this from being on Facebook and Twitter. Yep, that's what social media has taught me. Over the last couple of years of building up networks on both sites, I've come to realize that these relationships are 99% observatory because I've not taken that extra step that a lot of people on these networks take. Many of the people on these networks use them as tools to actually meet people in person and foster the relationship they've begun on social media. Some of the people are truly fearless in their pursuit of good relationships. They put themselves out there no matter what because they believe that it's possible to build and foster relationships that will be beneficial to them; whether it is business or personal.

After much observation (yeah, I know, I'm still doing it), I find that I'm in awe of these people. They are fearless, courageous and deserve to have whatever comes from forging ahead to uncover the unknown, all the while having faith in the fact that it can be something precious and worthy of maintaining in the long run. Also, if it doesn't become a lifetime relationship, that's okay too. It has to be okay.

It has to be okay because not every relationship we have is meant to last forever. That reason, season, lifetime 'thingy' that I referred to a couple of months ago is an actual fact, and not just something to wax poetic about...Now, to actually take that step into the unknown. All together now, get ready, get set....Let's go!

What do you think? Do you agree with me? I'd love to hear from you.

A reason, a season, a lifetime

Hello friends!

I must say that I'm feeling a bit reflective about the relationships I've created and managed somehow to maintain in my life lately. To be honest, I'm really feeling a bit melancholy about the relationships I haven't been able to maintain for one reason or another; hence, the title of this post, a reason, a season, a lifetime.

In order to be true to my intentions, I've decided that I want to be a bit more aggressive in 'putting things all out there' or as Ms. Cormier and Lady Nadine would state it, 'go all in'. That way, hopefully (aside to my writing teachers, I know I should never use hopefully :), I will come out of my reflections with something tangible to help me move forward, confident that the next time, I will be more successful at whatever it is I'm trying to accomplish.

I've been reflecting a lot on relationships that I wish I could have held on to but, they slipped through my fingers. When I first started out on this topic, I was referring to familial relationships that aren't as developed as I'd like and try as I might, I can't seem to become that person that this side of my family wants to be close to so, I guess I have to content myself with being that person who shares the same blood line and that's about it. My door will always be open but I know they will never knock; they are a force unto themselves and I must admit, I'm a bit envious of the bond they share for it is strong, strong, stronger than gale force winds beating against the sh0re in an attempt level everything in its' path.

Who wouldn't be envious of such a bond? Even those that think they have a bond of this nature would be hard pressed to top this unbreakable family of God-fearing, generous, loving individuals. Of course being on the outside, you never know what is really going on in any inner circle that you are not a part of but, something tells me, that what is going on is exactly what I've witnessed (even though it is from afar). What I think I've seen is, strength, loyalty, love, intelligence, generosity and resilience all wrapped up in one cohesive unit of a family. It's amazing to behold. Even more amazing is that this is what holds true even when no one is watching. I can only hope one day when I'm settled with my family, to pattern the strength of our bond after the example set by this family.

Now, onto the other relationships. I guess I started with the 'lifetime' relationship because even though I'm not in their inner circle, they are still family so, our relationship will last a lifetime, no matter what.

The relationships that have been harder for me to put behind me out of them all are definitely those that are categorized as 'a season'. With 'seasonal' relationships, you never know when that season will end. Letting people into my inner circle has never been something I did easily but when I do let people in, I tend to hold them tightly. Maybe too tightly. I can be the virtual burning flame of a relationship be it a friendly one or more intimate. In other words, I guess you could say that I love hard. The hard part is, you never know if this is a relationship you will have to let go of before you're ready. Until recently, letting go of a relationship before I was ready was a foreign concept to me. I was always of the mind that I was ultimately in control of who was in and who was out of my life. It never occurred to me that someone wouldn't want me in their life as much as I cared to be there. I'm being authentic when I tell you that truly never occurred to me.

I don't know if I was being naive, cocky, or some other adjective I can't name but, having the choice removed from my hands about who is in or out of my life was never something I spent any time contemplating. The only time I felt I didn't have that control was if someone died. That's it.

Now, I know that death comes in many forms. A seasonal relationship is one in which eventually, there will come the death of the relationship. The season has ended; it has died. You can't control the end of the season because it will come regardless of what you want, just as winter or summer comes to certain parts of the world.

I have to say, I still struggle with the seasonal relationship much more than I do with relationships that exist for a reason. Sometimes, a reason and a season can become mixed up but, I find, from my own personal experience, relationships that have existed for a reason reveal the reason pretty quickly. Whether the reason was to help me move forward or to help me get to my next destination, a relationship that had a reason behind it never seems to have a difficult end to it, from my experience. Do you think that is because I knew in some way that I was to benefit from this relationship? I do. I believe that to be true for anyone that has been a relationship for a reason; even if the reason was for you to be of assistance to someone else, there was still a reason. And, just because you were the obvious benefit to someone else does not mean that there was absolutely no benefit to you. Helping someone else and getting nothing physical back in return is often that beautiful reminder that God really does use us to do HIS work.

That's all I have for now, thanks for sharing this with me and don't take your relationships for granted. Cherish every moment you have with the ones you love and strive for stronger bonds with those you wish. I welcome comments because they help me work through my struggles as well. Thanks in advance. Don't forget to check out my Soul Purpose/Youngevity website with over 500 vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements for the body from the inside out! http://youngevityonline.com/rhondae