8 THE SWEETNESS OF SLEEP

Blessings All, I trust your weekends went well, If not....well, lets look at the bright side (such as it is) and say, at least you get to live another day to complain today about yesterday and the day before. You can vent and purge your system.

My weekend was no Disneyland happily ever after fairy-tale but it was no “Salem's Lot” either. It was hmmm...lukewarm, not bad or outrageously fabulous but lukewarm.  I could have done with more sleep but then again when can I not? Sleep is healing, its the time the body rejuvenates itself from the madness we put it through. Have you ever noticed how the sweetest part of sleep is when you have to get up? It's like the body gets warmer, the dreams get better, and the body's more relaxed, the endorphin juices flowing through the veins having a party up in there and you just want to continue sleeping. In fact, you are so comfortable you don't want to get up so you play the 5-minute game with yourself and the clock.

5 Minute Game:

The alarm goes off, or someone wakes you and you think stretching.... hmmm, hmmm....., just 5 more minutes and then you'd get up.  You bargain with yourself, with whomever woke you, the Lord to give you just 5 more minutes or "half an hour. Then you begin to mentally reason your way into that 5 minutes, 'all I have to do is shower, put on my clothes and go out the door'. Five minutes came and went, 15, 30, 45 minutes and you jack knife out of bed using expletives, chastising yourself for not getting up when you should have all the while making a mad dash to the shower, brush your teeth at lighting speed, and change hurriedly making a leap for the door still talking to yourself in a dialogue of reprimands. Heaven forbid anyone should try to communicate with you in those moments because you are snapping at them, answering abruptly if at all, silently or audaciously blaming them when its your own fault but do you care in those moments, absolutely not, after all, its simple easier to shift the blame to someone else, even the clock does not escape recrimination. Lol, lol, lol…Now if you are one of those people that snap at others half way through your day you begin to feel guilty, thinking of ways to say "I'm sorry". Of course it's short lived because no sooner than the apology is out, the vicious cycle of 5 more minutes begin again. lol, lol, lol, lol.

The reality is we need more sleep but sometimes the sweetness of sleep never seems enough even if you do go to bed on time. It is said (by those "scientifically" inclined people) that the best time to be in bed is by 10:00 pm as the body begins to release the healing endorphins between 10 pm and 2 am, (I don’t know what that means for those working nights) so if you going to bed after 2 am your likely to feel like you never get enough rest. Now I understand those people that use the morning cup of joe (coffee) to jump kick their morning, if only i had that vice...

Well I got to go to work to earn the pay to pay the bills to earn the right to complain. Have a outrageously fantastic week. 

8 COMMUTE DRAMA

SHAMED INTO GIVING UP HIS SEAT….

I didn’t see what happened however I heard it all blow by blow. The trained stopped and passengers came on. We were 7 stops into the ride so there were scarcely any seats left. The door closed and the trained started to move when I heard. “I want to sit there, give me that seat!” I did not hear the gentleman’s reply, her response however told the story that she did not get her wish. She proceeded to speak loudly shouting. “These seats are for the disabled and old. I am not old. I am only 45 but I can’t stand for long. I have shaky legs. I will fall down. I want that seat!” I looked to my left following the sound of her voice. I saw a Caucasian woman, who looked more like she was in her 50s than in her mid 40s as she claimed holding a buggy in her right hand while she held on with her left bellowing and badgering the man for the seat. Again I did not hear the man’s reply as his responses were too low for me to hear because I was on the opposite side of the train car. Her replies relayed that there was an ongoing dialogue taking place. She again shouted in demand of the seat, when that didn’t work she resorted to blackmail. “I need to sit down. I will fall down. Do you want me to fall down?” “You want me to fall down and stop the train.” “I can fall down and stop the train if you like, will that suit you better.” Suddenly the manipulative badgering stopped; she succeeded in getting “her” seat. The train car was decidedly quiet for the rest of the ride.

Lesson of the day:

In life there are many storms we must navigate; sometimes those storms manifest in the form of people and attitudes. When those times are upon us we must adapt quickly and be like a willow tree to ensure survival.

4 YOUR FEELINGS WILL BE HURT

YOUR FEELINGS WILL BE HURT: 

Sometimes the deepest hurts can come from the ones we love the most and is closest to us and yet is sometimes where the most valuable......click to read more

12 HARMONY IN DIVERSITY

If a multitude of color fabrics woven together to form one cohesive unified bolt of fabric reflecting all its brillant hues why make such a big deal about Melanin?

Beyond the melanin that defines the outer appearance we are all homo-sapiens. People of "color" are no less human due to darker skin tones.

They live.

They Breathe.

They Bleed.

They Love.

They Hurt.

They Desire.

The diversity of woven fabrics didnt stop being fabric, its colors were simply unified toward a common goal.

See beyond skin color. See the Human Being

See Me. See my humanity.

D.S.B.S.Rhapsody aka Rhapsodyphoenix

Photo of a graffitti in Toronto, photographed by me D.S.B.S.Rhapsody

6 BE YOU

On my mind in this moment:

I often find myself with a particular thought and or concept that will take hold and will not let go until I have written it down, either pen to paper or letters to blog. Hence my entry today is titled….BE YOU.

If who you are and who you aspire to be is solely dependent upon how others see and perceive you. Then you are in trouble. You see, who you are now and who are to become cannot and should not be solely predicated upon others ideas, ideals, philosophies and ideologies. Though some of what you see, hear, experience and learn will undoubtedly shape and influence you to some degree it cannot be all that you are.

It is important to learn the value of you, in you. Go on the adventure of the “I” and learn the lessons inherent in living that are specifically designed for you. Learn how to respect and honor yourself and create standards, ethics, ethos and philosophies that support that and though you may discover that you are flawed like the rest of us homo-sapiens. Like the rest of us, you will find the wisdom in self-acceptance and gain the understanding that you are enough and perfectly imperfect.

Just, Be you, you will find that you will be better at it than trying to be someone other than. After all, you are the only one living with you 24/7, 365.