Don’t be afraid to reflect its the path to healing

My best buddy Peanut

Dear Readers, blogger Colleen (Colleenconversation.com) inspires today’s topic Reset, regroup, refocus. Colleen’s blog inspired me to encourage others to think about their lives and contemplate if it is time to reset, regroup, and refocus

There are 4-5 months until the holiday season and a New Year. I know people are thinking hey slow down It is still summer, and you are thinking too far ahead. I say why wait for a New Year to make changes. The only difference about waiting for a New Year is for a new number to change. Have you been listening to that voice in the back of your head nagging you about reset, regroup, and refocus areas of your life that you have been in denial that needs to be changed.

Let us be honest with ourselves, people make excuses about taking time for self-reflection, busy because of marriage, kids, job, school, finances, and lack of resources. I believe the reason people do not reflect on life is because of fear and having to put effort into changing. I think that people have become comfortable with being stuck or pushing the reset, regroup, and refocus mode means that their relationship or your family dynamics may change, not wanting to hurt other people; they remain stuck and unhappy. 

3 years ago, when the world was sheltered in place I was forced into the mindset of reset, regrouping my life. Before the pandemic I was like millions of people just going about my busy life, I was stuck and was not aware of how I arrived at being trapped in a pattern of running on the hamster wheel. 

When I took the time to refocus my life, I discovered clarity and the awareness of how I was living an unfulfilled life. I went to a job where I was overworked, underpaid, overwhelmed and angry, but at the same time I thought that was all I was worth. I was living in a rut and moving like a robot. There were days I felt hopeless, but instead of acknowledging my feelings I suppressed them and kept moving. 

Presently, there are other distractions to blame for our less than happy life and more excuses not to take time for self-reflection. People are focused on inflation, gas prices, new viruses, and politics. The insanity does not seem to stop, all this other stuff adds to people’s stress, panic, fear and numbs people, causing them to become distracted from thinking about what I call WIN what is important now. People say they do not have time, but the truth is they avoid reflecting about life because they may not like what is brought to their attention or the emotions that will surface.

Reset, regroup, and refocus means reorganizing, planning, deep thinking and this takes time. Question, when was the last time you prioritize your life in order of importance? People should stop packing their schedules with unnecessary activities that take them away from goals. Sometimes being busy does not mean being productive, especially when you do not see the desired results. It is time to revisit the goals and visions that you had but along life’s path your dreams got lost.

I know that is what happened to me. When I reflect how I allowed the events in my life to take over casing me to put myself last. People say life happens, I say, yes life happens but people need to learn the skill and practice of consistently and constantly evaluating their life. I use various methods to evaluate whether I am on the right track or if I am just being busy and nothing is getting done. I use vision boards, journals, every time I accomplish a goal, I write it on a post stick, put it in a jar and every three months I read them to make sure that I am staying on track.

Resting, regrouping, and refocusing my life revealed how much I was neglecting myself (no real self-care) and the quality of my life was nonexistent. I have learned to put what is important to me first, I consistently prioritize, down time is especially important to my mental, physical, and emotional well-being. I feel free, light, and experience more joy out of life. 

Thank you for stopping by Dragthepen

Hold onto Hope. We Can Win

Good day Readers, 

I want to encourage people to hold onto HOPE. Not for a day, a week, a month or for a year, but hold onto HOPE until change happens.  I know change will happen, are you paying attention to the movement of people who are gathering to shout with a collective voice for change. I call your attention to what is happening and not to what you think is not happening. We are faced with many challenges. First, political leaders want people to think that the worse of the coronations is over. I say, it is important that people fight back against this falsehood, get tested and learn how to take care of yourself and your family. Second, politicians are withholding financial funding from a population of people who are in desperate need, they are doing this in hope they can scare people into re-electing this current administration.  

The Trump Administration and other Republican politicians have ignored the rascal tension that continues to divide this nation, these are the people who should lead by example and work together to stop this war on the black and brown communities. What these politicians want the masses to believe is that we are weak and powerless and they are strong and hold all the power, this a falsehood that we must dismantle by VOTING them out. This is how we the people use our power, our voices. I know it seems that we are beginning beaten down by budget cuts, mass unemployment, the virus, increased police brutality,  reopening of schools placing our children in danger, while the wealthy children remain safe. 

Most people are ready to write this year off as a loss, as we continue to face the warning about a second wave of this virus, while businesses are struggling to stay open. We are experiencing the loss of people who are of great value to the black community. But we are not beaten. One by one other organizations are no longer standing by the sidelines silent. We have witnessed the action of the NBA, NBL, and the NWBL. The black community made history once again when the young Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King the 3rd, raised her voice at the recent March on Washington, reminding the masses how crucial it is to remember and revive the vision, the dream to end racism.To continue the fight towards true emancipation from shackles of a system of dominance that have kept black and brown people locked in a crippling cycle of poverty, ignorance, and mental anguish. After more than 400 years black people are still considered intruders in a land where white supremacy threatens to kill the dream. We must collectively must hold onto HOPE for this generation and future generations.

Please stop the looting, fight and continue to march in the name of progress, keep taking a knee in silent protest, we must push back against this current administration, THEY HAVE FAILED US. 

Thank you for stopping by dragthepen.

If I were a book

Dear Readers, Greetings from Dragthepen

We count sheep to sleep, the number of day of the week, and the number of toes on a baby’s feet.

We count the day between the change of the seasons, some even count the days until retirement.

Have you ever wondered about counting the number of people who suffer from brokenness and hopelessness?

Today, while I was reviewing my new website and sharing it with friends, one of my dedicated viewers sent me this piece

The words literally brought tears to my eyes because what he wrote summed up how

I have been feeling about my life. I am sharing this with his blessings and hope that these words will encouraged

people to give a moment to understanding, compassionate and patient with others because you do not know their secret pain.

If I were a book, by Marc Henry Jean

If I were an open book I would be dusty on an old creaky bookshelf.

In my pages would be details on mystery and honesty, so sharp that the second I’m finally opened it difficult to put me down.

If I were a book I would be the embodiment of all books merged into one.

I would be poetry enlightened and powerful.

I would be filled with joy that makes you smile and excited to read the next sentence.

I would be the river ….No..I would be the waves flowing to the sounds of nature in perfect melody.

I would be love…hate…No I would be love while hate try to rush Its way back against your smile and you’ll keep hate pinned against the shadow.

I would be the missing pieces to your puzzle…. the Ying to your Yang….your push and pull.

I would be art simple, yet deeply meaningful…I would be you …looking in the mirror realizing your beauty and your struggles.

I would be old and dusty because no one bothered to crack me open to read my truth.

Than you for reading and please visit my website

http://www.conversationswithjrfloyd.com/