Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. 
If you did, what would there be to look forward to? 

Be thankful when you don't know something, 
 for it gives you the opportunity to learn. 

Be thankful for the difficult times. 
During those times you grow. 

Be thankful for your limitations,  
because they give you opportunities for improvement. 

Be thankful for each new challenge,  
because it will build your strength and character.  

Be thankful for your mistakes.  
They will teach you valuable lessons.  

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,  
because it means you've made a difference.  

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.  
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.  

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.  
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Let It Go

Nights pass and you wonder how you will go on 
Sticks with you even though you were just the pawn 

The life game of chess 
Was all such a mess 

The stupid moves and the dirty jumps 
You ended up played just like a punk 

So protect your ultimate prize, the king, your heart 
The gem that has been with you from the very start

Leave no paths open for you to get hurt 
Let no one put force on you to convert

Into someone you’re not 
Don’t get put on the spot

You’re young, you’re free, there’s so much to do 
So just live, just learn, and make mistakes too

Loss for Words

It's funny how I know exactly what to say, 
But I can't get it out, I need a perfect way. 
I want to choose the right words, have the right rhyme; 
Who knows how long that'll take, I don't have the time. 

It has to come out now, random, spat out; 
I want you to understand that without a doubt 
I have never in my life felt this way before 
The butterflies inside are warming my core. 

The automatic smile on my lips, through my eyes 
Are features on me I don't want to disguise. 
Now the question is, do you feel the same way too? 
When we meet, does your heart flutter and mouth not have a clue? 

I wonder, I hope, I wish, I dream 
For our two fabrics to become one seam. 
No more metaphor crap, I have to say it now, 
But I don't know when, I just don't know how. 

These feelings of mine are straight from the soul 
So once they are uttered, I have no control. 
You may frown, you may laugh, you could even turn to leave, 
But those who run with no purpose are my main pet peeve. 

Just hear me out first, and lend me an ear; 
I have this one chance, this aim to make things clear. 
Come close, I want to feel your breath on my skin; 
You feel too good, it's surely a deadly sin. 

Your smell, your touch, your grip not too firm; 
It's time these words come to an end term. 
Alright, well the thing is... *inhales deeply* 




...Never mind, I'll tell you later.

Friends

Who's going to be there when you lose your job? 

Who's going to be there for you to complain about your parents? 

Who's going to be there when you've reached your stress limit? 

Who's going to be there when you need a wake up call? 

Friends.

These are not just the "Hey, how's it going?" friends. 

These are the "I need to talk" friends. 

These are the "I know it's 3 in the morning, but" friends. 

These are the "I know you told me he wasn't 'the one', but I didn't listen" friends. 

You can sob uncontrollably to this friend.

You can pull your hair out over a guy to this friend.

You can discuss a paper that you can't even get help with to this friend.

You can talk about someone completely out of the circle to this friend.

This friend won't complain that it's too late.

This friend won't tell you to go back to sleep.

This friend won't give you any more reasons to stress.

This friend will never say "I told you so".

You don't have to see this friend every day.

You don't have to talk to this friend every day.

You don't have to worry about this friend every day.

You don't have to make any effort at all...

I'm tagging those friends in this letter, this ode to the rare breeds left. 

To the ones I will (hesitantly) take a bullet for and will always be there for.

Thank you for putting up with me. 

Thank you for always believing I will be great.

You will all be guests on my television show :)

Note: This is an edited version from a previous note written on Facebook a couple years ago.

Head Over Heels

I wrote this over four years ago and just happened to come across it. It's probably one of the most intimate things I've ever written. Enjoy.Note: This isn't the original, but this is the only copy I could find. Thank goodness for Facebook, right?

"Shhh! Wait a minute, my love!
Look around aimlessly; there is no one here.
There aren't any people; no noise, no structure: nothing. 
Maybe they are here, but not visible to the infatuated eye. 
Everything is such a blur; except you. 
Your smooth soft cheeks, your dark curly hair,
Objects and shapes are formed so simply and insignificantly around us.
They only concentrate on curves and lines;
They're too busy watching us darling.
They wouldn't dare to detail themselves just so that they wouldn't have to miss a glimpse of our love.
Your presence never ceases to amaze me.
It is you who lifts me up, elevating me to another level.
Rising above the norm of reality towards the everlasting,
I am no longer resting my feet on the cold concrete floor.
Every time I see you, I fall in love all over again.
Whether it is your face, your body, or speech, I don't know,
And I don't want to know because that's what makes it so wonderful.
You make me feel safe; I have no doubts.
You make me feel warm; I sense no cool winds.
You hold me close because I belong to you.
Your strong firm hands slip themselves perfectly around my waist
I look into your warm brown gorgeous eyes and realize that there is no one else but me for you.
I am drawn to your confidence, your assurance that we belong together.
When no one else believed in us, you had enough faith to make up for all of them put together.
You are happy and proud to show your love and affection towards me.
There is no need to lift me now, because I'm already there
My feet, are already gliding on the roofs of the clouds." 

"The world revolves around us now, baby.
This was no coincidence; we were meant to be together.
Take a good last look here because we're headed to the moon.
Nothing can stop us or tear us apart.
We are no longer two separate souls, but now a bond of unity.
I lift you above the clouds to join me in paradise, To join me where there is no past or future, but the present.
You are as delicate as a angel, because that is what you are.
No one can hold us down.
You have filled my heart with pure love for you;
No longer can one doubt our love because we have passed the test of time.
I could write about our love until the end of time,
I could gather all the best scholars and poets and experts ever known to man,
And still never be able to even begin to explain to you how I feel.
It is a feeling of eternal happiness and pure ecstasy.
The feeling I get when you look into my eyes, Is indescribable because you sacrificed yourself letting me look into your soul.
When our bodies are pressed together.
Heartbeat to heartbeat
Soul to soul
Lips to - " 

"I know my love, I know; just kiss me."

Can I get a copy of the "right track"?

There are certain steps that society as a whole has decided to follow. You're born, you go to kindergarten, continue into junior school and elementary school, then it's off to high school. So far so good? After that, things get a little confusing. Some people (with less strict parents) tend to have more options open. They can travel for a year, join the workforce right away, work to raise money to go to school, the list goes on. Post-secondary wise, people can go to university, college or a trade school to get a degree and/or diploma and/or certificate. 

Ugh, then they can get their masters or doctorate. The point is, there's a lot out there.

After school, or even during school, life starts. You have more responsibilities. When do these responsibilities start, though? When am I supposed to get married? When am I supposed to move out of my house? When am I supposed to have children? At what age should I be fully established in my career? 

Sure, the general answer is that everyone is different, everyone goes at their own pace. That's hard to grasp when in a group of friends, one is engaged, one is graduating from college, one is starting her masters, and the other is a grade school teacher; half of us no longer live at home...and we're all the same age. W-T-F, right? So how can we not compare ourselves to one another? This us actually one of those blog posts that doesn't have a neatly wrapped conclusion or heartwarming "feel good about yourself" final word. I honestly believe people feel this way into their early 30s. If we're happy doing what we're doing now, should we automatically think we're on the right? Or we just coasting? Settling because it feels comfy? 

I'll get back to you on this one when I actually figure it out. 

There may be such thing as a dumb question

One of the most common questions people ask me when I say I go to York University, aside from "Doesn't that school have a sexual assault like every week?", is whether or not I know a friend of theirs. Seriously? 

Well of course I know John, and Jill, and Jane. Really? 

No. There are more than 50,000 students who go to York. Before even asking what program I'm in, people have legitimate hope that I know their friend. It's a commuter school. We only stay on campus as long as our classes last. My first class had 500 students in it. Late students had to sit on the steps. 

How does that question even make sense? I'm from Jamaica, so does that mean I should know your random Jamaican friend? Sound ridiculous yet?

I've actually heard of people who go on vacation, and when they tell people where they're from, the locals ask, "Oh, I have friend from Canada. Do you know so-and-so?" No, you know what, surprisingly, out of the more than 33 million people living in Canada, I actually don't know your friend. 

Surprised? Yeah, me too.