Jump! If you're learning to swim just jump in the water. Preferably if you have a life jacket or life guard within yelling distance. But jump. Overcome that fear and jump into that water. You'll get it...right? Wrong? If I jump in and don't know how to swim will I sink soundlessly to the bottom? Will I drown? Will nature kick in and I'll somehow figure out how not to drown silently or while kicking fiercely? Jump! And find out. But how about ensuring that there is some sort of safety apparatus in place first? Look around and observe if there is a life guard...jump with a trusted companion in the water waiting for you. Jump with a life vest on or be sure there's a life saver handy. In life we have to all JUMP eventually. Jump into that position that you know you can do but are fearful of the responsibilities...Jump into the relationship that you have been praying for and that has appeared. Jump into marriage..with the right person. Jump off the diving board and into the sparkling water when all you want to do is stay firmly planted on the ground. It's scary but it can be done. The safety of jumping is the preparation. You have prepared yourself for that job. You have prepared for this relationship. You have the tools necessary to move. Jumping takes action. It forces us to move. Otherwise we can stagnate and allow fear to rot us in one spot. Use the emotion as a catalyst to be in the space that you desire. Now, ready, set.....JUMP!

My youngest niece, Chaeli, is the juiciest brown baby I have ever seen. She is 10 mos full of life, two teeth and chunky legs that take her as far and as fast as possible. Looking at her walk is fun. When she started to walk she'd take a few steps..stumble...fall on her cushioned behind...look up at you and smile...then wait for the "clap"...Yea! Chaeli you did it!!!!! Now her steps are firmer and steadier and she takes them with more ease. She still stumbles and falls but she gets right back up and looks at you...smiles....Yea! Chaeli you did it!!!!! I want to be like my niece. I want to learn how to walk in this journey of life and know that I'll stumble and fall tons of times before I am able to walk steadily. I want to get up after I've fallen and smile...clap to myself...Yea! Egypt you did it!!!! You made a mistake, you learned a lesson, you cried a few tears...but you did it! That's the only way to truly experience life. You have to stumble and fall. You have to get your "bum" hurt a few times to really get you steady for the walk of life. Yea! You did it!!!

I am looking forward to the peace and quiet that the end of summer affords. I am ready for my son to begin 4th grade and return his structured schedule. I am ready to fuss with him over homework and bedtime. I am ready for my home to return to some sort of normalcy where all I day each day is my work and not double as a full time stay at home mother as well as corporate employee. I am tired. My butt is worn out. I have had my fill and I am so ready for summer to end.....

I need to exercise. I am probably one of the laziest women you will ever meet. I have all good intentions of walking or jogging but when it's time to actually perform I cower out. But I know the more I exercise the more my muscles will develop and firm up. In the same way we need to exercise other muscles....the muscles of character, discipline, responsibility, security, courage. These are muscles that if not exercised will also lose tone and appear without form. We need to daily practice/exercise our character...put in the work necessary to be the person we are "when no one is looking." We need to exercise the muscle of discipline. Like exercising our bodies we can't just say it's something we need to do..we actually have to put in the physical movement necessary to achieve our goals. How do we exercise these character traits? By doing the things we know we NEED to do even when we don't FEEL like it. Start small. Make a habit of opening your bills and paying them on time. Turn negative self talk into positive affirmations. Practice the art of saying No when you need to. Stand up for yourself when inside you're literally terrified. Exercise. Exercise. Exercise these muscles in order to achieve the life you desire.

Being the melanin infused woman that I am I tend not to tan easily. And I so envy women who walk around with what looks like intoxicatingly attractive tan lines. Evidence that they have been stung or kissed by the sun. My week in St.Croix produced tan lines that I am so excited about. Two lighter brown lines on my chocolate berry skin are evidence that in reality I was in paradise for a week and was not dreaming. I was away from the hustle..in a place where there are two roads and not six lane highways. I experienced the lap of luxury while eating mangoes for breakfast. lunch.and dinner. Saw lizards of every description claim their piece of the pie. And soaked in water so blue and exotic it was like being in a land of make believe. I enjoyed my vacation thoroughly and have my tan lines to prove it.....

Sometimes when we say we love someone or that we're in love we are thinking of ourselves. We are enjoying just how well that person makes us feel and what they do for us. We talk about what they do for us to make us feel so good. We forget that love is not selfish. Love will require you to do things that you don't feel like doing. Love will not always be about what that person can do for you. It's about how YOU show it. It's an action and it causes you to be IN action. It's about doing things you may not feel like doing at the time. You may have to wake up early to pick up aspirin for your Love's aching head. Or you may have to do a load of laundry in the middle of the night when you'd rather be fast asleep. Love may require you to entertain when all you want to do is rest. Love is about giving and receiving; it's a healthy balance between the two. But if you're honest with yourself, how often are you giving? How often are your hands open to receive? It's not just about the material exchange. Love is about the emotional and physical exchange; the sacrificial exchange...We want our mates to give selflessly...their time, their feelings, their honesty, their affection, their love..and we want it in our time. But when our mates..our loves...need to receive the same time or affection or honesty or discipline we say..."that's just how I am" and so we aren't able to give back or reflect what we want. Love requires discipline. The discipline to give of yourself when you don't want to. And if you want to receive this type of holistic love from your mate it is imperative that you start by showing/doing it yourself.