Weather Report

It's the end of January and as dark as Washington winters come, but there is still a little bit of light pushing through. Lately I've been waking up to a thin blanket of snow on the ground, branches that I expect to be stripped of leaves bear the weight of this mysterious white substance. Sometimes the forecasters freak out the schools and I have a surprise day off or a late start. People complain that their precious schedules have been thrown off or that the roads are trecherous. I just smile for a break in the norm.

By noon, the roads are clear and the branches barren again, except for the tiny buds forming. The young birch tree outside my window sways back and forth, its crown bending toward the ground until I'm sure I will hear a snap, but miraculously it continues to thrive.

The orchid I bought last summer bloomed briefly, then went dormant. A few weeks ago I noticed it sprouted another stem and every day I watch over it to coax its buds open. Perched on my window sill it sits, shyly opening it's petals, pushing through the cold dark winter.

We Celebrate

We celebrate in remembrance of our heroes:
Martin, Malcom, Rosa, Frederick, Harriet- the famous ones
While we remember the countless others:
the nameless, the faceless, the ancestors

We celebrate by remembering their struggle
Their movements are in our bodies as we dance,
Their words are in the songs we sing,
We celebrate that we have come this far
We celebrate change

We celebrate, knowing we have further to go
Until American history is learned as African-American history
we have further to go
Until the so-called color blind open their eyes to see
we have further to go
Until we believe that this country was born and raised
on the backs of black women, men, and children
we have further to go

Still, we celebrate (we celebrate in dreams)
We celebrate in hope that we shall, once again, overcome
We honor those who fought -soldiers in the army of equality-
so that their work will not be undone
We recognize that the good work they have done
Allows us to do the work that remains.

Sometimes the struggle seems too much
Sometimes we don’t have the strength to continue Sometimes it breaks us down
Sometimes we feel like motherless, fatherless children
A long way from our home

But continue, we must
as our heroes Martin, Malcolm, Frederick, Rosa, Harriet did for us did We must do the impossible for ourselves, our people, our future
We must face oppression, we must remember the tragedy of the past Not just for one day, but every day we must have the courage to hold on
In the face of ignorance and hatred and fear
We've got to hold on to our dream of equality

HAPPY 2008!!!

Can't believe it's been three months since I've posted. What can I say? Life gets the best of me and I'm lucky if I can eat, sleep, and study let alone find the time to write. I've missed blogging my thoughts, feelings, and frustrations out. It truly is therapy.

So, 2008 huh? Kinda snuck up on me. I am usually very excited come new year's, but I don't think I have ever been this hopeful. Hopeful for change mostly. I must admit I love change. Clean slate and allathat. 2008 is the year for a new U.S. president (and a new St. Martin's president and vice pres. coincidentally), the year I'm getting married, and the year I will finally get fit. I'm not jokin ya'll. I joined a gym and I'm actually working out. Gravity has kicked in and I've decided not to let it control me. As we say in developmental psychology, "Do you have it (the weight/body issues) or does it have you? I love the idea that we can choose.

I'm sure you're wondering (as was the trainer at 24 hour fitness) what makes this time different? Did I mention I'm getting married? That means a white-ish dress which means it's hard to hide the junk I've accumulated in my uh.. trunk. But you know what really is different? That I've grown to actually love my body- my badunkadunk and my curves, my small ankles and wrists and my big ass feet. What's different is, at this point in my life it's about health first and looks second. I mean, I do not want my clothes to feel too tight, but more importantly I want to feel healthy enough to be active and live my life. This has been a HUGE awakening for me. I am so contemplative- often this means chillin on the couch with a good book or spending hours painting- very little range of movement folks! All the while, mountains are being hiked up, yogis are being stretched, booties are being shaken. I could get nostalgic right here and reminisce about the days when I was a thin and trim hiker in great health, but really I was more "accidentally fit." Probably in worse health than I am today- certainly I was partying more often. But that's another story...
The point is, I am ready to do this thing called life with intention and that is what the difference is.
So, here's to a year of change, creativity, love, self-care, and health!
See you on the treadmill?