Happy Sunday Folks!**
It’s raining here. Yea! I know - how weird do I have to be (publicly anyway) to wish for rain? It wasn’t a thunderstorm but it was enough to cool things off, wash some things down and help quiet my spirit. So, me happy…me very very happy.

Earlier today I was thinking about goals and plans that I set for myself at the end of last year. I always carve out a little time in December to think about what I want to accomplish in the new year, how I want to show up in my life & interactions with the rest of the world. Those goals span personal/relationships, career, finances, writing - the whole gamut. It’s June - we’re half way through the year so, what better time to review and make adjustments, right?

Needless to say, I’ve done “ok” but I had a few curves thrown my way from the time we crossed over into 2007. I was having this inner dialogue with myself that went something like this, “Well, I had a few things that came up and basically caused me to be SIDE-TRACKED.” I don’t know if it was the combination of early morning atunement, lit candles, rain, or Najee playing softly in the background but you know what came next right? *Sigh* Yep - revelation.

“SIDE-TRACKED”. Apparently, in some areas of my life, the sidetracked road sign looks EXACTLY like the STOP sign. Caue that’s exaclty what I’ve done. STOPPED. Completely. Yet…I tell myself (and anyone else who’s listening), that I’ve been sidtracked which signifies to the average person as a temporary condition. Oh but to us who know EXACTLY what we’re doing, “sidetracked” becomes a virtual playground where our penchant for procrastination can run free, play to its heart’s content. And people (most) make allowances for us not moving forward because “sidetracked” is normally a temporary thing. To quote Beyonce (and I’m loathed to do so…but, it fits): “You must not know ’bout me, you must not know ’bout me”.

Yeah, I take sidetracked to a whole new level. Yes, life did throw some things at me. And? That’s what life does. But being sidetracked isn’t about STOPPING, it’s about ADAPTING, finding another way to get back to that place where you were headed to start with. And honestly, I’m wise enough to know that my being “sidetracked” for prolonged periods of time, has nothing to do with me being distracted - it’s about me being lazy, comfortable with the status quo. Thankfully, my spirit will NOT let me linger in this playground - it will rust out a slide, pop the chains on the swings, dry up the pond.

I was looking out the window, counting raindrops, when this thought entered my mind: me proclaiming that “I’ve been sidetracked” for extended periods of time is a lot like the mom who says, “this is baby weight” when her child is five years old. Just like that mom has to accept the fact that she’s um…well…overweight, I have to accept the fact that sometimes, I’m lazy, afraid, disobedient, or lacking focus. Having accepted that fact, the question becomes, “Now what? Whatcha gonna do?”

So, this week, I’m dusting off my goals for 2007. Making revisions, noting progress, mapping out a plan for moving ahead. Movement is necessary. It’s a requirement for one who is blessed in any way, shape, form or fashion - no matter how big or small the blessing may be.

As I sit here listening to the rain, I flashback to something that God spoke to my spirit a few years back: “You’re holding up the line. Somebody somewhere is waiting on YOU to do what you’re called to do so that they can then do what they’ve been clled to do. Don’t let your getting out of order or being sidetracked cause someone else to play a positionthey weren’t called to play.”

So, this week, I’m dusting off my goals for 200. Making revisions, noting progress, mapping out a plan for moving ahead. Movement is necessary. It’s a requirement for one who is blessed in any way, shape, form or fashion - no matter how big or small the blessing may be. Movement is a requirement for blessings. So my friend…what YOU gon’ do?

** This was originally going to be my Sunday post but I was um…sidetracked by the rain, mellow music, and a highly active imagination. **

Live DELICIOUSLY!

*~* J *~*

Quotable:

“If I have even just a little sense, I will walk on the main road and my only fear will be of straying from it. Keeping to the main road is easy. But people love to be sidetracked.” ~ Lao Tzu

It’s raining….*s-i-g-h*
CD player is loaded (Peabo -act like ya know, Najee, Will Downing, Rachelle Ferrell, Kem, Jill Scott).
And poetry is flowing freely.
And so, I share this new scribe with you.

Enjoy!

RAIN

raindrops fall softly
washing the world gently
the same way your words wash over me
tickling my senses in new and different ways
i close my eyes
see us in soft silhouette
as cool raindrops mingle with warm kisses
i feel myself baptized by something bigger than us,
passion caresses my spirit
lifting me up, claiming me
bringing me peace and contentment
you trace the path of a solitary raindrop
as it slowly trickles down my collarbone
into the lacy warmth covering my heart
resting your hand there,
you will my heartbeat to sing your name
in the key of me…
lightening flashes…
your smile sears across the sky
thunder rolls…
my body trembles as you memorize its terrain
rain pours down on us in waves…
we melt into each other, riding the crests
i murmur your name into the vulnerability of your neck
and lose myself in the storm of us…

Copyright ~ Jackie Young 2007

Live DELICIOUSLY!

*~* J *~*

You know, there’s a lot of dating/relationship information out in the universe. Seriously. And honestly? A lot of it is BAD. Really, really BAD. Some of it is silly, bordering on stupid. Some of it is so very obviously bad. Some of it isn’t as obvious. Nope, I’m not a ‘relationship expert’ but do I need to be in this case? Judge for yourself as we delve into what I think is “bad” advice.

It was related to INDIFFERENCE. Specifically, how indifference can help a guy attract women. For example, a guy is in a bar having a drink with his friends. A woman walks up and wants to have a drink so he asks if she’s buying. Shocked, she says no so he goes back to talking/drinking with his friends – no skin off his nose, he simply strategically ignores her. A few minutes later, she’s tapping him on his shoulder offering to buy him the drink after all and sputtering on about how she’s never done this kind of thing before. (NOTE: while this could be construed as a case of no skin off his nose for real, the article specifically set it up as a situation where Dude was feigning indifference.)

According to this article, allegedly, indifference on his part exudes confidence, gives the impression that he is the prize and is being sought after.

Um. Ok. Is it his “indifference” that has her tapping him on the shoulder or is it her “desperation”? Now, depending on what he’s really looking for, it may not make a difference to him.

Personally, I don’t think indifference attracts women. Not a woman of any substance, not one who knows who she is and isn’t caught up in all the statistics she hears about women and marriage. Specifically? It doesn’t attract me. Indifference to me translates to a lack of interest and possibly a lack of respect. And why in the world would I want to deal with that for however short the time period might be? Naw. It doesn’t work for me. There are times when this so-called indifference is more cockiness or arrogance than confidence. Arrogance isn’t attractive to me. At all. Confidence? Now that’s something else. It’s like a really good smelling cologne – days later you’re still thinking about it, still recalling it.

Maybe I’m overly cautious (translation: hella suspicious) but I’d be leery of someone who finds indifference attractive. Basically, I’m treating you as if I could care less that you’re around, that I don’t think you’re worth my time or energy but yet, you keep showing up. See, all kinds of alarms would be going off in my head. For real.

Indifference on his part breeds indifference and “NEXT!” on my part. It may attract a “female” but it doesn’t do anything to attract a grown a** woman. And that part about indifference giving the impression that he’s the prize? Um, to me it reads as “he thinks he’s the shyt and can’t be bothered.” See, if he KNOWS he’s a prize, that he’s worth her time, he wouldn’t need to play these games.

This might be truly laughable if it weren’t for the fact that generally speaking, women are *accused* of playing these little games. It might also be laughable if it wasn’t for the fact that somebody out there is truly buying into this - men and women.

You know what’s the saddest part of all of this? The fact that people play these games all while they shout all loud and in a crowd about how they’re “keeping it real” and “looking for something real”. Oh well, play on Playa/Playette…play on.

(NOTE: My little musing could very well apply to women; it’s written from this slant based on the original article.)