Making Waves

These days it’s not a major secret that, for the most part, we all live in a very selfish and narcissistic world. It’s sad, but it’s true. A lot of people are mainly concerned with themselves, their own interests, what they want, and what they need without ever taking the time to be considerate of others around them. And that’s not an ideal way to get ahead in life. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with putting yourself first (when necessary), but there should be some balance.   Philippians 2:4 reads, “Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.”    In the final months leading towards the end of this year, I’ve had different people reach out to me with requests to review their writing, requests for letters of recommendation, as well as requests for networking opportunities, and more. And the common thing I’ve noticed about almost every request is that they have led to open doors and opportunities for others – w...

When Barack Obama was approaching his final term as president, I couldn’t wait for him to drop a memoir about his time in office. There was a lot of joy, celebration, criticism, controversy, and sometimes racism and hatred aimed his way during his presidency, so I knew there’d be some interesting stories about his journey.   A Promised Land   is insightful, and it invites readers into the early days of Obama’s upbringing, the different experiences that impacted his beliefs and values, and the challenges and pressures of being the first Black president of the United States. No matter what political party you support, this book is worth reading and one you don’t want to miss. Check it out.

I don’t like haters. I don’t like their negative energy, their shade, or their refusal to celebrate others who are doing well in life. When I’ve taken the time to study them, I’ve often tried to figure out why anyone would choose to hate or actively hate on someone who’s done absolutely nothing to them. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Yet, we live in a world where many people are haters. And if you are successful in any area of your life, inevitably you will have them. The unsettling thing about this is that you don’t have to do anything wrong for them to come your way. Haters hate, and their hatred can come in various forms: A shady comment. A petty dig. An unfriendly social media post. In silence. * Watch how people act when you share your good news and pay very close attention. You’ll see.  And more.    Experiencing hate on any level can feel uncomfortable, unsettling, and sometimes scary. Especially since a lot of hate can stem from jealousy and insecurities another...

So I’m typically not a fan of buffet-style restaurants. Mostly because I don’t like the idea of consuming food that’s been sitting out (and strangers hovering over the prepared food) and because I typically don’t eat more than one plate of food whenever I go to a buffet. However, my dining experience at Sweetwater Cuisine was different. I tried their brunch and was pleased with my visit. This restaurant pretty much embodies the epitome of southern hospitality, with everything from their warm aesthetic, kind customer service, and delicious (and very southern and mouthwatering) buffet options. They had a biscuit bar, ya’ll. A biscuit bar. And   everything   I had was delicious. True to my traditional buffet behavior, I only had one plate of food (as I piled on more than I could handle on the one plate I had) and was so full that I was totally stuffed by the time my family and I left. I know I’ll have to go back since I wasn’t able to try other items I wanted to check out, but ag...

In one of my graduate courses, I recently completed a paper about reflecting on where I see myself in the world. And the prompt for the paper asked the following question:   Where and with whom do you feel marginalized?  The prompt struck my interest because marginalization is something I’ve often had a lot of thoughts on – mainly because I’ve often felt marginalized almost my entire life. I’m only 31, but I can remember feeling marginalized throughout my childhood and as a teenager as I became more aware of the impact of my race, my identity as a Christian, and redefining the kind of woman I’ve aimed to be as an adult.     As I responded to the prompt, I felt relieved because I was able to candidly express and share what some of my experiences have been like as a young Black girl who’s always had a drive and desire to be an ambitious and successful woman – only to find myself criticized and misunderstood (by different family members, friends, non-Black peers and col...