People tend to do what I call the ole Bask ‘N Mask. This is when we bask and relish in the parts that w like about ourselves… The things we like about our life… The parts of our journey which we enjoy while at the same time putting a mask over the rest. We refuse to address the not so pleasant parts about ourselves… We turn a blind eye to the nasty and mis-managed parts of our being… We ignore the attributes of our lifestyle that make us appear… human. As if human, flawed, imperfect, immortal is not what we all actually are. The problem is that we each think that our own flaws are worse than the next person’s. So many of us end up spending our lives in a “Try to make my good parts better than the other person’s good parts, hereby hiding my bad parts” competition. We do it in the form of cars, homes, jewelry, cosmetics, instagram photos, etc… And it’s all pretty lame if you asked me… And I’d be a liar if I told you that I’ve never participated in said contest. Then to top it off, we have that “I” word (which we discussed in DiSSECTiON OF A HATER). This “I” word, often forces people to look at the parts of themselves that they don’t want to look at. For example… If my backyard has nothing but weeds in it, and it’s a part of my property that I just refuse to address, when my neighbor has a barbecue in their beautiful backyard, I’m probably going to have a problem with it, because of the “I” word. I don’t want all of their guests knowing what my backyard looks like! I don’t want them and their guests comparing my backyard to theirs! I don’t want the children at their barbecue pointing and laughing so if/when I have an opportunity to dissuade my neighbor from having a barbecue OR strategically going out-of-town when they’re having a barbecue, that’s what I’m going to do! All because I DON’T WANT TO ADDRESS MY OWN PROBLEM. But how about this…

Wouldn’t the laughing from my neighbor’s guests be at a minimum if they saw tools lying around in my backyard? Or if they saw drop cloths and evidence that work is being done? Or even better, wouldn’t the thought of them laughing be nullified if I addressed the weed issue in my backyard, getting rid of the problem and then making it known to my neighbor that when they throw a barbecue, I’d like to join forces and backyards since mine is also beautiful?? And not to make it beautiful as a means to compete with theirs but make it beautiful because in buying a home, that’s indirectly a responsibility that you’ve committed to! The bottom line is, you need to start looking in that mirror and looking at your life IN TRUTH, otherwise you’re living in a false reality and false realities shatter in a major way! If you’re 100k in debt don’t say, “I owe some people a little bit of change.” If you’re 50 pounds over weight, don’t word it as, “I need to tone up a lil something something.” If you need to finish school or you need to drop a habit, don’t find satisfaction in merely saying “I’m about to finish school” or “I’mma kick this habit in a little while.” All of these are just examples of dis-honest self-pacification. STOP IT. Live in the reality of your situation, look it in the face (even if it makes you cry) and change it. Of course it’s easier said than done but most of the hard part is all rooted in the deception that these flaws make you less than who you’ve built your self up to be in your own head… That somehow these flaws are contrary to your self-image… That these imperfections and mistakes and short comings put you at the bottom of the competition. THAT’S NOT TRUE!

My brother once shared a quote with me. It goes, “If we all tossed our problems and issues up in the air allowing us to see everyone else’s problems and issues as well, you’d most likely want to catch your own on the way back down and turn down taking on the other stuff you saw thrown up in the air by other people.” And I respect and value that imagery so much!

Simply put, the less honest you are about what’s in the mirror, and the longer you take to either address or accept the flaws, the harder it will be to deal with them later OR deal with seeing others flourish in the area in which you’re flawed. Look in the mirror IN TRUTH. And make sure your mirror isn’t like the one below lol!!

Also, feel free to join us THIS FRIDAY!!!

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED… BELOW!

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

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Click image or player below for sample…

Person A- Hey cutie, how are you?

Person B- I’m fine, and yourself?

Person A- I’m good, thanks. So when are you going to let me take your sexy self to lunch?

Person B- Ha Ha!! You’re too funny.

Person A- I’m serious. I’m tryna holla at you. You need to let me at least get a fair shot.

Person B- A fair shot at what?

Person A- At you! C’mon, you know we look good together. Stop playing.

Person B- Yeah, we may look good together but I’m not really trying to go there with you.

Person A- Wow, really? It’s like that? I’ve seen some of the people you’ve dealt with in the past and even recently and they can get a shot but I can’t?

Person B- Well, those people are the reason that I’m changing some things up. I think you’re a cool person to hang out with but I’m not really trying to go there with you.

Person A- Wow. I see how you are. All good.

[A few days later]

Person B- Hey, Do you still have that connect over at the apple store. I need to get my mac fixed and I don’t want to pay full price.

Person A- Who is this?

Person B- Huh? It’s me, Person B.

Person A- Oh. Yeah, I guess.

Person B- I guess? Wait… You deleted my number?

Person A- I mean. You said what you said so I figured I’d cut ties.

Person B- I never said I wanted to cut ties. I said that I didn’t want anything sexual with you. And by sexual, I don’t mean actual ‘sex’ I mean anything more than just friends.

Person A- Well, that’s what I wanted and since you weren’t trying to go there then why even keep in touch?

Women have complained for years that men have approached them to get “one thing” and after they get that one thing and/or realize that they aren’t going to get that one thing, they leave. What you may not realize is that Person B in this scenario is a man. And this man has an open shot at getting that one thing if he’d like. However, he’s showing the consideration, and class, and chivalry (of sorts) that so many women claim is missing. I have been the typical “get that one thing” type of guy many times. But as I’ve grown, my recent choices have led me to be the man in this example on several occasions. This type of thing goes on far more than some of you may think. So my question to you is… actually… I don’t have a questions per se, I would just love to hear your feedback in general on this type of scenario…

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED… BELOW!

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

Click image or player below for sample…

They walked. They shouted. They sat in. They bonded. They did all of these things in the name of Civil Rights and all because of one man named King. He made them do something… He made them walk… shout… sit-in… and bond… He provoked action. He made them do something.

They hated to see him starve so they took action in regards to equality. They walked. They tried to keep peace for a man named Gandhi. He made them do something.

The German army drove thousands of Jewish people from their homes and ultimately to their deaths all on his command. He pumped hatred and division into the hearts of the masses and Hitler created one of the largest Diasporas and mass murder scenarios ever. He made them do something.

He made them watch and laugh. He made them anticipate what his next cocky rhyme or phrase would be. He made them watch on the edges of their seats in anticipation for whether or not Ali would actually bring his pre-fight prediction to fruition. He made them do something.

They believed. They took the cups. They sipped. They died by the hundreds all because of Jim Jones and his cyanide campaign. He made them do something.

She wore a bra on the outside of her clothes. She cursed. She took what was supposed to be taboo and secretive in the areas of sex and made women feel empowered and strong, Madonna made them do something.

Some of the most memorable people to ever live, are those who inspired, and demanded that we physically take action and do something. “So, Kel… You’re saying that Hitler and Jim Jones were great people?” Nope, Not at all… I’m saying that they had excellent leadership skills and that they were skillful in the realm of influence HOWEVER they used those powers for evil and harm. It still does not negate the fact that their plans (even if evil) made people physically act on behalf of them.

Chris (Mac Daddy) Kelly made us do something. He was one half of a group that had a few things going for them but I’d go out on a limb and say that the biggest impact that he had on us was that he made us do something. If your life is only being lived for money… or for momentary pieces of satisfaction with no impact on others… with no desire to affect others… with no spark to call others to action and do something, even if that something is as simple as a jump… jump… You probably won’t be remembered. I know I’d like to be remembered. I want a legacy left when I’m gone.

R.I.P. Mac Daddy

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED… BELOW!

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

Click image or player below for sample…

Naturally I laughed and stated, “Hey lil homie… Your feets are on the wrong shoes!” He looked at me smiling and replied, “Huh?” I pointed and jokingly repeated, “Your feets are on the wrong shoes!” He laughed and said, “Oh, I have on the wrong feets?” I laughed and said, “Yes, you have on the wrong feets.” And his 4-year-old logic & creativity kicked in to give us this…

LoL!!!! At least he was able to correct his mistake… At least in his own eyes he was. And I’m sure you found this scenario just as humorous as I did. Of course I helped him put his shoes on the correct feet and we even had a quick lesson on the proper way to say feet VS foots and so on. It was a good time. But would this be as funny if he was 10 years old? Or what if he was 15 years old? Obviously, there are people with disabilities with whom we share this planet but I’m not talking about those folks. I’m talking about those of us who are fully functioning (whatever that means). The problem with seeing a 15-year-old with his/her shoes on the wrong feet is because we don’t look at it as a mistake anymore. We look at it as a fundamental flaw. We view it as something they should “know better.” And we are logic is intrinsically designed to for “doing better” to follow “knowing better.” And that, right there is the issue. “What issue do you speak of, KS?” I’m glad you asked….

Simply put, when you reach a certain level of maturity, there are mistakes that should no longer be mistakes. There are certain things to which “Well, I made a mistake” or “Hey, everybody makes mistakes” NO LONGER APPLY. A fully functioning 15-year-old should not get away with wearing their shoes on the wrong feet under the “Hey, I made a mistake” loophole. And my issue is that our society seems to be more and more lax with the standards that we hold each other to for fear of offending each other. “Yeah, I know that what they’re doing is wrong and/or silly and/or unethical but I don’t want to call it out because I may offend them.” And then once it is called out, the accused responds with, “Well, everyone makes mistakes.” The bottom line is, the only people we can control are ourselves… If we even know how to do that. I want to challenge you to stop making mistakes at this level, that you used to make at the last level. Stop engaging in level 8 mistakes and errors that should’ve ONLY been level 4 mistakes and errors. Hold yourself to a certain standard and a higher level of accountability because the direction that this planet is going is turning our collective moral compass further and further south. And a major reason for this, is that our fundamentals in basic self-discipline do not get sharpened. Why? Because we don’t have to sharpen them because we can always use, “Hey, everybody makes mistakes” as a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card. Let’s start to look at life as a minute-by-minute opportunity to become better. An ongoing string of opportunities to be better at this level than we were at the last level. Pride and inaccurate self-image are the only things that keep us making the same mistakes yet claiming ti be better… claiming to be growing… claiming to be progressing. If you’re 15 years old, put your frakkin shoes on the right feet.

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED… BELOW!

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

Click image or player below for sample…

So, In my stay here on planet earth, I’ve concluded that there are 4 things you can do when it comes to stuff. In the game of Chess, the object is to capture the other person’s king while protecting your own, of course. So, for today’s example, let’s compare a king being under attack with us being under attack and/or having to deal with stuff. When that happens, you should do 1 of the 4 things…

In the photo above, the King (Black) is off to the left. That piece represents you and I. The opposing pawn (Gold) is the problem or the stuff that we’re facing. And the piece at the top is the Queen (Black) which is our network. Ready?? Oh wait… Shout out to long time supporter, friend, and fellow #WarriorPoet Paula G. for the custom KS chessboard. One of the best birthday gifts I’ve ever received to date! Love you, Paula! Ok, let’s go.

Option #1- HEAD ON; I know too many people (including myself) who choose or have chosen to dance around situations and procrastinate when taking a problem head on is often the way to address it. Sometimes that problem is a person…. Sometimes that problem is financial, or a health concern. And often times, the best way to deal with it is just to deal with it, as you see below:

Option #2- PHONE A FRIEND; Often times, our most valuable tool is our network. As relational as we are designed to be, it baffles me at how often we try to do things on our own. Maybe it’s because someone has let you down in the past? Maybe it’s because you feel that you can’t trust people? Maybe it’s because you don’t like the feeling of vulnerability that comes with asking for assistance? Either way, that is something that needs to be examined and paid more attention to since it is absolutely impossible for any of us to achieve anything in isolation. With that being said, sometimes you have to deal with stuff the way the pic below shows us:

Option #3- LEAVE; Sometimes you have to be mature and wise enough to just walk away. Sometimes a perceived problem or situation or issue or “stuff” really isn’t a big deal at all. Learn to laugh at things. Learn to not even entertain things. Learn to decide what stuff is stuff and what stuff really ain’t even stuff at all. Now, don’t walk away from stuff just because you don’t feel like being bothered when in actuality, it’s stuff that needs to be handled. That’s just being irresponsible. But if it’s a small thing and really means nothing, sometimes you have to just remove yourself from a situation as the photo indicates below:

Option #4- DIE; Do absolutely nothing. I don’t suggest this option. As a praying man, there are times when I need to be still and discern what’s going on. As a praying man, I pray before choosing any of the aforementioned options. But there’s a difference between being still and waiting on direction VS doing absolutely nothing. Do nothing, and you’ll die as the photo indicates below:

If you play chess, then you already know that the pic above doesn’t exactly work that way BUT in life it most definitely does. Oh! And since the weather is getting warmer, speaking from experience, playing chess (even if you’re not that good) on a picnic blanket with food, drink and a love interest is one of the sexiest things you can do under the sun! I pray that today’s post helped at least ONE of you with some stuff that you may be dealing with. I’ve come to learn that this blog is more of a spectator’s blog than anything else so, although our subscriber-ship is in the thousands, I’ve reluctantly learned to only expect maybe 2 or 3 of you to actually share and respond but again, I do hope that this helps. I’ll holla, tomorrow night’s Date’ N Game (which also has chess lol!!) and the the #LNDNWÜD listening party (which you all were invited to) to prepare for. Thank God for the weekend! PEACE!

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED… BELOW!

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

Click image or player below for sample…

I’ve recently upgraded my Pens Of Power program from just a literacy program to a literacy & mentorship program. I try to pay attention to patterns. And over the past year, many schools have requested our services for writing and Hip Hop linguistics and SAT Prep but also in the area of mentorship. I’ve also been asked to give workshops (even on the collegiate level) in the area of Personal Branding. So, I prayed on it and I am implementing what I’m obviously being called to do, into my youth program. With that being said, within these mentorship & writing workshops, I start to gear the youngsters to think of themselves as personal brands. We identify what a brand means, we go over examples of well-known brands, we talk about what makes one brand different from another, and so on. We then use all of these components to identify, shape, and create a plan for our own individual personal brands. It’s amazing what happens when you start to look at yourself from outside of yourself. It does wonders for all arenas of your being from the way you dress to the words you use, to most importantly, the choices you make.

Recently, Hip Hop artist, Rick Ross, has been catching a lot of heat for his lyrics on the song U.O.E.N.O. (slang for You don’t even know, pretty clever if you asked me). I won’t get too deep into his subject matter on the song but it has offended plenty of people, more specifically, women. Feel free to google/youtube the song if you like. As a result, Reebok has decided to sever ties with him. We’ve seen this happen over and over where brands take on a celebrity in an endorsement deal and once that celebrity does or says something that is counter productive to the imaging partnership they’ve created, they get a divorce and then a representative from the brand sends a letter or stands at a podium and a public apology is made on behalf of whatever foolery just popped off. So in the spirit of branding and my Pens Of Power program, and Reebok, and the whole shabang, I want to ask you a question. You being a personal brand, what are some things about your personal brand that you’d apologize for? What I mean is, you have things going on that may be uncharacteristic of what you’d like to represent, you have some things about your brand that you’d like to change or work on. You have some things about your brand that you flat-out don’t like about your brand. I don’t expect you to air all of your dirty laundry here on the blog but if you were the spokesperson for your own personal brand (which you are) and you had to apologize to your mirror for the flaws that your brand has been exhibiting, what would be your brand apology?

Here, I’ll even go first… Ahem… *Adjusts neck tie… *Uses toothbrush as a microphone…

Good Day ladies and gentlemen. Today we’ll talk about a word called “Standard.” The only thing that makes us fall short of a standard is another word called “Flaws.” We all have them but that’s no excuse to wallow in them. When I close my eyes and imagine who I would like to be spiritually, who I’d like to be socially, and financially, and creatively, and even physically, I fall short in all of those categories. I want to apologize to you imaginary ladies and gentlemen in my bathroom mirror right next to the dried up toothpaste splashes, yes you! I want to apologize for mishandling my time too often, mishandling my finances way too often, for not putting God first in EVERY scenario, and for not exercising God-given gifts that I know that I have, as much as I should. I’m sure that there are more flaws down in there somewhere, but for now, on behalf of the #WarriorPoet brand, I extend my most sincere apologies and we will try our best to make sure that this never happens again.

*Turns on water, Brushes teeth…

Oh and by the way… *Spits out toothpaste, When you post yours below, I don’t expect yours to be as long as mine but PLEASE identify who and what you want to be before trying to identify what’s keeping you from that. Know who you are first. Before apologizing for not being what you want to represent, Know what you want to represent! For example, the definition of #WarriorPoet is also below!

Do yourself a favor & watch the video below, It’ll change your life. Seth Godin is one of my favorites…

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED… BELOW!

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

Click image or player below for sample…

There once was a time when our President looked like this:

And now he looks like this:

Question: Is it a pacification tool? Is it a way for a system to give us something just to shut us up and quiet any complaints about the system being unfair? Is it a, “Give em what they want so they can leave us alone in the future” type of deal? “We freed them from slavery but still kept them down in regards to voting. Then we gave them a bit more but still kept segregation in place. Then we de-segregated but still found ways to keep them inferior within the socio-economic sphere.” Could this just be the next step?

OR…

Do we celebrate the fact that a minority has finally reached this level? And do we celebrate the concept of progression and racial equality, and the notion that this may have opened the door to even more human progress in this arena?

Here’s another one. Marriage used to look like this…

And now it can look like this… (Yes, she’s a doll)

Or like this… (Yes, she’s a body pillow)

Question: Should we look at people crazy when what/who they decide to marry doesn’t fit within the box of what we’ve traditionally called a marriage? The man just above is marrying a pillow who has the face of a cartoon character. Should we look at him crazy?

OR…

Should this also fall under the marriage equality category? I mean, there are people who argue that animals and plants and trees are not “things” but instead are living beings. With that being said, and given the direction of change on our planet, and given the fact that an animal/plant loving person may have law-passing power in the near future, what’s to stop people from marrying their pets or their plants? And even acting out with them sexually? FYI- A person has already married a tree and a few other things (Click HERE and see). I mean, there was a time when we all frowned upon adults getting involved with children sexually but now we have this… (Feel free to click to view the NAMBLA website)

Side Bar- It took me 25 minutes and about 14 attempts to find a logo that my blog hosting would actually allow me to post. Which means, there are NAMBLA logos encrypted with coding that disallows people from posting them which I find rather interesting in a country that promotes so much liberalism and “freedom of speech and expression.” Anyway, back to what I was saying…

And it went from “Gay Marriage” to “Same Sex Marriage” to now “Marriage Equality.” So with the direction that things are going, we all should have equality in regards to whoever and whatever we want to marry, right? I mean, Love is blind, yes? Oh, and there’s a trending new marriage equality logo and the whole deal (Click this logo as well):

Based on what things once were and where they are now, where do we draw the line? Or does a line even need to be drawn since love knows no limits?

Here’s another one. We once had this…

And now we have this…

Question: Is there a difference? Should we think one is cute and ride along with it, while frowning on the other? Or should we treat them both the same in regards to which type is celebrated and/or frowned upon?

How about this?? Wait, I’ll tell you a quick story…

At the age of 12, I played for a basketball coach named Chico Hernandez. If you know anyone between the ages of 25-55 who is/was heavily involved in NYC basketball, ask them about Chico. This guy was one of THE BEST basketball coaches in NYC History. When I played for him, he was about 60 years old, no teeth, the stamina and physical fit level of an active 30-35 year old, about 5 feet – 2 inches tall and full of fire. This dude would curse us out. This dude would throw basketballs at us when we messed up. And he was famous for his hockey sticks. If we messed up, we all knew to run for cover when he took off running towards his gym office. Reason being, he would run for a hockey stick, charge towards the court and fling it at us however, wherever with all of his might. And guess what… Ask anyone who played for Chico what they thought of him and we will all emphatically let you know that we loved him for it. Ironically, I don’t see any of the Rutgers players making complaints either. Most of the guys I played with didn’t have fathers so I could understand why they would gravitate towards receiving discipline from a man. But what was ironic in my case is that I had a father at home… A father who played for Chico when he was a teen… A father who HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that I play for Chico and actually would pick me up from practice, knowing good and well that this was Chico’s coaching style.

Which leads me to this…

Question: How do we handle a situation like this? Given the fact that EVERY PLAYER knows a coaches ‘style’ before playing for them, how do we handle a guy like Coach Rice? And you’d better believe that there’s a Coach Rice in every sport at every level from Pop-Warner to Professional. How do we deal with something like this? Or do we deal with it at all?

And yes, if Chico was still alive, I’d be sending my son to him as well… Hockey stick throwing and all.

Oh and lastly, what about this? We laughed at this commentary segment…

And now we have this commentary segment…

Question: Part of the reason we laughed at the first clip was because part of us thought that something like this would never really exist. It’s almost like laughing at Sponge bob or Mickey Mouse. Those things can never really happen so that aspect is factored into why we laugh. So is it now wrong to laugh at the first clip in the same way that we used to?

I’m sure you have an opinion on at least one of these points and while you post your comments below I’ll share one of my favorite songs of all time. Regardless of the turn that the world takes or how it changes, I’m still in awe of its detail, its beauty, and its wonder… Take it away Louie!!!

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED… BELOW!

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

Click image or player below for sample…

Ok, so now I want you to check out the text exchange below. I can’t exactly say that the video above is DIRECTLY tied to the exchange below but there is definitely some resemblance even if only a small percentage. The exchange is a bit lengthy (about 7 mins) but I want you to watch the ebb and flow, the in and out, the up and down and then give me your basic opinion of this conversation. On your mark… Get set… Go!

Her: Soooo I get an invite to your pool party which got cancelled due to weather but I didn’t get an invite to your monthly barbecue? LoL! What happened? How may I be down? : )

Him: 3 invites to my barbecue were attached to the e-letters that I sent out over the past week. If you’ve been reading them, then you’d know about the barbecue : )

Her: Haven’t received them. Sorry and ok.

Him: It happens. Technology sucks sometimes. You should probably check your spam and create a filter so they come right to your inbox in the future. I hate when that happens. Also, there’s a social media invite for the barbecue series that you can join. It’s an ongoing event/group page.

Her: Ok

Him: All’s well in your world? Any new love-life prospects? I’m sure you’re getting PLENTY of offers.

Her: Folks interested but I’m still hanging too much with the ex probably. I’m praying for change one way or another so things will turn around for me in a good way soon.

Him: Maybe you and I should hang out. I mean just in a friendly way. I’m not tryna bring any pressure or confusion lol.

Her: That sounds interesting.

Him: As long as you don’t try to touch my butt then I’m totally down. [Makes her smile]

Her: I will try : )

Him: Ha Ha

Her: I always wanted to go to an archery or shooting range. Maybe we can do that so my hands are occupied.

Him: Ha Ha. Funny.

Her: Have a good night.

Him: You too,

NEXT MORNING

Her: Good morning

Him: Good morning…

Her: Just wondering, Besides all of the things that you’re into, what do you do in your spare time?

Him: Meditate, sleep, eat, read, workout, and tweeze my facial hair.

Her: Hilarious… facial hair tweezing is essential though.

Him: *Wink

Her: What do you think about Magic & Cookie being proud of their son “Coming Out”?

Him: I don’t really have much of an opinion on it. If they’re proud of it then more power to them.

Her: Ok.

TWO DAYS LATER (At about 7pm)

Her: Hey

Him: Yes?

Her: : )

Him: I’m still not letting you touch my butt, we’re just homies. I see what you’re trying to do.

Her: I’m about to ask you a deep sensual question. lol! rotfl!

Him: Ha Ha! Go for it.

Her: If I told you that I have been secretly in love with the exposed parts of your mind, for years now, and that the sound of your voice on the phone, on a computer, and in person makes me wet, and that eye contact from you makes me melt like the wax of a burning scented candle, and that I wanted to take a bubble bath with you, and wash your back and only your back, would you let me?

Him: Ha! You can’t do April Fool’s jokes on me after April 1st. That’s cheating.

Her: I don’t cheat. I asked. You answered. Thanks for your response. Clever : )

Him: ?

Her: I had a question for you. I asked the question. You didn’t say yes, so maybe you’re not interested. You didn’t say no, so maybe you’re too polite to possibly hurt my feelings. But you gave a response that was humorous. How can a woman not love your way? It’s cool. I’m good. I hope you have a good night.

Him: I’m in a relationship babes. I thought you knew that. I think you’re lovely… Absolutely delicious actually but I couldn’t my relationship or our friendship. I respect it all just a bit too much for baths : ( But again, I’d still love to hang out like I asked a few days ago.

Her: Nope. I didn’t know you were in a relationship at all. I have the ability to actually let folks get to know me when I hang out with them and they fall in love so hanging out wouldn’t be a good idea because I don’t desire to be a relationship wrecker. I was feeling poetic though and thought I could be poetically flirtatious with a gent like you for textual entertainment for the moment only. I apologize if I’ve offended you in some way.

Him: Oh, no… No offense at all. And we’ve “partially” hung out in the past with no evidence towards relationship wreckage Ha! But if you’d rather not, I’ll respect that. But if you change your mind, I think you’re an awesome human being and I love good people so I’d still be open to it.

Her: Me at your barbecue a while back doesn’t count of that’s what you mean : ) Nor does you being at an event that my company sponsored. lol. So please refresh my memory on us partially hanging out, Mr. And no you don’t know this Mid-western. Without doing a single thing, a person can fall for me so we should keep it all business between us.

Him: Those events are exactly what I was referring to and I’m not worried about “falling” so again, I’ll respect your decision.

Her: I’m single only because I choose foolishly and stay foolishly then end it foolishly and reflect too long foolishly but that’s changing tomorrow : ) Thanks for the conversation. Have a good night.

Him: Good night.

Her: She must be great. Awesome. Maybe I can write your love story for a magazine… I’d like that. Later.

Him: If you’d like that, then let’s do it! : )

NEXT MORNING

Him: Just so you know, you’re a punk for not wanting to be my friend. Or for not wanting to take our friendship to the next level. I even smell good and everything, smh.

Her: Good morning to you too. I said that I’d pitch your love story when the time is right (if a wedding is in the works). What more do you want, Mr?

Him: Pitching stories and being friends have nothing to do with each other. All good though : ) 

Her: I asked what more do you want… Tell me.

Him: Ha Ha! You’re not so good with context clues I see. I thought that *Furthering A Friendship* was the obvious topic & interest of today’s discussion. But I guess it’s not so obvious. Ha Ha! You’re too funny.

Her: I’m actually in the middle of listening to The Secret, shopping online, and realizing some things about my ex so perhaps I am indeed missing some clues and focusing on your closed-door because you’re in a relationship. Give me some time to fully wake up, come back from church, eat perhaps, etc…

Him: Focused on that closed-door yet, you’re ignoring the open door to finally a man who is open to learning you without burning you. Yeah, you take that time. Have a great Sunday.

Her: Are you angry about something?

Him: No punk! I’m playing with you. I’m even trying to use “lol” and : ) to show that.

Her: And I’m not ignoring you at all since I’m reading through your texts and responding. How are you open to learning about me? Through texts?

Him: Through texts? I asked you to hang out, Didn’t I? And I even brought it up again yesterday, Didn’t I? I am making serious statements but in no way am I trying to “come at you” in any way. Maybe the tone is weird since it’s through text. Put it this way, if we were in person, I definitely would have given you a shove on the shoulder and a balled-fist look while saying it but definitely some smiles and laughs while making this point. Make sense now?? : ))

Her: I didn’t receive a text asking me to join you for something specific so I wasn’t sure.

Him: You sent me a text a couple of days ago about getting invited to the pool party but not the barbecue… I told you how to stay abreast of what’s going on with the barbecue series and then I said: [Maybe you and I should hang out. I mean just in a friendly way. I'm not tryna bring any pressure or confusion lol.] So, no I didn’t follow it with something specific as I’m still planning my schedule for this coming week but that’s where me mentioning us hanging out first started : )

Her: I would like to hang out with a man who is available to be my man but I will try to hang with you so just let me know when/where. I like movies, plays, comedy shows, bowling, eating, etc…

Him: Ok, I got it.

LATER THAT NIGHT (8:45pm)

Her: I hope that you had a good day. One of my favorite DJ’s was spinning at the mall today and I thought of you as he and I spoke about a new book that came out. ttyl. Have a good night.

Him: Wow, Great! I’m glad you had a good time. Have a good night as well : )

5 DAYS LATER

Her: I guess you changed your mind or you weren’t serious after all. I hope all is well.

Him: My apologies. I’ve been baby sitting my nephew all week since he’s been home sick from school so it totally slipped my mind. But I understand you calling it non-serious or me changing my mind. I hope all is well with you, in return.

Her: Everything is great. I didn’t hold my breath so it’s all good. I hope your nephew is better after the 24-7 care you’ve been providing for him. Take care.

Him: Cool. Thank you.

Her: : )

Him: Hi fives. Oh! And he says thank you as well.

NEXT MORNING

Her: Smh

Him: You ok?

Her: The Smh was me responding to your text when I saw it early this morning. Given all of the positive things that you’re into I didn’t think that  you would come at me sideways or sarcastic gibberish especially since there was no need to do so. So I shook my head. Let’s not text.

Him: Sideways? Sarcastic?

Her: It’s cool. Forget I ever texted please.

Him: When you sent the “get well” text I told him what you said and he said thank you. That’s sideways and sarcastic? He was laying right next to me when you sent it… Yet you saying “I didn’t hold my breath” and “24/7 care” wasn’t sarcastic? How do you accuse me of what YOU did bit I didn’t?

END OF TEXT CONVERSATION & MOST LIKELY OF THEIR ‘FRIENDSHIP’

You: [Insert Here what you would say next if you were in this text conversation...]

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED.

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

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“When you know better you do better.”

-Maya Angelou

 “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”-Proverbs 4:5-7

STUPID SCENARIO #2- Another situation involving cars… I’m about 19 at the time, I just got my first car. A Black Maxima! It goes fast, it has a sun roof, I just had a CD player installed, I’m poppin now! I’m attending Morgan State University in Baltimore so this is my first time physically driving from Brooklyn to Baltimore. I’ve been on the journey dozens of times but never was I the person doing the driving. I jump on the road and there’s about a half of tank of gas in my car. No worries though, I’ll just get some on the New Jersey Turnpike at one of the rest stops, No biggie. So, I’m bumping my new Jay-Z or LOX or whatever and about an hour into the ride, I notice that my gas gauge is about midway between a quarter tank and an Empty tank. As soon as I notice it, I see an off ramp for a rest stop. Wisdom would say, to take that off ramp and get gas now, right? Of course that’s what wisdom would say and of course that’s exactly what I did…. not do. So… For the next 20 minutes my eyes are glued on hopeful signs indicated that another gas station or rest stop is coming, meanwhile I’m burning gas the entire time. Long story short, I finally see a sign for a rest stop coming in about 15 miles. While pulling off of the highway into the rest stop, I run out of gas and the car completely shuts off. Fortunately, I’m in decent shape, I’m on flat ground, and it’s a car not an SUV so I was able to push it about 100 yards to the gas tanks. Wisdom spoke nice and early, But I didn’t listen to her.

We all know that we should drive around with a spare tire, are you wise enough to have one? We all should have Health Insurance (even if it’s no frills) in the event that something happens, do you have any? We all should be mindful of the words that we speak and who we speak them to, so that we can avoid having our names involved in “He said/ She said” drama, are you wise enough to hold your tongue? Ignorance (not knowing) is the most deadly element of our society. But I don’t think we all go hard enough in combating ignorance by applying our own wisdom. Not just wisdom to the world but wisdom in our own daily choices. Wisdom as complex as seeking counsel before making a major decision or wisdom as basic as knowingly leaving the iron when you leave the house because you know you’ll be right back. On out jobs, in our homes, in our finances, in our relationships, with our health and wellness, Wisdom is jumping up and down screaming to get our attention. Reason being, wisdom knows that our lives are the sum total of our choices. You are who you are today because of the accumulation of choices that you’ve made. Wisdom wants to be a part of those choices but for some reason we choose to ignore her far more than we choose to listen to her.

STUPID SCENARIO #3 (In case you’ve missed it)-

So, This middle-eastern lady parks her car outside of a school picking up her daughter from her first day at school. They just moved to this area and it’s been a bit of a culture shock since it’s the inner city but they’re trying to adjust. Her daughter comes running out of school excited about her first day at school… Opens the car door… Gets in and immediately asks, “Mom! Can you buy me some Jordans?!?” Weird? Or no?

So, This young man walks into a dry cleaners to pick up his clothes. He hands them a ticket. They press the button so that the rack rotates on the conveyor belt bringing his clothes to the front of the store. As they lay the plastic wrapped clothes on the counter, the clerk says, “That’ll be $24, Sir.” The young man then says, “Ok, well my sky number is AB1 6W32.” The clerk responds, “Excuse me?” The young man states, “That’s my client number for my frequent flyer miles. You can just deduct my miles in exchange for the dry cleaning” Huh? How weird is that?

The issue here is forms of currency. Currency is what any given culture uses as a form of value for the purposes of trade. Often times, the more currency you have, the more successful you are viewed. In example #1, The man tried to pay in cigarettes. In prison, cigarettes are a form of currency so was there a problem with him paying for a drink in that form of currency? In most U.S. inner cities, Jordan sneakers are a form of status currency. They are valued within that arena and equate to a certain form of ‘branding’ as it pertains to personal/social status. So was it wrong for that young lady to want that type of currency? In the airline industry, your flyer miles can be used as currency. So was it wrong for the young man to use them in paying for his dry cleaning? The issue here is translation or better yet compatibility. “Ok, Kel you’re all over the place. What exactly are you getting at?” I’m glad you asked…

In different cultures, there are different forms of currency. Different things are viewed as valuable depending on where you are. Here in the United States, we don’t value shillings (Somalian Dollar) we value dollars. When I was a kid, we would try to rack up on Kool-Aid points that could be traded in for prizes. In the Kool-Aid world, that will work as currency but it ain’t gonna fly when walking into a car dealership to make a purchase. Depending on where you are and who you’re in the company of, that will determine what the currency is… that will determine what is valued. So…

What happens when I’m raised in a household that teaches me to value humility, healthy eating, and consideration for others… And within that household, you are commended & even rewarded for how well you exercise the use of this currency and then you’re placed in an environment that values and practices cockiness, little regard for what/how they eat and a “Go for self” type of pursuit towards success? My currency will probably be as good in that world as the guy trying to pay for his drink with cigarettes. What happens when I’m raised in an environment that values the following; Men should respect women as their equal, focus more on the internal qualities of a man than the external, and place being a quality husband & father above even your own career choice… And I then try to cash in, in an environment in which the social currency is: Women are a man’s prize/possession/reward, How much you have externally is what will win not so much who you are internally, and your career and how much money you make is far more important that how good of a husband and father you might be? You wanna know what will happen? YOU’LL LOSE. That “at home” currency cannot be spent in that “out in the world” market place. Your money is no good here. Here’s the deal…

We create a system of currency and what’s valued and what can be offered in exchange for success and elevation, but this same system of currency is the exact opposite of what we’d call “A good person.” Or maybe I should put it like this… We give off an idea of what a “good person” should be yet that type of currency can’t be spent in the real world. Why is the exchange rate so off? Why tell me to save all of my dollars to then go into a world where they only accept pounds and euros? When it comes time to exchange my dollars for pounds or euros, I LOSE! Why tell me to create a healthy account of kindness and humility, which means almost nothing when I go to spend them because the rewards don’t go to the humble and kind… The rewards go to the loud and ratched. What it all boils down to is this…

You need to find which culture you want to live for, create a healthy account of whatever that culture’s currency is, and use that as your barometer for wealth… Use that as your indicator for success. I choose to live for a culture that isn’t physically on this planet… If that went over your head (which I doubt since we’re all #WarriorPoets) then it just went over your head, sorry. But if you’re picking up what I’m putting down then you already understand that we’re in a new day in time. We’re in a time where values are not concrete. We’re in a time when what used to be definitive lines separating black from white (And I don’t mean race, I mean ideas and principles) have now been blurred turning the entire spectrum into gray. We’re in a time where we need to have a healthy balance and store house of our main currency but still have the ability to cash in and exchange a few pieces if currency here and there just for the sake of being able to navigate and have our way within foreign cultures. Being mindful of the times and having adaptability/balance (especially with your currency) are more important today than ever before. Truly examine what it is that you value because it will be tested. Truly examine what it is that you believe in because it will be tested. Truly look at what you call currency because it will be tested in the area of needing to be cashed in or exchanged for a foreign currency. Do you A- hold on to your currency and starve on behalf of what you believe? Do you B- cash it all in and now become a citizen of a foreign territory? Or do you C- hold on to your currency while cashing in some of your own to navigate through foreign territory but without becoming a foreign citizen… Being IN new place but not OF that new place. The times will require that you pick which of those 3 you will do with your currency. Best you start thinking and coming up with an answer now, my friends…

As serious of an issue that this is, I still want you to enjoy the clip below. I DO NOT Co-sign any of the language but I do love the point that it illustrates in regards to having currency that may not be compatible with the places you’re trying to use it. I remember watching this movie for the first time and almost dying of laughter at the 0:44 mark… OH! And new news on my hard drive situation and new date for the #LNDNWÜD listening party are coming soon. Thanks for all of your prayers and well-wishes regarding that technical difficulty.

As always, Your feedback is always welcomed and ENCOURAGED.

#WAЯЯiORPOξT- One who possesses a righteous and sexy display of balance in the areas of creativity, intellect, courage, integrity, progressive thought, and being fly, all while helping to change the world for the better and rid the planet of the most deadly of diseases… STINKING THINKING.

If that’s you, then Please Subscribe for FREE in the upper left-hand corner. Also join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In & Youtube while you’re up there!

#LNDNWÜD Vol. 1 Coming Soon…

Click image or player below for sample…