Skating makes for good exercise. So I’ve heard. Don’t get me wrong – I believe it is. It’s just that…I don’t skate so I can’t speak from personal experience.

Growing up, I wanted to learn to rollerskate. AND…to iceskate. But there were just a few obstacles. First, I don’t think we could have afforded skates. Secondly, where would I have skated? We lived outside the city limits – no sidewalks, no park. And the street we lived on was ALWAYS busy – always so you know Ma Dukes was NOT gonna have that. (And the iceskating? Now you know if there was no where to rollerskate, iceskating was definitely out of the question. Plus, there was this little issue I had with being cold. *shrug*)

Years later when inline skating was all the rage, I was reminded how much I wanted to skate. Again. Still…never learned.

How did I come to have skating on my mind these days? I was sitting home over the holiday weekend, thinking about things I wanted to get done this year. Things related to my health. My house. Finances. My writing, etc.

I was half-watching something on TV. A young Black girl was skating around without a care in the world, afropuffs sitting high and tight, bright yellow dress, smile to rival the sun.

And my spirit nudged me: “That’s you.”

Now if you’ve been here before, you may have heard me say when it comes to listening for and hearing the voice of God, I don’t do “signs and wonders” because I will end up wondering if everything is a sign. LOL

So, I heard that spiritual nudge and pondered…was it a sign? Was 2010 the year I would finally learn to skate?

Spirit raised one eyebrow ever so slightly, as if to say, “Seriously?”

And then it dawned on me: That little girl was ME. I had never learned to skate physically but…I’d become a master at skating through life.

*S-I-G-H*

Gut punched myself. Again.

It’s true. I have become a MASTER at skating through life. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve had my share of bumps and bruises but in spite of whatever has come my way, I have a good life.

…the issue is, I’m destined to have a GREAT life.

And that great life is possible. If I would simply stop skating around what I want to do, what I was purposed to do, what I was created to do.

If I simply stopped skating around the edges of the dreams that were stitched into my spirit, laced into my heart.

If I would “simply” get out of my own way.

Some say it would behoove me to analyze the “why” behind my skating. Perhaps. Or maybe stopping to analyze at this point would equate to me putting a ramp of some kind in the path of my “skating”. I would still be “skating” so what would be the point?

One thing I’ve learned (and have had life remind me of) is that, sometimes the “why” behind our behaviors or choices isn’t as important as the “how” of identifying the behavior and correcting it.

Sometimes traveling towards “how” reveals the “why”.

And on that note, my skating days are over. Hanging up my metaphorical skates.

Skating always LOOKS easy. But As I nursed this gut punch, I realized that like with most everything else, there’s a cost. For skaters, there’s the time and effort they put into their rcraft, forfeiting other things along the way. There’s the training, etc.

And there’s a cost to metaphorical skating as well. Time wasted looking for a life that’s waiting for me to notice it, to dive it and live it out loud. Shelving of gifts that I’ve been blessed with that could help not only me but others. There’s the cost to my heart, spirit and mind as I fight without myself so unncessarily. Is it worth the cost of my heart, spirit and mind being unsetttled, unfulfilled? No.

Yeah, skating might be great exercise but skating through life?

It’s an exercise in futility.

Live SoulFULLY,
*~* MsJayye *~*

Hello Beloveds,
It has been a minute, hasn’t it? Thought I’d peek in before the festivities begin and share some thoughts. Just a stream of tweets that came to me the other day and I thought, “Wow, that might actually make a decent blog post”. (Considering the fact that I haven’t blogged in ages, ANYTHING at this point might make a decent post right? Yeah, set myself up for that one.)

Nevertheless, I share with you my thoughts about things we should choose. It certainly set the tone for how I want to move into the New Year. Maybe these things will resonate with you too.

May your New Year be as bright, bold, beautiful as you are — if you dare to let yourself live out loud.

Live SoulFULLY,

*~* MsJayye ~*~

Choose joy.
Choose LOVE.
Choose gratitude. Every day. Every moment - even when it gets hard.
Choose your highest good today. You owe it to yourself.
Choose to be BETTER not BITTER.
Choose to live TRUTH, speak TRUTH, BE TRUTH.
Choose to be of service to others.
Choose what moves you forward.
Choose what makes your heart sing.
Choose what makes your spirit soar.
Choose what honors you.
Choose to see yourself clearly, honestly.Grow yourself from there.
Choose to follow the music in your soul.
Choose what helps you grow.
Choose to sidestep the small stuff.
Choose authenticity.Every single moment of every single day.Choose to be true to self.
Choose to help others, to reach back, to lift up.
Choose what challenges your comfort zone.

Choose to release what holds you back, keeps you bound, stunts your growth.
Choose to use your voice in ways that impact your community & the world positively.
Choose to take ownership for your life,your successes & your stumbles, your choices & your changes.
Choose to imagine your ideal future, not to live in your not-so ideal past.
Choose to remain open to what life brings your way.
Choose to BE the very thing(s) you seek.Gift that to yourself.
Choose not only to LEAVE the drama behind but to not BE the drama.
Choose to be bigger & better than either your pain or your past.
Choose to building bridges, not walls.
Choose to be strong enough to not only ASK for help when you need it but to let them help when they offer.
Choose clarity.
Choose to live bigger than stereotypes or statistics.Step into your greatness.
Choose words that help, words that heal - not words that hinder or hurt.
Choose your health - mental, spiritual, physical, financial, etc. Make healthy choices for yourself.
Choose to love yourself just as you are, every moment of your life. You are more precious than you know.
Choose to see how beautiful you are.Look beneath the makeup, the clothes, the STUFF…the masks.
Choose to walk purposefully into your destiny.It’s ok if you stumble or even fall.Just don’t STAY down. Choose to share your gift(s) with the world.
Choose to start over if you need to. Choose again.And again.And again until you get it right.
Choose your own path.Set your own pace.Stay focused & keep on moving.
Choose success on your own terms.Define success for yourself.You can’t get there off someone else’s map.
Choose LOVE and LIGHT and LEARNING and LAUGHTER.
Choose to focus on what’s right about your day, in your life, in your relationships,in your work, about yourself.
Choose to move yourself into a space that allows you to let love in.Allow yourself to BE loved.
Choose to believe you deserve better.You deserve the best life has to offer. KNOW THIS!!

Choose LOVE. (It’s worth repeating, don’t you think?)

Choose to live your life. Out loud. On purpose.

This post, my lovelies - just like the life you lead, is brought to you by everything you CHOOSE - every action you take or don’t take, every reaction you choose to what happens to you, every word you choose to speak, every thought you CHOOSE to think.

It’s all on you. CHOOSE wisely; choices have consequences.

If for some reason what you once choose no longer fits you, no longer serves you, no longer represents you, no longer supports you please know that you have the right to CHOOSE AGAIN.

I know it’s been more than a minute. Regardless – let’s do this!

Today, I celebrate beautifully painful, soul-growing, evolutionary truth that moves me deeper into my authentic self.

Today, I celebrate the fact that, while it’s hard, I am brave enough to look fear in the eye, tell it to either ‘GET DOWN OR LAY DOWN” and hold myself in a space that says I’m more than enough and that I cannot lose.

Today, I celebrate the fact that, while I passed on an opportunity that would have allowed me to move closer to my dream, I know that delay isn’t denial. I recognize that before you can PLAY your position, you must PREPARE for that position. And I’m honest enough with myself and the giver of the dream to know when I’m not ready to suit up.

I celebrate the recognition of those people, places and situations that mirror my stuff back to me. It’s not always easy to look at but there is no shame or weakness in knowing and facing the truth.

I celebrate the fact that, when I’m afraid or too weary to even whisper a hint of my dream and my purpose to the world, my spirit is always strong enough to whisper it to my heart.

I celebrate the fact that my muse has come for a visit though I don’t like what she wants me to unpack. What will I hide behind after she strips me down? Being naked, being that vulnerable takes a level of strength and faith I’m not sure I’ve mastered. And yet, I know enough about the muse and who sent her to know that I will not win this. I will write my nakedness in snatches of pretty poetry that leave me breathless and yet free. And I know that even though I will never “win” this struggle with my muse – I must obey – I will also never lose.

I celebrate the fact that 140 characters can spark my creativity, that 140 characters at a time can foster such great connections. That I can coach myself out loud in 140 characters spurts.

I celebrate the fact that that single text message has kept me smiling for two days. *giggle* I celebrate what your energy means to me. I celebrate the gift of your friendship.

And right about now? I celebrate the fact that I have other things to do and shall set about doing just that.

Enjoy your day! Have a safe & enjoyable holiday weekend!

Live in the moment!
*~* MsJayye *~*