SURVIVING RONA

Before all of the stay at home orders, business closures and face masks I was really ill.  I had a flu that I could not shake.  I decided to self quarantine and stayed at home a total of about 22 days.  Things have changed since the time I was ill, but at the time, I was not a candidate for testing because I did not have a fever.  I had several online and phone consultations with my doctor and am so thankful that after about 15 days I was feeling better.  I stayed off additional time as not to expose a room full of essential co-workers and by extension their families. Thankfully, I have since returned to work and feeling just fine.  God is good.  

WHAT IM DOING AT HOME

Like so many others I have used this time to purge.  Once I felt better and returned to work, I started cleaning out closets and storage in my home.  I started the process some months ago, however did not finish.  Being relegated to home has given me the opportunity to complete some much needed home projects.  Complete the projects around the house that you did not have time to do when you were running the streets.  You will feel accomplished.

DAILY ACTIVITIES

Journaling, brain dumping, reading, writing and working on passion projects. So thankful for this time to continue to discover and live my purpose. Gratitude Journaling in particular has kept me sane. Rona has pillaged, plundered and taken away so much from our daily lives. If you focus only on what you’v’e lost you will thrust yourself into a negative mindset. Meditating on and writing down all of the things that you still have and are grateful for will move you back into a positive and grateful mindset. I’m telling you, it’s a game changer.

WHAT I’M READING

[Books]

Stand Up Straight and Sing - a beautifully written autobiography about the incomparable Jessye Norman.  I could read this over and over - in fact I am reading it again during all of this downtime. So much wisdom and so many lessons about finding your voice, speaking truth and representing yourself authentically at all times and in every arena.  I LOVE the opera. Jessye Norman, Leontyne Price are my sheros.

40 Days On The Narrow Road - a wonderful book comprised of 40 daily devotions.  I utilized this book as I led the Modern Day Christian Chick Community on a 40 day Lenten devotion. Head on over to Instagram and follow @moderndaychristianchick where I documented the journey of walking through the 40 days of devotion.  It was an amazing experience.  The devotion will richly bless you. I find myself re-reading many of the devotions to stay on track during this time. I’m trying to stay on the narrow road y’all. Pray for me!

[Online Publications]

The Atlantic - One of my favorite magazines. I have the paid online subscription which has a great interface. The Atlantic has sound advice for navigating Covid and produces articles that address the social, economic and racial disparity impact that Covid has on  diverse groups of people. The publication is a must read for all. Rona or no Rona. Great writing with fresh perspectives all while keeping it real. Love the Atlantic.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

[Movies]

Just Wright - Although I do take issue with whomever dressed Queen Latifah, aka Leslie Wright in this movie, I love that the girl of substance won the man’s heart over the superficial girl. Bump your beauty standards!  And also, Common.

It’s Complicated - I love Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin together in this Rom Com! I am here for every bit of love story that involves folk my age with a complicated marital history.  Also, that house and her store!  (If you’ve seen the movie you will know what I’m talking about).

Brown Sugar - Hip Hop.  Black Love.  That is all.

[Television]

This Is Us - Exceptional TV.  PERIODT!

A Million Little Things - The amazing intricacies of relationship. Love this show!

All of the Chicagos - Med, Fire and PD.  The best!

Grey’s Anatomy - Shonda dealing with it.

Station 19 - Complicated relationships and friendships and how they are navigated wrapped up in a great Fire Fighter narrative.  In love!

Big Little Lies - I grew up in Monterey, CA.  Love seeing home on TV and great writing!

WHAT I’M DOING FOR EXERCISE

SEND HELP! Cody tried to take me out….

Peloton - As I am exercising more consistently I realize how integral exercise is to self care.  I am very fortunate to have acquired a Peloton bike before Rona rolled up.  The Peloton community has been amazing.  Big shout to the women of Black Girl Magic: The Peloton Edition (BGM) a community supporting and celebrating black women on their fitness journey within the larger Peloton community.  I have been blessed and encouraged by these amazing queens who inspire me every day.  They fix and straighten crowns over at BGM and I am  blessed to be a part of the community. Peloton also has so many other workouts that you can take advantage of such as boot camp, yoga, stretching, running, walking and strength training, all of which can be done at home.  I am working at my own pace and feel so much better physically.  Movement is a vital part of thriving and my undisciplined self finally feels like she’s track.

_______________________

Stay connected to your friends and family. Don’t stay silent if you’re struggling and need help. We all need assistance from time to time and there is absolutely NO shame in that. REACH OUT!

This time in history is life altering and I believe it will change the way we operate going forward in a post Covid environment.  It is my prayer that we learn to humble ourselves and pray, seek God’s face, then we will hear from Heaven and He will heal the land.  We will survive Rona…..

SPENDING, LOW BUY & STEWARDSHIP

My focus for 2020 is stewardship.  In last week’s post (which I will link here) I made a commitment to the careful and responsible management of everything God has entrusted to my care.  One of the areas I am going to give special devotion and attention to in my all inclusive stewardship journey is finance.  I must admit that finance has always been something I struggled to properly manage.  I am blessed to make a good income that is sufficient to allow me to live a very comfortable life, enjoying the not only the things I need in the form of basic necessities, but also things I want.  That being said, I never really had an intentionally constructed plan for my earnings.  I basically took my income, paid bills, saved a little for a rainy day and spent the remainder on whatever I wanted. I’m here to tell you that this is not a sustainable plan.

I have been through many iterations of responsibility in my spending over the years.  As I have gotten older my spending has moved somewhat away from material possessions and more toward spending money on experiences that provide value that I can share with family and friends.   

I wrote a blog post about decluttering my life.  You can hear all about it here.   I shared that as I began the process I was faced with all the stuff I had accumulated over the years.   It was both overwhelming and revelational.  All of the stuff that I decided to purchase was weighing me down.  After getting rid of about 50% of my things and realizing that I still had a mountain of material possessions was shocking. I am still working on it.

As I embark upon this stewardship journey, I am approaching finance from a spiritual standpoint, and in so doing had to evaluate my heart as to the motivation of my spending.  Matthew 6:19-21 spoke to me so clearly: 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  -Matthew 6:19-21

I was consistently spending money on things, so what did that say about my heart?  I was so convicted about my spending to the point of action. For me, It was not about not having enough money to purchase an item.  It is more about assessing why I had a desire to spend money on something that does not ultimately provide any lasting impactful value to my life.

Now I know some of you are thinking,  “I can purchase things and still have a heart for serving others”.  You may be correct, but after careful consideration of my motivation, I am committing to an intentional turning away of purchasing material things and toward spending to providing resources to help others.

While in general, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with spending on yourself and buying things you want in moderation if you can afford it. But this commitment I’ve made to living a life within an overall context of stewardship has caused me to take a deeper, more introspective look into why I desire to purchase things in the first place.  I am committed to moving away from a what can I purchase next for myself mindset towards who can I help next with what God has blessed me with.  

I am doing the following to reach my goal of stewardship in the area of finance:

1. Being grateful for what I already have - When I take stock of what I already have in my possession I find that it is enough and it will minimize the obsession with wanting more.

2. I compiled a list of what I value and then looked at that list through the lens of the Gospel. I started with that Matthew scripture I referenced earlier.

3. I’ve committed to a “Low Buy” practice by being intentional about every purchase I consider making. No more mindless spending.  I am now asking myself is the purchase I’m making adding real value to my life and is it in line with the goals I’ve set for my life?  If the answer is no, I am not making the purchase.

4. I am making a commitment to honor the budget I’ve created for myself. Operating within a budget is a powerful tool to keep spending in perspective.  Prayerfully considered line items in outside of the necessities, I believe, will prove to be useful in 

I pray that sharing my commitment to being a better steward in the area of finance encourages you to do the same.  If you are on a similar journey please share in the comments so that we can all grow together.

STEWARDSHIP - NEW YEAR FOCUS 2020

Every year I like to choose a focus word that helps me frame my habits and practices in the new year.  Most are things I have already started working on but want to drill down on ensuring my success in those areas.  While you don’t have to wait for a new year to embark on something new, it is nice to take a retrospective look at the past year’s lessons and look forward to what is to come in the new year.

2019 was a rough year for me.  It was full of revelation, disappointment, self discovery and pain - all of which I am thankful for because all of it  paved the road back to joy and peace in my life.  Tried in the fire, out as pure gold as they say.  If I am honest, I still regret some of the life decisions I’ve made, but one will go insane constantly looking back(just ask Lot’s wife) and longing for what was missing.  So, I have learned to focus on the things I do have as opposed to the things I don’t, and while I have made vast improvements in this area I am nowhere close to where I need to be.  The journey continues.

In an attempt to move toward my goal of living a life of gratitude, my focus word for 2020 is stewardship.  I commit to the  careful and responsible management of what God has entrusted to my care.  It is my desire to live an all inclusive life of stewardship.  I have been blessed with so much and realize that dwelling on what I don’t have is ingratitude.  When I say, “things” I am not speaking of material things.  I strive to be a better steward focussing more closely on the following areas:  Finance, Spiritual Gifts, Service to Others, and Gratitude.

Finance - I commit to being a better steward of the monetary resources God has blessed me with so that I can do more for those who have been cast aside, overlooked and marginalized by society.  I don’t know about you but I want to do more.  

Spiritual Gifts - I commit to using the gifts of the spirit that God has bestowed upon me to bless others, lift up the name of Jesus and prayerfully lead folk to Christ.  I need to do more.

Service to Others - I commit to spend more time in service to others.  Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and actively engaging in mission work on a consistent basis.  I know I can do more and commit to doing so.

Gratitude - I commit to an intentional mind shift away from regret and towards gratitude.  Whatever state I am in, I will meditate on the enormous blessings God has afforded me.  

Matthew 25:14-30 is the passage of scripture I will be focusing on to be a constant reminder of tending to the blessed resources God has provided.  Reexamining the parable of the talents has been a sobering reminder of the consequence of idleness in the kingdom.  You can read the passage here. 

What is your focus word for the coming year? What call to action have you made for your life?  I would love for you to share so that we might encourage one another in our pursuits.  It is my prayer that we all grow, reach set goals and take care of one another. 

May God continue to bless and keep you.