Emotional Rollercoaster

Rollercoaster Physics is painfully simple when you think about it.

We all know that the amusement ride begins with an initial ascension, which is where 'potential energy' is generated. What is potential energy?  Well, the answer is actually in the term.  The likelihood (or potential) of gravitational force increasing based on the spacial position of the coaster.

At the apex, the maximum potential energy,  potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. The kinetic energy is the energy possessed during motion.

What does any of this have to do with emotions?  Everything!

Such is life...an emotional rollercoaster.
Life is filled with situations in which we find ourselves at the proverbial 'top'....basking in the pleasantries of a breath-taking view only to endure the gut-wrenching certainty of an inevitable free-fall.

Life is, in essence, a series of neurotic emotional patterns that throws us for loops,  accelerates, and then drops off into, what seems like, an abyss.

As we prepare to enter a new year, the question is not 'if'' you will encounter the highs and lows of an emotional rollercoaster but 'how' you will interrupt the ride.

Are you going to fall victim to your joy, pain, excitement, anger, and sadness OR will you find meaning in the potential/kinetic transitions?

Just something to think about.

Until Next Time,

-NiNi

This video has absolutely nothing to do with the post (other than the name of the song).  It is just a great song! 

Music: What feelings sound like.

Whether it is the amazing guitar riffs featured on Voodoo Child (Slight Return) or the melodic message immortalized in the 1964 civil rights anthem A Change is Gonna Come, music speaks.

We have all heard a song on the radio or while shuffling through our iTunes libraries that transported us back to a specific time in our lives. Maybe the song spurred a mental reenactment of your first kiss or embodies the emotions felt during the unfortunate loss of a loved one. Whatever the case, music evokes emotion.

Rhythms, scales, ranges, harmonies, melodies, lyrics...when woven together, they create stories. As a lover of music, I'm sure this post will be featured (and evolving) time and time again but let's take a look at some of my favs. *drum roll* In no particular order.....

There is something about the purity of Hathaway's voice that moves me  EVERYTIME I hear this track. From the opening piano scale to the sincerity of each pristine note, the listener embarks on a journey with the artist. Simply musical perfection!

 What kind of post would this be if I didn't mention Whitney Houston! Originally written and recorded by country icon, Dolly Parton, Whitney's cover of 'I Will Always Love You' went on to become one of the most recognizable singles in music history. 'The Bodyguard' soundtrack sold over 44 million copies worldwide and still (over a decade later) makes appearances in my CD deck from time-to-time.  Legendary!

 I know my readers are scratching their heads at this one but I am a HUGE Rascal Flatts fan! Although 'Bless The Broke Road' is a Marcus Hummon's cover, the unique and compelling harmonies of Rascal Flatts puts a great spin on the song.  Beautiful!

Bilal's classically trained falsetto on Soul Sista is ridiculous! In an era where women (particularly of color) are commonly depicted as 'sex objects' or 'video vixens', Bilal celebrates the beauty and sensuality that is us.  Soulful!

'Sara Smile' is the title of a song written and recorded by the musical duo Hall and Oates and is about Hall's then girlfriend, Sara Allen. What can I say? Daryl Hall and John Oates have soul and their harmonies-simply angelic.

Anyone who knows me, knows I L-O-V-E Nesta Robert Marley, BKA Bob Marley. Revered for his lyrical approach to social injustices and eccentric reggae performances, Marley can do no wrong in my eyes!  Legacy!

I hope you enjoyed the first of many musically inspired posts.  Feel free to leave comments about your favorites.  Who knows?  You may just see them featured in the future!

Until next time....

-NiNi

Thicker than a snicker. Deal with it.

'Tis the season for stores to advertise items/clothes that will 'improve' your life, at least in the eyes of PR departments everywhere.

Maybe it's just me but (WARNING: here comes a rant) I take offense to marketers promoting clothing that magically 'slim' or 'hide' what society perceives as my 'problem areas.'

Don't act like you haven't seen commercials featuring disgruntled  individuals pinching their 'muffin tops' or women, seemingly near tears, gazing at their 'thunder thighs.'

Has anyone stopped to consider the possibility that I like the physical landscape that my curves create.  Here's a thought- Maybe I like my PLUS SIZED BODY. Maybe I enjoy (gasp) the way my wider than a 'size 10 hips' make my entrance into or exit from a room a bit more dramatic.

The bottom line is clothes are not going to make me look 2 sizes smaller nor do I want them to. I don't desire to purchase clothes that divert people's attention from my fleshier bottom or 'child-bearing' hips. (Truth be told, I don't think I could disguise these features if I wanted to).

I want clothes that make me feel elegant, cute, sexy, and regal at the same dang-on time ...just like every other woman on planet Earth.

Coming from a woman who has heard commentary like, 'You are so pretty for a large girl.', 'You would look so cute in skinny jeans if your thighs weren't so big.', 'Maybe you should consider this diet.' blah blah blah, so on and so forth my entire life, I DO NOT need to hear it from seasonal advertisers as well.

I'm (finally) lovin' the skin I am in and appreciating the wonderland that is my body.
Everyone who has a problem with it... too bad!

Until next time....

-NiNi
'Ms. Thicker Than A Snicker And Loving It'

To Thine Own Self Be True

'To Thine Own Self Be True.' -Hamlet by Shakespeare

In Hamlet Act 1, Scene 3, this profound sentiment is spoken by Polonius to his son, Laertes, and it is as relevant now as it was then.

A seemingly simple task but, yet, we all (at one point or another) have difficulty with self truth.

Merriam-Webster defines truth as sincerity in action, character, and utterance. As you can see, at the definition's essence, truth is an action. In order to be true to oneself, one must first embark upon the journey of self discovery; catalog your weaknesses and your strengths, embrace your flaws and your perfections, internalize your faults and your successes. 

To, metaphorically, 'look into the mirror' and be at peace with what is reflected renders oneself to vulnerability- a state that many (including myself at times) perceive as a liability. The very thought of being open to potential criticism, be it by others or yourself, is offsetting....but necessary.

Moral: 

It is easy for individuals to lose themselves in a world that endeavors to indoctrinate the masses with a myriad of paradoxes. Through introspection, your beliefs, your values, your convictions become self-evident. When you know and are able to articulate your perspective, it is easier to develop relationships (platonic or otherwise) with like-minded individuals and, conversely, respectfully disagree with opposing schools of thought.

In the spirit of cliches, 'Stand for something (your truth) or you will fall for anything.'
It all begins with assessing/internalizing/owning your truth.

Until next time....

-NiNi

Make your next move, your best move.

As one reflects on their life and contemplates what the next step will be, I would imagine that everyone envisions the 'next move' to be better than the last.

Granted, when I prepared my ten year trajectory (some ten years ago), I imagined that I would have been further along than I am.  I always thought that I would have the proverbial white-picketed fence, a dotting husband, (perhaps) one or two children, and a fulfilling career.

Interestingly, my life looks NOTHING like what I envisioned a decade ago.  The fulfilling career is still a 'degree in progress' (a blog post in and of itself), the dotting husband must be somewhere (actually) drawing dots, and the 'white-picketed fence', well, let's just say the tree from which the wood will originate is still safe.

What happened?  Where did I go astray? What is my next move?

If you ask my grandmother she would reply, 'Ni's goals are too lofty. Enough is never enough.'
If you were to ask my mother, I'm sure she would say, 'Well, Ni has plenty of time for that.'
If you were to pose the same questions to my father, he would reply, 'I have no idea but she ain't getting any younger.'

It took a while for me to get it, and I still struggle with the following notion, but...
My life plan is just that..M-Y P-L-A-N.  It was not God's plan.

Psalm 139:16 reads, '  You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book.'

While I wallow in defeat over a plan that has, seemingly, failed on all fronts, I forget to remember that sometimes  the journey is more important than the destination.

What I see as failure, He sees as preparation. What I perceive as  a trial, He deems a lesson that will, eventually, be a testimony.

So today, I admonish us all to ...

Find the lesson in the journey.
Remember that your testimony begins with a test. 
Know that your plan, without His consultation, is destined to fail.

Finally, find refuge in the fact that your next move WILL BE your best move.

Until next time,

NiNi