Those who know me may know one of my greatest mentors had a very unconventional career. In hindsight I consider him a mentor because he taught me more about life and people than I had learned in all the years prior to knowing him. He would never bite his tongue when it came to telling me about myself. He would always say "I'm not going to bite my tongue, I'm going to say what I have to say because when I bite my tongue I bleed. I'm not scared of you."
Well he had no reason to be scared of me because he was way bigger than me in size. I saw him punch the heck out of someone one day and it wasn't even serious, I would have never tried him. It's funny because he would always say if we ever got into an altercation he would have to shoot me. One of those people who I will always have mad love for because he helped me to change my world. I did a lot of growing personally and professionally because of him when I was young. Looking back now I can truly see my life moved at the pace it did because he was always challenging me and encouraging me to not only survive but thrive in all my endeavors. Lord knows they don't make friends like him anymore. Friend, coach, confidant, protector, teacher, and so much more.
The one saying he had which stands out the most is that he say to me at times "check yourself before you wreck yourself." The biggest lesson I learned from that because he made me aware of it was back when I was in school I wouldn't have anything to do with him. I quickly disputed him and he was even quicker to say "no you wouldn't" and went on tell me why. In retrospect I realized I could of had a friend, he was a friend of my high school sweetheart and I never knew. I even dropped my high school sweetheart off at his house a couple of times and never did see him. I did glance at him on one occasion because he was sitting on the front porch bottom stoop. I had looked back after my high school sweetheart got out the car. This was after high school though. Thus, he had known him for years. My high school sweetheart was another person who had a pivotal impact on my life. He was one of my first best friends. As my grandmother would say I worshiped the ground he (my high school sweetheart) walked on.
I feel each of us is uniquely and wondrously made by God. I don't go around hating and not being able to stand people because of how they look, act, level of intellect, level of achievement and other stuff because I realize I can't change a person. Attitude is a reaction and I treat others with respect according to how we interact with each other individually and collectively. Unfortunately, I'm definitely not a kiss up type person. I do realize I need some fixing when it comes to that. When I hear the way some folks talk about others who they claim to be friends with and/or are related to it is a turn off for me to want to be smiling in their face. Some people can dwell all in it, I can't. Giving time to negative energy for me drains too much from me. I don't form cliques to conspire and hate against others. I have enough other positive stuff I can be doing. No I don't think I'm better than anyone else. I'm very humble in that regards. Since you can't possibly know what is inside my head I hope it will bring some ease to your mind to know my thoughts are mainly solution driven. Other than that my thoughts are mainly on my children and grandchildren and what I can do to help them along the way. To try and keep them encouraged and their thoughts and mind strengthened and uplifted to drown out the noise which seeks to weaken and destroy. I'm not angry, I'm not mad, and I'm not upset. Because I know from being a kindhearted person part of the reason is because they listen to the same dumb stuff from the same person I listen to dumb stuff from rather than telling them to shut the blink blank up. Divide and conquer is some people's mantra, not mine.
I learned to check myself many years ago. Always striving to not be bitter but better because intrinsically it is a much more better feeling.
One thing all my real friends had in common, they pray. They will get down on their knees and pray in front of you and pray beside you if need be. The love of God and doing and accepting him for his greatness for me is the true checkpoint. Have you checked yourself lately?
Well he had no reason to be scared of me because he was way bigger than me in size. I saw him punch the heck out of someone one day and it wasn't even serious, I would have never tried him. It's funny because he would always say if we ever got into an altercation he would have to shoot me. One of those people who I will always have mad love for because he helped me to change my world. I did a lot of growing personally and professionally because of him when I was young. Looking back now I can truly see my life moved at the pace it did because he was always challenging me and encouraging me to not only survive but thrive in all my endeavors. Lord knows they don't make friends like him anymore. Friend, coach, confidant, protector, teacher, and so much more.
The one saying he had which stands out the most is that he say to me at times "check yourself before you wreck yourself." The biggest lesson I learned from that because he made me aware of it was back when I was in school I wouldn't have anything to do with him. I quickly disputed him and he was even quicker to say "no you wouldn't" and went on tell me why. In retrospect I realized I could of had a friend, he was a friend of my high school sweetheart and I never knew. I even dropped my high school sweetheart off at his house a couple of times and never did see him. I did glance at him on one occasion because he was sitting on the front porch bottom stoop. I had looked back after my high school sweetheart got out the car. This was after high school though. Thus, he had known him for years. My high school sweetheart was another person who had a pivotal impact on my life. He was one of my first best friends. As my grandmother would say I worshiped the ground he (my high school sweetheart) walked on.
I feel each of us is uniquely and wondrously made by God. I don't go around hating and not being able to stand people because of how they look, act, level of intellect, level of achievement and other stuff because I realize I can't change a person. Attitude is a reaction and I treat others with respect according to how we interact with each other individually and collectively. Unfortunately, I'm definitely not a kiss up type person. I do realize I need some fixing when it comes to that. When I hear the way some folks talk about others who they claim to be friends with and/or are related to it is a turn off for me to want to be smiling in their face. Some people can dwell all in it, I can't. Giving time to negative energy for me drains too much from me. I don't form cliques to conspire and hate against others. I have enough other positive stuff I can be doing. No I don't think I'm better than anyone else. I'm very humble in that regards. Since you can't possibly know what is inside my head I hope it will bring some ease to your mind to know my thoughts are mainly solution driven. Other than that my thoughts are mainly on my children and grandchildren and what I can do to help them along the way. To try and keep them encouraged and their thoughts and mind strengthened and uplifted to drown out the noise which seeks to weaken and destroy. I'm not angry, I'm not mad, and I'm not upset. Because I know from being a kindhearted person part of the reason is because they listen to the same dumb stuff from the same person I listen to dumb stuff from rather than telling them to shut the blink blank up. Divide and conquer is some people's mantra, not mine.
I learned to check myself many years ago. Always striving to not be bitter but better because intrinsically it is a much more better feeling.
One thing all my real friends had in common, they pray. They will get down on their knees and pray in front of you and pray beside you if need be. The love of God and doing and accepting him for his greatness for me is the true checkpoint. Have you checked yourself lately?
