“Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.” -Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens On The Aftermath Of His Olympic Win
Category: Read In Between The Lines
These Are The Ads In Your Neighborhood: The Corruption Of Children
Why would a picture with a character that has been marketed to children for decades be captioned like this? SMH.
Train station; Brooklyn, New York.
The Dangers Of Reality TV & Black Stereotypical TV
After watching this are you still loving, Love & Hip Hop, Empire, and Basketball Wives?! These shows are nothing to shrug off or indulge in as mere entertainment.
Anecdote Of The Week: When Your Blessing Is Served To You On A Platter And You’re Still Hungry
“Bob put me through my workout paces and encouraged a lifestyle bullet around eating whole foods (long before I’d ever heard of the story that shares that name and mission).
I resisted. But even as different diets came and went, his advise remained consistent and wise: Eat foods that make you thrive.
A few years ago, I finally got the big aha and started growing my own vegetables. And what began with a few rows of lettuce, some tomatoes, and basil (my favorite herb) in my backyard in Santa Barbara eventually became a genuine farm in Maui. My gardening interest grew into a passion…
In rural Mississippi, where I was born, a garden meant survival. In Nashville, where I later lived, my father always cleared a “patch” by the side of our house, where he would grow collard greens, tomatoes, crowder peas, and butter beans.
Today that’s my favorite meal; add some cornbread and I’m clicking my heels. But when I was say girl, I saw no value in eating freshly grown foods. “Why can’t we have store bought food like other people?” I’d complain. I wanted my vegetables to come from the “valley of the jolly- ho, ho, ho- Green Giant”! Having to eat from the garden made me feel poor.
I now know for sure how blessed I was to have access to fresh food- something not every family today can take for granted.
Thank you, Lord, for growth.
I’ve worked hard to sow the seeds for a life in which I get to keep expanding my dreams. One of those dreams is for everyone to be able to eat fresh food that goes from farm to table- because better food is the foundation for a better life.”-From, “What I Know For Sure” By: Oprah Winfrey
The Power Of Words: The Rice Experiment
Anecdote Of The Week: Fighting A Pride
A tiger, when attacked, fights alone. Even when the imperiled tiger is surrounded by fellow tigers, the tigers that are not in imminent danger do nothing to help. Lions defend against attack as a pride. No tiger attacks a lion within sight of another lion. A single lion, however, had it the will to, could slaughter every tiger on the planet, lined up cheek to jowl, one at a time.” -From, “The Reckoning” By: Randall Robinson
These Are The Storefronts In Your Neighborhood
Rainbow. Flatbush Avenue. Brooklyn, New York.
Is it okay for our children to see this when they are walking down the street? What message does this send to the community where this store is located? Moreover, what does it say that this store remains in business with this type of storefront?
Anecdote Of The Week: Are You Allowing Yourself To Be Lulled By Convenience, So You Can Easily Be Lead To Slaughter?
“One day, a sparrow flies into a stinking piggery where she watches a swine gobble down his food.
Seeing his unexpected visitor, the swine starts boasting about his life. ‘I live like a king here. I don’t even have to lift a paw to get something to eat. Several times a day, someone comes to bring me food. I do nothing but eat and sleep- what a life!’
The little bird says nothing.
‘How you must envy me,’ says the swine, as he fills his mouth with swill.
‘It is you who must be envious of me,’ trills the sparrow.
‘I? Envy you? Never!’ protests the swine loudly. ‘I am like a king in this pen while you have to work for your food. You are a slave to your needs!’
At this the sparrow flies away, leaving the swine munching his meal noisily.
After sometime, the sparrow returns to the piggery. Piercing screams are coming from the pen. Flying nearer, she sees the plump swine being led to a nearby slaughterhouse.
The swine looks up and sees the sparrow. While he strains again the rope that binds him, the swine tells the little bird, ‘I lived like a king and now I shall die like a slave.’
After uttering these words, the swine sees the butcher sharpening his knife. As he follow the flight of the sparrow with envious eyes, he feels the knife at his throat.” -Author Unknown
Anecdote Of The Week: The Law of the Garbage Truck
“How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, for an instant, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she/he can get back her/his focus on what’s important.
Five years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a taxicab in Indianapolis. Here’s what happened:
I hopped in a taxi and we took off for Indianapolis Airport. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And, I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’
“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy you did.
“So this was it: The ‘Law of the Garbage Truck.’ I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets?
It was that day I said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore.’ I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie ‘The Sixth Sense,’ the little boy said, ‘I see Dead People.’ Well, now ‘I see Garbage Trucks.’ I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my taxi driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best, for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you?
What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?
You’ll be happier. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.
Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, TAKE IT! If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it!” -Author Unknown