DIVA Smile

Today's a NEW DAY!..... I love this song.

A Balanced Woman

Hi world! Let me first apologize for neglecting my viewers. I've been a little pre-occupied lately and haven't taken the time to keep up with my post. Honestly, from being busy, to thinking and contemplating giving up on writing. My thoughts are: who reads it and cares anyway? But yet again, I continue on; it helps me if no one eles.

I ran across this article the other day and felt the need to share. I hope it encourages you to be the woman you where called to be as much as it encouraged me and I hope that it helps you realize that taking care of yourself is a priority.


A Balanced Woman
By Jacqueline Hale


What is a "balanced woman?" I've asked myself over and over again. I have searched for answers. I have asked others. I have surfed the web. But the answers I've come up with have more to do with what a balanced woman is NOT. Then it occurred to me that perhaps through exploring what it is not we can define, determine and conclude exactly what a balanced woman is.

A BALANCED WOMAN CUTS HERSELF SOME SLACK
A balanced woman is not SUPERWOMAN! Superwoman is a mythical cartoon figure who was never based upon an actual female. If she had been real she'd be popular and famous and rich by now! She wouldn't still be just some Saturday morning cartoon! A balanced woman is not someone who can do it all. There are only 24 hours in each day, 16 if you allow yourself some sleep. Sixteen hours just aren't enough to tend to yourself, your partner, your children, your work, your home and your friends! A balanced woman understands this. She does not consider herself a FAILURE for her inability to do it all, all the time. She understands that she has limits. She accepts those limits and she does what she can with the time and energy she has.

A BALANCED WOMAN HAS FLAWS
A balanced woman is not perfect nor does she expect PERFECTION from herself. She is human and like all human beings she has mood swings, energy shifts and days when she just might not feel like being productive at all. She is not someone who expects to be DONE one day -- done with the housework, done with the homework, done with the cooking, done with the bill paying, done with the shopping, etc. etc. She understands that she will never be "done" and therefore, she doesn't try. A balanced woman is not someone who NEGLECTS her own needs. She understands that if her needs are not met there will be little left of her to give to others.

A BALANCED WOMAN KNOWS WHAT'S IMPORTANT
A balanced woman does understand PRIORITIES and as such she understands that priorities can and do change daily. Therefore, she is always adjusting her schedule and her plans to accommodate her priorities of the day. She does understand time management and so she has learned not to OVERCOMMIT herself. She has worked at saying "no" and she has let go of the guilt associated with that two-letter word. A balanced woman is always looking for better and FASTER ways to accomplish some of the less important yet equally demanding responsibilities in her life.

A BALANCED WOMAN KNOWS LESS IS MORE
A balanced woman defines what it is she really wants and directs her RESOURCES accordingly. A balanced woman questions what it is she wants to be remembered for at the end of her life and she lives each day consistent with the answers she has found. Ultimately, a balanced woman understands that a life of QUALITY is much more important and far more rewarding than a life of QUANTITY. She knows that it is her relationships with people that count more than a clean house, more than the perfect meal, more than spotless laundry, and more than an endless supply of money in the bank.

A BALANCED WOMAN IS ALWAYS EVOLVING
Being a balanced woman is an ongoing PROCESS. It is not a destination. It involves constantly reminding yourself about what it is that's important to you. And it involves truly BELIEVING that you are okay when you can't do it all and when you are less than perfect.

BadAss, Bossy or Bitch

Remember the times where "B*tch" were fighting words? Shit, I can remember like it was yesterday. Yelling, oh you calling out my name? Yeah, I got your b*tch. Those days are seemily long long gone.

Personally, I don't think I could ever become comfortable being called "b*tch" in any one of these terms that society is now using. Maybe I'm just from the back in the day era, who knows. I read this article in the Black Voices Column and thought it might be a little thought provoking. Check it out.

The term “b*tch” has a double meaning. It can be used to represent a “bossy” lady, someone who takes charge, knows what she wants out of life and isn’t taking no for an answer. Or the term can be used to represent a woman who resembles someone with a trashy and poor attitude and just an overall bad personality. I’ve always wondered why women like to be called a “bad b*tch”, when it has such double meaning and it mostly associated with negative connotations.

Rapper, singers and musicians mostly in the hip hop genre use the term in songs to represent their “ideal” type of woman, and in turn our society has taken the word and labeled some of the most powerful women in our generation a “bad b*tch”. Look at women like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce etc. How many times have you heard these women referred to as a “bad b*tch” or even refer to themselves as one?

It’s interesting to see how the work “b*tch” can be used to represent a women of power but at the same time can also be used to represent something negative. It’s also interesting to think about how a woman of authority is called a “b*tch” but a man in authority is a “boss”. Something to think about right?

I've Learned

Maya Angelou said this:
“I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life.

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back...

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back...

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn...
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

"F" Word

A New Take On The “F” Word

Humor: A New Take On The “F” Word Written by Oretha Winston on March 24, 2011

Laughter , it’s said, is the best medicine. And there’s lots of evidence that laughter does lots of good things for us. It reduces pain and allows us to tolerate discomfort. It reduces blood sugar levels, increasing glucose tolerance in diabetics and nondiabetics alike. It improves your job performance, especially if your work depends on creativity and solving complex problems. Its role in intimate relationships is vastly underestimated and it really is the glue of good marriages. It synchronizes the brains of speaker and listener so that they are emotionally attuned.

Laughter establishes — or restores — a positive emotional climate and a sense of connection between two people, In fact, some researchers believe that the major function of laughter is to bring people together. And all the health benefits of laughter may simply result from the social support that laughter stimulates.Here is a funny take on the use of the “F’ word. Cee Lo Green would be proud.



We should all laugh every now and then.

Since my original plans fell through, I decided to take Plan B! Yep, I'm Headed to Cleveland and planning to stay a few extra days, its a must to have my friend take me to this church!!

Chewing through the Restraints

Have you ever felt like you keep knulling, nippling and chewing at something but getting nowhere? You try and do everything you can to stay upbeat, hopeful, confident and positive and yet you still land in the toliet. What's a girl suppose to do?

Today like many other days, I just feel like I can't win for losing. We had a conference call about our year over year numbers and targets. Needless to say for a year now, I've been TOP 5 in the Region of WV/PA/OH, but as a whole we are down with our yearly quota.

Numbers and selling that's the name of the game and here recently I'm beginning to feel more and more pressure coming from the big wigs. Newer and better phones/iPads are launching and all they want us to do is sell sell sell.

These past couple of months, even though I'm finishing in top 5 its been a real struggle. Yes, finishing in the top says alot, but it also brings on a great deal of pressure and stress.

This month has been horrible and we are all trying our darnest to make quotas. This month just feels like an ongoing quest to free myself from the tranny of quotas, circumstances and targets.

The big wigs, I don't know if they live in the same world as me or not; I wanna tell them hey: get your fucking head out of numbers and take a look around. We are in recession got damn it, people aren't buying or spending like they us to!!!!

At our store, We all are working and busting ass and needless to say, they still wanna keep pulling more from us. We can't give what isn't available. People don't even come to the mall anymore.

I give up chewing through all these restraints to hit a quota! I ask, what's a girl suppost to do?

Sometimes you just get tierd of chewing.

Not Forgotten

What happened to Serena Williams?
Shortly after winning her fourth Wimbledon title last July, Williams cut her foot on a shard of glass. The severe cut required surgery and 18 stitches. Although she played an exhibition match shortly thereafter, continuing problems with the foot has kept her out of competition since then.

Hours after she dazzled the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscars party, Serena Williams was in a Los Angeles hospital receiving emergency treatment for a blood clot in her lungs.

News that a top athlete like Serena Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism has many people wondering how this could happen to someone who stays fit for a living.

Well, the truth is, deep vein thrombosis can happen to anyone. And since Williams had just undergone surgery, her risk was increased.

What is a pulmonary embolism?
A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that blocks a major artery feeding the lungs.

These clots usually arise in the leg, usually in a deep vein. Doctors call such a clot a thrombosis. A clot arising in a deep leg vein is called a deep venous thrombosis or DVT. DVTs often arise after a period of inactivity and are particularly common after long airplane flights. A clot originating in a deep leg vein in some cases will break free and travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) leading to a pulmonary embolism can occur at any age. Of course there are risk factors like clotting disorders, taking birth control pills, prolonged immobility, smoking, family history and being overweight.

I hope and pray Serena is back up feeling spiritually, financially, mentally, physically and emotionally better real soon. I hope she can put all this behind and press forward.

I read her tweets and sometimes, it makes me wonder, If she's really happy? Call it a keen eye or whatever, but I'm reading between her lines and seeing through her smile. Maybe, what I see is alot of myself. Who knows?

Her last tweet over a week ago, made me start praying harder for her and harder for myself. She said, "I wish that someone would come and find me, until then I walk alone". She sounded so much like how I'm feeling. At least, she's brave enuff to put it out there.

Until then Serena, I hope your feeling better soon and I'm a fan that's praying for you!