Somewhere between now and not yet.
There’s something about today. The air is warm, but not urgent. The light hits everything just a little softer. I feel it in my chest, not sadness, exactly, but a kind of stretch…
Read MoreThis gift of extra days stretched wide and warm, full of stillness, movement, and the women who shape my world. The kind of company that asks for nothing but your presence. I started Friday by honoring my commitment to the YMCA, a place that's become more than work since I began there in November, but a community of familiar faces and shared purpose. My 10 AM finish gave me the perfect window for the three-hour journey to Snellville and my waiting family. They’re vegetarians and lovers of good food—we’ve always shared that language. They prepared a beautiful meal, and we broke bread with gratitude and laughter.
Read MoreLately, I’ve been releasing the need to convince, explain, or defend. Not because I don’t care but because I care differently. With less friction. Less fight. Fewer antipathies. There was a time when every misunderstanding felt like a challenge. A cue to clarify. A reason to prove I’m thoughtful, considerate, grounded, whole.
But now?
Read MoreI’ve whispered it in blog posts before, few antipathies. Not quite a mantra, not quite a goal. More like a quiet way of being. It means I’m choosing not to hate what doesn’t deserve my energy. It means I’m softening, not folding. Breathing, not bracing. This summer, I’m letting that phrase stretch out and take up space. No longer turning summer into a performance review. No more trying to outrun the heat or outwork the joy. This season, I want lighter meals, lighter moods, and lighter reactions. Stillness over strategy. Ease over effort. Presence over proving.
Read MoreRaising hell on Saturday night, and praising God on Sunday morning…
There is a tension a lot of people feel but rarely articulate: the dissonance between professed belief and lived behavior, especially when it intersects with expectations around gender roles. When someone invokes God or religion to define what a man “should be” “God-fearing,” “the head,” etc. and yet lives in a way that seems contradictory or even performative, it can stir up a mix of emotions: confusion, frustration, maybe even cynicism.
Read MoreSometimes, the best view isn’t the sunset or the skyline it’s the quiet theater of people just being themselves.
There’s an art to people watching. It’s not just staring, it’s noticing. The small things. The way someone fidgets with their keys while waiting for coffee, staring at their phones on an elevator with limited reception, or how a couple leans closer when they laugh, like their bodies can’t help but remember they’re each other’s favorite person…
Read MoreThere’s something that happens when I walk into the gym. Not just physically but emotionally, energetically. No music yet, no reps. Just a stillness. Like I’ve entered a space that demands both effort and honesty. It’s not about punishment, not about ego. It’s about presence.
And when I’m present ( ( F U L L Y ) ) I remember that this, too, is sacred…
Read MoreWe hear a lot of questions in passing… “How are you?” “What’s up?” “Everything good?”
They roll off the tongue like greetings, not always meant to be answered. Just part of the rhythm of daily conversation, like holding the door or nodding to someone in the hallway.
But “How was your day?”…
Read MoreSometimes, all it takes is two words.
“You good?”
No frills. No punctuation gymnastics. Just a quick tap on the shoulder of someone’s life, asking if their world is still spinning okay. And more often than not, the reply is just as simple:
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Or maybe, “Not really, but I will be.”
Read MoreThere’s a kind of peace that comes from not having to explain yourself. Not because you’re avoiding anything. Not because you’ve shut down or closed off. But because the people around you already get it. You’ve built a rhythm with them intentionally or over time where your boundaries don’t need a presentation, and your choices don’t need a backstory…
Read MoreSmall talk as emotional shorthand.
When we say “Nice out today,” are we actually saying “I’m here, and I need connection”?
But I’m about to get in the shower—is such a small sentence. We say it quickly, almost out of habit especially in texts. Let me get in the shower real quick and I’ll call you after. But have you ever thought about what we’re actually saying when we say it? It’s not just about hygiene. It’s not about the water pressure or the lavender-scented soap. It’s a subtle way of saying:
Read MoreA random observation about nothing and yet, everything—grocery shopping when you’re finally buying for pleasure instead of survival.
What changes when you’re not scraping by?
It hits me in produce, this small but steady feeling that I’m no longer in survival mode. No more calculating how long I can stretch a box of oatmeal or if I can afford the fruit this week…
Read MoreThere’s a quiet choreography that happens when someone gets in your car, especially when it’s someone you care about, or someone you’re still learning.
No words need to be exchanged, and yet, something subtle unfolds. They hop into the passenger seat, and I hand over control of the music, literally. My phone stays put, and theirs gets linked via Bluetooth…
Read MoreIt’s just something we say, right?
We say it after dinners with friends, after long phone calls that stretch into the night, after first dates that leave us somewhere between hopeful and hesitant.
“Let me know you got home safe”
Read MoreIt’s not quite inside, not quite out. It’s a place where shoes come off, but not always. Where conversations trail off, not because they’re over, but because they’ve landed somewhere soft…
Read MoreOne of my favorite hikes is the seven-mile loop around Salem Lake in Winston-Salem. The trail offers good elevation, but it’s more of a moderate walk; gravel paths, inclines, and beautiful views. Whether I’m on the treadmill at my home gym, running on the outdoor track at the Y, or hiking at Freedom Park, I prefer to work out fasted and only drink water after my session. The same holds true for my hike around Salem Lake. I don’t weigh myself down with a water bottle or a “fanny pack” filled with keys, phones, and other things. I simply power through, focusing on the task, until I reach the finish line…
Read MoreOne of the things I appreciate about working at the Y is connecting with people. Now, the two of you reading my blog know me, and you’re probably side-eyeing that statement because you know I do not like people. But every now and then, I come across some genuinely cool folks…
Read MoreI unmuted Kendrick, Lamar, Drake, NFL, and Super Bowl and now I see why I muted them in the first place.
Many of you are deep in confirmation bias,
the tendency to search for and interpret information in a way that confirms your pre-existing beliefs while dismissing evidence that challenges them
This has become particularly evident in the ongoing discourse around certain artists.
THE EVOLUTION OF A DISCOURSE
& I've found myself increasingly troubled by the intensity of criticism directed at Drake, particularly in the context of this recent "rap battle" with Kendrick Lamar. What started as typical rivalry evolved into something far more complex; a referendum on cultural authenticity, racial identity, and the unspoken rules of belonging.
Read MoreLately, I’ve been thinking about how wildly different my life looks compared to five years ago. And not just in the “time flies” kind of way but in the “words have power, and apparently, they’ve been working overtime” kind of way…
Read MoreIf the third-grade teacher in the Honda Accord is the foundation, then the professor is the evolution. Someone who takes what is simple and gives it depth, who refines knowledge into wisdom. She is the kind of person who doesn’t just read the world but interprets it, who knows that the right question is often more valuable than the right answer…
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