We all remember the fable of The Tortoise and the Hare which taught that slow and steady wins the race. It truly applies to the game of life. As people race to the proverbial top, they often trample over others like an unbridled herd of cattle. They are desperadoes who will lie, cheat, steal or slander the names of those who they perceive as in their way as they make a mad dash towards their temporary thrones.
Shakespeare wrote tragedies like Macbeth and many others as he tried to warn the attentive ones that ‘easycome, easy go. But, as Sonny and Cher sang, “The Beat Goes On.” Folks continue to put their fragile egos ahead of sound thinking or making good choices.
The fruit of one’s labor may appear slowly and take time quite like any maturation process; but it is sure and everlasting. The Bible says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” {Matthew 7:16) Thus, wiser ones take cover and shield themselves when they hear the hoofs of the ensuing stampede. Or they may pull their turtle heads inside of their protective shells and wait for the storm to pass over. For yes, cooler heads do prevail, as they whisper, “Slow and steady win the race,” as their personal mantras.
When the fickle and feckless are no longer walking around in a puffed-up fashion and the coast is clear, those patient, silent ones can quietly emerge from their hidden spaces. They can let out a big sigh of relief and breathe and say, “Ah!! They have stayed the course and remained steadfast and unmovable. Then, they can surely amble their way over to their predestined spots, sit and just be!
Once we slow down and come to our senses, we can pull back our proverbial curtains. We look around and down at our feet and we may notice that it is already done. We used to sing that at one of our worship services in Atlanta. “It’s already done!”
Everything we really need is right there at our fingertips. As one friend used to remind me, “You are prepared!” Yet, somewhere in the midst of our fast movements through life, we forget that we had the wherewithal and subconscious presence of mind to continually prepare.
We did our homework even though we did not know exactly when this information would be needed for some future feat. However, we worked diligently and filed our work away in a safe place. And when the need arises, we can flip our rolodex and look through our files.
“Viola!” There it is. Just what we need! It has been sitting there quietly, waiting. If it could speak, it would say, “I was wondering when it would be my turn to help you advance your journey.” After having that oh yeah moment, we pull out our trusty, gathered information remembering that the legwork has already been done.
Now, it’s simply time to dig in and get busy. Quite like a sponge, we can soak up our handiwork and we give thanks for the golden fruits of our labor. We can now ease on down the road with all that we need in our hands!
Life is an adventure! It is comparable to snuggling up with a good book as we enjoy the journey of a special, fictional character. As in real life, there will be battles to fight, dragons to slay and challenges to overcome as we put one brave foot in front of the next one.
Good books take us on long adventures as we hold our breaths while our heroes and heroines fight the good fight. We pack our bags and take the plunge with them. We see Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Billy Bones in Treasure Island, Gulliver in Gulliver’s Travels or Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Each one works to overcome individual fears and make it home again.
As we journey through life, we also cross over into uncharted territories. We may see scary creatures pop out of doors as in haunted houses in an attempt to stop us in our tracks; but we vow to keep it moving. Whether we are battling addiction, toxic relationships, joblessness, homelessness or harsh criticism, we can stay on the road and push through to the finish line. Quite like the characters in the classics, we too have a beginning, a middle and an end.
The good thing is that we have silent angels and helpers standing guard and keeping a high watch as we move through the invisible locks. They are hovered above offering us that divine protection. And when we are tired, we become like the weary travelers who tell the tales. We simply need time to rest, regroup and rejuvenate and tally our data.
We can take those great memories and impart what we have learned along the way! We have a lot to share with others in the forms of storytelling, writing, teaching or in photography. We are happy to say that we have lived!
As the French grandmother advised in the movie, An Affair to Remember, “Make your memories while you are young. Reflect when you are old.” With that advice in mind, we give thanks for the opportunity to have experienced such great adventures!
We hear many conversations about generational wealth. It would indeed be great if that wealth was there to pass on to the next in line; however, if the funds are not there, it is another kind of wealth to be shared with others.
It is called inner wealth. It may not be a dollar amount, but the quality makes it priceless. It too takes time to amass and is quite comparable to building blocks on a solid, sturdy base. Its effects are both far-reaching and permanent!
Once the rust of growth pains have been somewhat scraped away or subsided, a huge mountain of wealth appears on the horizon. That inner wealth include a wealth of knowledge attained over the roads of life’s meandering journeys; a wealth of compassion and love to share with those that are hurting and a wealth of relation-building with those who have touched our lives.
That inner wealth also includes the consulting of experts and gurus who took the time to write down instructions for future followers. They left us pebbles of wisdom behind to guide us in applying financial laws or meditative techniques to help us remain calm during harrowing times. We can always re-visit their writings by reviewing our highlighted and underlined directions in our tattered books.
And quite like a pot of gold sitting at the end of a fresh rainbow, we realize that we have a lot to give, share and disseminate to others. Those with open ears, open hearts and open minds are ready to receive the gifts of our inner wealth. For them, we scoop up a big heaping of what we have and blow it to those who are saying, “Yes!” with open arms.
We should not judge others based what they did decades ago unless there is a repeated pattern of behavior. Just as Paul emerged from being Saul in the Bible, many people do evolve and grow into more enlightened souls.
We are not the same persons that we were many years ago. That was a stage in the process of a personal evolution like the phases of a leaf. Hopefully, everyone becomes a better person who is more sensitive to the needs of others over the years. That is hopefully.
Myriad experiences are like those pinions of light that change, alter, and heighten our decision-making. Quite like walking the labyrinth, people cross our paths to assist, help and open our minds whether through teaching, pain, or shock. Either way, we are made new and are no longer our former selves.
When curious about someone’s inner ticking’s, we must remember that no one entirely knows anyone; not even families, friends nor spouses. We may know some aspects of a person, but we are a composite of years of living and walking this earth with many secret storage spaces.
However, there is an invisible thread that runs true within people. If they were go-getters, that will more than likely remain to be true. Whatever lies deep within will continue to crop up over and over unless a deep cleansing takes place. Unfortunately, most people are not willing to take the time to get rid of the tarnish nor admit that there is a need to do so. It takes a lot of elbow grease and hard work to get a new shine.
Lengthy periods of isolation, solitude, listening and admitting of shortcomings are required for those who genuinely want to become their better selves. They can then bunny hop forward on the number path of life, make new strides, and enter newer worlds as they leap higher and sprint onward!
As we tally the fruit in our cornucopias, We delight in our gains from hard work. A feeling of calm permeates our being, As we begin to forget the pains of toil, The tears of anguish and tenseness from anticipation.
We count it all joy because it is harvest time! We look over our inventory and do the checks. Things balance out as we stay on the path of rightness. We have kept our noses to the grinding stone And as Phoebe Snow sang, we now “Cash It All In.”
As we smile for miles, we tarry forth, With a certain lightness of Spirit. We might even inaudibly hum a sweet tune, Or hear a timeless hymn singing to us Such as Blessed Assurance!
When I think about my cousin, Shelia Lynn, I admit that she wore my name a year before I arrived and was called just Lynn. We lived together briefly as children in Memphis. We were all sheltered at our grandmother’s house who played Mother Goose.
Yep, both of her daughters had returned to the nest and each had four children in tow. Eight kids in a tiny house but boiled over with love. Somehow, it worked and lifetime bonds were tightened among us.
Later, we were reconnected as young women. Her family remained in Memphis but our family had moved on to Chicago. However, our family always returned to Memphis, at least once a year. I remember going to see her act at Front Street Theater, there. She allowed me to come backstage with her to her changing room. I sat there and quietly watched her apply her stage makeup. Amazing!
By the time she entered stage right, I was sitting in the audience. I do not remember the name of the play but I do know that I was filled with awe and wonder. This would be the beginning of my noticing Shelia’s choices and I took away the parts that I found admirable. She was silently dropping pebbles for me to follow in my own timing.
Shortly, thereafter, her bravery and spunk caught my eye again when she moved to Atlanta to become a flight attendant. She graduated in the first class of black women to get their wings for Delta Airlines. She flew with them for over 30 years! Our paths continued to cross at different intersections.
As fate would have it, we both returned to Memphis and lived there in the early 80’s. This time, we became closer than ever as we shared our hurts, our pains and acknowledged each other’s accomplishments. I purchased a large wall map and whenever she called me from various locations, I would put a stick pin there on my map. She was still silently dropping pebbles and charting out new family paths.
Her colorful descriptions of places like hot Atlanta or snow-bound Boston or the tropical islands stayed with me. She spoke of one place where she could pick fruit from the tree from outside her hotel window. Though I was doing my own thing, I did take copious mental notes as she shared her adventures. She was still pinning those pebbles in my mind.
As the gods would have it, I did make it to Atlanta. I lived there for two years and met life-long friends as I struggled through the terrain. And, yes, quite like Johnny-ComeLately, I made it to the islands more that once. Her pebbles helped me to slowly make it to snowy New England. Once there, I enjoyed walking around Boston’s Back Bay as I took in the sights and sounds of the city for four years. So, all I can say is, “Thanks, cuz, for dropping those pebbles behind you!”
We all agree that laughter is the best medicine which is why we cherish our social gatherings even during Covid. Zoom meetings and now more in-person get-togethers are helping us cope with this ongoing pandemic.
The camaraderie gained while in the presence of others helps us embrace our humanity. As the saying goes, “No man is an island,” so we look forward to those times when we can enjoy the company of others.
Here are a few things that have made me laugh lately. On the morning news, some school children had stolen a sink from the school and then posted it on social media. Normally, we hear of Chicago expressway closings due to shootings but when I heard that some loose cattle had shut down a busy expressway, I had to laugh out loud.
The other day, I listened to YouTube interview with a former beloved music professor who shared a funny story. He said that he discovered that his students were caught bringing the music lab piano back to its rightful place. He responded, “Bringing it back?” He said that he had no idea that they had been rolling the piano down to their dorm for extra practice time. Hilarious!!
Also, the things that people write in the ‘Comments’ section on the Internet can truly tickle the funny bone. Read the news feed and see what We the People think about either the person or subject. The crude trolling, disdain or back and forth can evoke a laugh as they comment on some celebrity who strives to stay relevant. Every now and then, there is some new insight into a situation that offers added information.
On many mornings, as I wait for my next project, I enjoy listening to Wendy. I laugh! Her sharp wit may be biting to some, but I hear myself letting out a loud laugh on quite a few occasions. She calls it like she sees it, and some may say that she shoots from the hip. She is rarely pretentious nor too serious. Her show is light and entertaining, and I can listen while I engage in other things.
During these often grave and disconcerting times, laughter still works. It adds a bit of pep to the step, and it helps us temporarily escape from all the things that concern us. Zora Neale Hurston said it best when she said, “I love myself when I am laughing.” I totally agree with her!
In light of the loud demonstrations of last summer, which protested unfair treatment, many answers to my years of questions unfolded right before my eyes. It became exponentially clear that many invisible roadblocks had been strategically placed years ago to deter, stall and eventually stop people of color in their tracks.
When I embarked upon this brave, new world with my newly minted college degree in hand, I enthusiastically walked out into the new frontier. I felt as if I was equipped to handle whatever presented itself and immediately fell into teaching to fulfill a teacher’s scholarship obligation. It was a rich and gratifying experience but a after six or so years, I wanted more.
I completed another degree in hopes of entering some aspect of media. I visited printing companies, knocked on several television studio doors. I even tried advertising places and publishing companies to display my wares. Though the doors were cracked wide enough to look inside, they were not open. I heard, “Nope.” “Not today.” Or simply, nothing at all. As one acquaintance said, “What about no response?”
Yet through the tears, confusion, and disappointment, I was led to a variety of sages who held my hand and offered me hope. One former professor continually answered my letters and once reminded me that the butterfly is often illusive. I did not understand his meaning then and I still work to interpret it, but I think he meant that life does not always offer pat answers nor work in a straight line.
Then, my sages begin to appear through authors of the printed word. Wayne Dyer’s YourErroneous Zones crossed my path and I studied it in-depth. I read several of his books as I clung to his positive outlook. I was even blessed to see him peeking in a door at a conference in Rosemont, Illinois, many years later. It was as if he too was holding my hand along the way. He reminded me to always bless my shelters and every traveler needs to hear that!
Quite by happenstance, I was introduced to Florence Scovel Shinn while browsing at Oxford Bookstore on Peachtree in Atlanta’s Buckhead section. Her book, The Game of Life and How toPlay It helped me immensely. Her advice assisted me in drying my tears when things appeared bleak while the hunger pains and fear were overtaking my better judgment.
And just in the nick of time, Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World landed in my hands from an Atlanta friend. Every copy that I have owned of this jewel of a book has ended up being tattered, torn, and coming apart at the seams from constant use. Most pointedly, he taught me to persist until I succeed from his ancient scrolls.
The list of encouraging sages who have invisibly and silently held my hand is exceptionally long and I could never list them all. However, I absolutely must add Maya Angelou whose small and powerful book of poems found me at a bookstore in Delaware, Ohio. She taught me that I was indeed a phenomenal woman that needed to keep on rising.
Hindsight is 20-20. I am glad that I was unaware of the dark intentions that were set up to thwart my dreams and discourage my visions for my life. As the saying goes, “God makes a way out of no way.” Michael Jackson reminds us to hold hands in Whatever Happens. Enjoy!
It is our charge to accept people as they are even when we do not fully understand them. Perhaps they do not fit into our spheres of operation, but it is our duty to remember that it is what it is.
Maybe we perceive them as slippery fish, busybodies, gossips, smooth criminals or tag them with other labels, but they are all still God’s children. Folks come in all shapes, sizes, and colors while dressed in a wide range of personalities. It is, not our job to change them; however we may positively impact a few along the way that are receptive to the tools we share from what we have learned along the way.
So, it is simply best to observe others. If we find their antics overwhelming at times, them look at the pathos and theatrics and seek the comical and humorous. Remember that laughter is still the best medicine.
Here is a poem from my novella, A Golden Leaf in Time Revised that Phoenix, the lead character, wrote after an emotional encounter.
“She calmed herself and reasserted her power to move forward at the guided and given time. She took solace with her pen and paper and wrote the following verse:
Who’s Foolin’ Who? Traveling on the expressway of life, I had another unexpected blowout. But in this world of sorrow and strife, I won’t sit around and pout. People have crises that run deep ’Cause they don’t know God at all. So they try to make others leap Or keep them blind ’til they fall. Then they can feel that all is well And not take responsibility for a solution, So they try to shut out those who may tell Of their sadness and sick pollution. But if eyes are of deep perception And hearts are of love for God, Then those with the crises are in deception ’Cause no one can harm a child of God!
Lynn M's Thoughts & Feelings 
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