The Change in Me

I see a lot of things that concern me and some that bother me too. These are not battles for me to fight or concern myself to much with. I just notice things, behaviors and trends and shake my head. I am only one person, and I stand for what I believe in and I believe in what I stand for. I see an infiltration in what I know to be right and what should be valued and it's quite striking these days.

To stand out in today's world, we have to be strong - not wrong, but strong. It takes a lot not to blend in and not to follow 'fashion'. I don't want to compromise my values or throw my feelings away. I hurt inside when I mess up and I can't afford to mess around with the status quo and get caught up or 'catch feelings'. 

As I watch from the sidelines, I want to stand resilient, hardworking, dedicated and delighted to serve. I want to stand firm with my choices once they are leaning towards the right. I want to be able to take correction and learn from my mistakes. I want to be a better person, more understanding and less likely to complain. I want to make great choices and be a role model for others to follow.

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POEM: Who has the Rights?

We share the environ

and this has been so for eons

we balance off of each other

predator, carnivore and herbivore

back then coexistence was obvious

but today, we seem oblivious

because it's a battle

it's a fight

it's a war

and it goes on day and night

struggle for space

quarrel for food

security can't manage it

the government ignores it

and the people are frustrated

this subject is debated

and when you talk

you are hated

or they call you ill-fated

because you can't afford

or they think that you hoard

but it's yours!

who really has the rights?

the laws were written

with one in mind

and up to now - 

no one can find

a solution

I guess because it's not 

big pollution

or won't get anyone a

promotion

no one cares

and if I dare speak

I may be home for a week

in a country where

ruminants have more rights than people

Everybody thinks that Leadership is Easy

Everybody thinks that leadership is easy. We take issue with many things that our leaders do. We have leaders in our homes, in church, at work and in the various organizations that we are a part of. As a leader, you have to plan to win and accept that you will fail sometimes.

It is easy for a leader to get to get an attitude and be defensive when things do not go according plan. If you have an attitude, no one is going to be willing to approach to comment or give you advice. This attitude that we get - does not get us anywhere. Things have to go wrong - that's life. Sometimes you have to admit that you made a bad decision. Everyone is not going to agree or support your initiatives - that's part of the learning process.

It gets very sad when leaders are not open to listening because it means that they cut themselves off from development. We have to be able to listen so that we can grow. We have to be humble, yet firm. There is no need to be on the strong defensive line and have no offensive plays to score. Offensive of course is a funny word in this paragraph because we don't want to be offensive as in insulting; but we want to play some offense - get the ball in motion and score.

In everything, advance with little steps because eventually, you will see the big win.

Is Missing Out Really Missing Out

Someone posted on their Facebook about missing a big event. I grew up not going anywhere much so I used to miss out. Now, I can't be bothered. The event happens or happens not, I just wish for people's safety. If I am not going, then why would I watch it on TV or stream on the internet? I guess I am so accustomed of being the odd ball, most things really don't get to me.

You can harp on my not supporting and that's okay. Everyone does not need to be at an event. Somebody has to stay home - the building/field can only hold so many persons, vehicles and accommodate so many people peeing and pooing.

Children pressure other children about these things and adults do the same. Everyone has a sense of belonging and wanting to fit in - I've gotten over that years ago! I do what I can and head where I want - when I feel like. I think that's how we all are supposed to live. Enjoy yourself in what you love. As Chaka Khan sang, "Do You Love What You Feel?" We should!

I love watching Law & Order all day or pulling grass in my yard or just sitting and chilling. Everyone has their love and you should appreciate other people's time and opinions. You would want them to appreciate yours, right?

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POEM: Un-rated

I use my craft to educate

and not by what you stimulate
or by what you think I might excavate
from the depths of the earth
but from the depths of my heart!
You'd be surprised by the thoughts
I can communicate
... and not for you to rate
but to contemplate
...and not to complain or berate
but for you to evaluate
and check the state of affairs
or to get you to participate
in making some positive change

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Let Us Encourage Our Children

I attended all three (3) rounds of the Inter-Primary Spelling Bee in the BVI. My daughter was competing and of course, I have to support her. I competed in an Adult spelling bee a few years ago and the pressure is real. As I watched the children compete, I saw smiles when they knew a familiar word and I also saw the sadness when they missed a word. I was tense because I felt like I was everyone's parent. I really did not want to see any child miss a word - but that's life. There will be difficulties, challenges and little mistakes. We just have to be able to recover when mishaps occurs.

It was lovely see the passion on the little faces and I was able to identify some of the familiar names from the radio quiz or sports. I am glad to see children excel and I like what Miss George shared during her remarks about building confidence and learning to compete. Life has competitions - from the job hunt, the scholarship search to the catching the last item on sale. 

We have to build our children's confidence! Encourage them to harness their energy and talents positively. We know their strong points and we have to help them to develop on their weak areas too. 

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Please vote for Anthony's Video - TRC 2017 Video Competition

Please check out Anthony's Video and vote for him on the TRC Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/trcvi/videos/1393958213976666/ and on the TRC website: http://trc.vg/index.php/wtisd/wtisd-2017-videos!