5 Things I'm Thankful For
One of my favorite bloggers, SistaToldja, put out a challenge this past Friday. When other bloggers do challenges I like to see what I can do with them. It takes a lot more to try to fit in to someone else’s assignment, a la school, than it does to just let it flow off the top. So, here goes.
5 Things I’m Thankful For:
This little girl. If you don’t know her already, this is Miss September, my Munchkin Mommy. This is the blessing I received, unconventionally, nearly 14 years ago. This journey through her development from en utero (thankful for You too) to her present efforts to create her own Utopia has been a beautiful trip through the ages and stages. She isn’t perfect, & she definitely could get paid for irking my nerves on occasion, but she’s WONDERFUL. She’s insightful & sensitive. She’s caring & nurturing. She’s focused & determined. She’s creative & a hustler. She’s entered her teen years but she’s still a little girl. She’s plaits & wild style. She’s Doc Martens but will still sit in my lap. She’s my big girl/baby girl, blossoming nicely into an incredible young lady who will continue to amaze.
This color. My mother told me only whores wore it when I was little. You really shouldn’t say things like that to children, making unnecessary things taboo. Of course, my interest in the color piqued when I got old enough to buy my own isht. Initially, it was only undergarments so I wouldn’t have to have any outlandish conversations with my mother about clearly making whorish choices. In hindsight, I’m not sure this would actually have occurred, but it certainly felt like something my mother would come at me with. Now, I’m red wherever I can get it. It’s the color of passion, IMO, & passion guides much of what I do. Wearing red lifts my spirits, seeing it on the street diverts my attention. It’s a strong color that speaks to the undercurrents of my movements out here in the world. There’s a woman who lives on my block who is fully committed to pink. EVERYDAY she manages to wear 80% pink. It’s kinda sickening, but I respect her full commitment to her favorite color. I wish I could find even 50% red wears that don’t look garish & rock it as my signature. I actually would never attempt such a specific shopping mission because I don’t enjoy shopping enough to take it on. No matter, red is a part of who I am. If you don’t see me in it, you feel it about me, even if you don’t speak colors.
These people. & while this is only a 1/4 of them, they represent my (115) students. These people have taught me so much about myself while I’ve gone about the business of educating them. Notice I didn’t say teaching. These are the people that get me past the morning blahs, the Winter cold, the adult dramas, & the general nonsense that comes with any profession. These people trust me & look to me to help them form their questions & find the answers. They come seeking hugs & smiles & truth. The adult aspect of my job is really overrated, but these faces…these faces are the challenge that make it all worth it.
Dance. Normally, I would have simply said African dance. I have to be honest that I don’t just enjoy doing African dance, but I LOVE watching other dance forms tell stories with the body. This past Friday, as I sat watching beautiful stories being told by lithe musculature, I realized that as I seek excitement in other areas of my life, it’s time to challenge myself beyond my dance comfort zone. I too want to expand what my body is capable of communicating. I’m going to have to put myself back on the dance short bus & start something new. Perhaps I’ll do it this weekend while at this dance conference.
These children. Specifically, girls. Being a brown girl myself, I’m partial to us. I’m moved at ALL TIMES by what makes us unique in that cliché sizes, shapes, & colors kind of way. I love the differences in our laughter, the ways we find to cry. I love our personal expressions, whether all we know to do is outfit it or whether we find other kinds of canvas to speak from. I love the way we move with our top &/or bottom heavy selves, or our pencil thin frames, or our jellyroll roundness. There’s music in it all. I love our kinks & our curls, our waves, & our fly-aways. I love our brash & sassy & shy girls hiding smiles behind hands. More than anything, I want US to be all right, to feel empowered; to know someone has our collective backs, & that there is somewhere to go for refuge. My life’s purpose will always in some way include Us.
Being this. Silly. I love that at 36, I still love to PLAY!! I’m still seeking adventure. I’ll still jump rope with my students or go to the playground to get on the slide. Damn…I miss the see-saw!! I LOVE to laugh. I LOVE funny people. I still love the smell of Play-Doh & coloring books. I will still jump out of a car at a light & dance to 1 of my favorite songs. I skip down the halls at school. I still love to play jacks & Chinese jump-rope. I enjoy, minus my allergies, rolling down a grass hill. I want to play kick ball with other Grown Kids. I want to climb rocks & walls & have food fights with my friends. Making a miniature snowman is hilarious to me. Finding things to smile & laugh about help me get through the day, especially when my mind is on overdrive, like it has been for the last 9 months. That’s a human gestation. I wonder what I’ll be giving birth to soon.
When I got started imagining my list last night, I had 2 other things on the list that didn’t make the cut. It wasn’t that I’m not thankful for those things as well; I have far more than 2 other things I’d like to add to this list. As I typed it, as it evolved, some things just felt more important to share. I could have gotten it all wrong, except there’s no wrong answer. So, I’m going to walk away before I get wishy washy & start trading things out. Instead, I’m going to go prepare for something else I’m thankful for: breaking bread with friends. What are you thankful for?
Watch me move.
5 Things I’m Thankful For:
This little girl. If you don’t know her already, this is Miss September, my Munchkin Mommy. This is the blessing I received, unconventionally, nearly 14 years ago. This journey through her development from en utero (thankful for You too) to her present efforts to create her own Utopia has been a beautiful trip through the ages and stages. She isn’t perfect, & she definitely could get paid for irking my nerves on occasion, but she’s WONDERFUL. She’s insightful & sensitive. She’s caring & nurturing. She’s focused & determined. She’s creative & a hustler. She’s entered her teen years but she’s still a little girl. She’s plaits & wild style. She’s Doc Martens but will still sit in my lap. She’s my big girl/baby girl, blossoming nicely into an incredible young lady who will continue to amaze.
This color. My mother told me only whores wore it when I was little. You really shouldn’t say things like that to children, making unnecessary things taboo. Of course, my interest in the color piqued when I got old enough to buy my own isht. Initially, it was only undergarments so I wouldn’t have to have any outlandish conversations with my mother about clearly making whorish choices. In hindsight, I’m not sure this would actually have occurred, but it certainly felt like something my mother would come at me with. Now, I’m red wherever I can get it. It’s the color of passion, IMO, & passion guides much of what I do. Wearing red lifts my spirits, seeing it on the street diverts my attention. It’s a strong color that speaks to the undercurrents of my movements out here in the world. There’s a woman who lives on my block who is fully committed to pink. EVERYDAY she manages to wear 80% pink. It’s kinda sickening, but I respect her full commitment to her favorite color. I wish I could find even 50% red wears that don’t look garish & rock it as my signature. I actually would never attempt such a specific shopping mission because I don’t enjoy shopping enough to take it on. No matter, red is a part of who I am. If you don’t see me in it, you feel it about me, even if you don’t speak colors.
These people. & while this is only a 1/4 of them, they represent my (115) students. These people have taught me so much about myself while I’ve gone about the business of educating them. Notice I didn’t say teaching. These are the people that get me past the morning blahs, the Winter cold, the adult dramas, & the general nonsense that comes with any profession. These people trust me & look to me to help them form their questions & find the answers. They come seeking hugs & smiles & truth. The adult aspect of my job is really overrated, but these faces…these faces are the challenge that make it all worth it.
Dance. Normally, I would have simply said African dance. I have to be honest that I don’t just enjoy doing African dance, but I LOVE watching other dance forms tell stories with the body. This past Friday, as I sat watching beautiful stories being told by lithe musculature, I realized that as I seek excitement in other areas of my life, it’s time to challenge myself beyond my dance comfort zone. I too want to expand what my body is capable of communicating. I’m going to have to put myself back on the dance short bus & start something new. Perhaps I’ll do it this weekend while at this dance conference.
These children. Specifically, girls. Being a brown girl myself, I’m partial to us. I’m moved at ALL TIMES by what makes us unique in that cliché sizes, shapes, & colors kind of way. I love the differences in our laughter, the ways we find to cry. I love our personal expressions, whether all we know to do is outfit it or whether we find other kinds of canvas to speak from. I love the way we move with our top &/or bottom heavy selves, or our pencil thin frames, or our jellyroll roundness. There’s music in it all. I love our kinks & our curls, our waves, & our fly-aways. I love our brash & sassy & shy girls hiding smiles behind hands. More than anything, I want US to be all right, to feel empowered; to know someone has our collective backs, & that there is somewhere to go for refuge. My life’s purpose will always in some way include Us.
Being this. Silly. I love that at 36, I still love to PLAY!! I’m still seeking adventure. I’ll still jump rope with my students or go to the playground to get on the slide. Damn…I miss the see-saw!! I LOVE to laugh. I LOVE funny people. I still love the smell of Play-Doh & coloring books. I will still jump out of a car at a light & dance to 1 of my favorite songs. I skip down the halls at school. I still love to play jacks & Chinese jump-rope. I enjoy, minus my allergies, rolling down a grass hill. I want to play kick ball with other Grown Kids. I want to climb rocks & walls & have food fights with my friends. Making a miniature snowman is hilarious to me. Finding things to smile & laugh about help me get through the day, especially when my mind is on overdrive, like it has been for the last 9 months. That’s a human gestation. I wonder what I’ll be giving birth to soon.
When I got started imagining my list last night, I had 2 other things on the list that didn’t make the cut. It wasn’t that I’m not thankful for those things as well; I have far more than 2 other things I’d like to add to this list. As I typed it, as it evolved, some things just felt more important to share. I could have gotten it all wrong, except there’s no wrong answer. So, I’m going to walk away before I get wishy washy & start trading things out. Instead, I’m going to go prepare for something else I’m thankful for: breaking bread with friends. What are you thankful for?
Watch me move.
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