Love is real, I am love

by Soulful Storytellers, LLC, posted in Eclectic thoughts

Tapping your feet, shaking your shoulders complimented by a little head move as you listen to Mary J’s “Real love…I’m searching for a real love, someone to set my heart free…” Yeah, it’s one that doesn’t get old…wait the remix, more vigorous body response required lol.

Here I go “damn I want a real love too” and who doesn’t for that matter.

What’s unreal about ‘love’? Love, the greatest of all things known to mankind. Love is the root of our very existence. How can we say ‘love’ itself is not real? It’s the one thing believers of God and Agnostics have in common.

Everything about ‘love’ is real. So why are we all searching for something we already have? Love is pure and conditional. Yes I said love is conditional!  The condition is reciprocation. We are to love and love in return. Doesn’t that constitute a condition? If you don’t get,  do you continue to give?  Do we love each other regardless…? We should but often we don’t.

Love is real! We are who are unreal and corrupt the purist thing we share. We confuse love with lust, love with sex, love with selfish desires.
We hurt one another and blame love. We can’t be faithful in relationships and blame love
We abuse our children, our community, our bodies and blame love.

Love is real, we aren’t. Love never fails, we fail. How we express love is unreal. We are often so twisted that when pure love is standing in plain view we ignore it. Sadly many only recognize all the love wasted and lost when they are nearing the end of their earthly journey.

I am real love, I’m not searching for it because it’s within me.  What I really want is someone to share their real love with me. We can magnify one another, rise above the ‘unreal’, and create a reciprocating environment knowing that come what may love conquers all.

“I am love, waiting here to give you what you need, like you do for me…” Jennifer Holiday couldn’t have sung it better…

© Soulmuze 2012

How do we ease the pain…

by Soulful Storytellers, LLC, posted in Eclectic thoughts

We all have vices, some used to accentuate our pleasure and some to ease the pain. The greater our need to enhance or eliminate the more we engage in our vice.

My mother always said “too much of one thing is good for nothing.”  As a God fearing woman she said turn to prayer for everything. Prayer is powerful, comforting and necessary in the world of many. We reach out to a power beyond the universe seeking guidance, help and most importantly the messenger who will deliver us from our ailments. Keyword being “messenger” in whatever forms it may come. We crave each other’s touch, to be held, to have arms physically wrapped around us so we can feel and believe it will be ok. We wait for that physical messenger and we find it in a vice. Oh yes I believe in the Almighty but when I hurt it is a physical pain that burns deep into the core of my soul.

“Is it a dream (is it a dream), that I am throwing in the wishing well, I am losing control my body and soul, Standing here waiting for a train that may never come… Deep water I am drowning, deep water Im slowly drowning in deeper…” Deep Water, by Incognito.  You have been here, loving someone who doesn’t love you the same way. Think about it, when love or life doesn’t go as we hoped, we begin to flail our arms, struggling to stay afloat, and some of us slowly start sinking.

Many people, regardless of their faith, are weakened by pain. While we are often taught ‘no matter how bad it is someone out there has it worse.’ That concept doesn’t hold water for too long because if you are extremely sensitive (like me) it makes you feel worse!  You end up absorbing the possibility of it being worse, increasing the burden that you are carrying. You cry out to the universe ‘what did I do, why is it happening, when will it stop?!’ Waiting…  no response. So you turn to your vice: drinking, smoking, drugs, sex, verbal/physical abuse, food … whatever it takes to release this anguish if even for a moment.

Pain is pain. What is nothing to you is overwhelming to another. We can’t say one pain is not as bad as the other. Vices used to cover our pain are like walking blindly into oncoming traffic on an eight lane highway with cars, trucks and buses coming in both directions at 80+ miles per hour. You just go and whatever happens is just that…it is what it is.

Even if you have the gift of true friends who will listen judgment free it may not be enough. The demons that dwell in your core are greater than that gift. It’s sad and difficult to understand unless you have walked thru the fire. When you succumb to the power of your vices some say it’s a sign of weakness, is it really?

“Lonely is a place I used to be, but I’m closing that door, I won’t live there anymore”, I Refuse To Be Lonely, by the late great Phyllis Hyman’s.

You tried as long as you could to deal, the pressure builds and builds so what do you do? Some close the door on their own, slow suicide thru overindulgence of that which masks the pain. Living inside their private pressure cooker, simmering, stewing, and burning until enough is enough! There is no definitive answer on how to overcome or simply ease the pain, especially when you feel God just isn’t enough. You cannot negatively judge those whose faith appears not to be strong enough. You cannot discard them, call them weak or selfish. Just like you can be blinded by anger you can be blinded by pain.

“People just don’t know what I’m about…They haven’t seen what’s there behind my smile…There’s so much more of me I’m showin out…(These are the pieces of me)”, Pieces of Me, Ledisi’s opening verse.

It’s the pieces that make us whole, when you feel like all the king’s horses and all the king’s men can’t put back together again your vices become your only alternative…but often times it doesn’t get you out.

I passionately and sincerely cry out to the universe to heal those in pain, to bring them whatever is needed to fill the emptiness that slowly eats them from the inside out. Let the method of healing be one that strengthens not destroys, may negative vices be replaced with positivity and support from our villages… for we are not designed to stand alone. 

© Soulmuze 2012

Apologies accepted..eventually

by Soulful Storytellers, LLC, posted in Eclectic thoughts

“One thing I don’t need is anymore apologies! I got sorry greetin’ me at my front door!…” The unforgettable opening from Sorry in Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem ,“For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf”

We are all guilty of blurting out things in the heat of passion whether it is during love making or an argument.
Thoughts of what we said usually happen after we have released our words to the universe. ‘Geez, now what do I do?’ You have either torn someone down or set their expectations higher than you ever intended.

At a crossroads with your conscious you want to apologize, retract your statement but you ask yourself ‘is it too late?’ Have I crossed the river of no return? It’s truly hard to determine. We are taught to forgive and forget. I don’t buy into the forgetting portion too much. We must remember in order not to repeat or to recognize when it’s going to happen again, brace for impact and stop it in its track. Use it as an instructive lesson.

Now forgiving here’s the challenge for us all. You hurt me, lied to me, mislead me, omitted information that impacts our relationship and an apology is supposed to repair that? Do you think you can say and do whatever you want and clean it up with ‘sorry’ later? Is it sincere or just to pacify? All of this thought process is truly overwhelming yet it’s unavoidable, especially when the act creating the need to apologize is repeated.

As imperfect beings we need to be able to accept an apology whether it’s delivered minutes, hours, days or months later. It doesn’t mean we are weak but it allows us to put a lid on that pot. It helps to smolder the silent flame that burns within for the emotional disruption that was caused.

“Steada bein sorry alla the time enjoy bein yourself!” …the poem’s closing line. You know who and what you are so own up to it!

The actions of some are intentional, self-serving and being sorry is just who they are! It takes all kinds and there are many straight up sorry human beings. So do you stress yourself, expend unnecessary energy or do you just let it and them go? Easier said than done but the journey starts with a single, small step. Accept the apologies regardless of the sincerity, leave the burden on the one delivering the apology. Forgive yourself in the part you may have played (remember it takes two hands to clap). Make room to welcome positive energy and experiences into your fold.

© Soulmuze 2012

Dark Socks

by Soulful Storytellers, LLC, posted in Eclectic thoughts

Ever walk around with a pair of dark socks and see how much dust it attracts? Pretty annoying isn’t it?

Here you thought your house was as clean as it could be. Your socks are picking up these tiny particles. The more it collects the more visible they become. Those dark socks that were clean are now dusty.

Those dark socks have just delivered a message to you. Yup things are not as clean as they appear. No matter how small and unnoticeable something is over time it collects and grows. You can’t spend your life just coasting, taking advantage of others and think you will always be in the clear.

Do you remember when our parents told us to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes? Step outside of yourself by replacing your name with theirs? If you say you’re ok with being in that position odds are, you’re in denial because you want what you want regardless. No one with any sense of morals or positive values will be okay being used, played, a place holder until better comes along, a part-time lover/friend/jump-off, whatever, indefinitely. At some point it will not be enough, it’s our nature to want more.

As we get older our needs and wants change, the roulette game of life becomes less appealing. When the things we can’t control become over bearing we need to know that we have people in our corner to lean on. Those damn dark socks with those pesky dust particles! Let’s think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it’s a pyramid. The base defines our physiological needs: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep,  we elevate from one layer to the next safety, love/belonging, esteem and at the top self-actualization. When you reach the top of the pyramid, the peak, you recognize your power – potential; you have (to some degree) mastered the previous layers. You are no longer satisfied with being a particle of dust amongst many. Your individuality must be recognized, appreciated, harnessed, what can you bring to the table that can add to another, you are ready to give your whole self and want whole in return. It doesn’t mean you won’t have questions or doubts in some areas, but you can’t settle for just being a member in everyone’s string band.

Men and women are emotionally driven. Some more than others and emotions evolve and devolve at varying rates. Technology has simplified our lives, but has also taken away an important need, our need to confront one another face-to-face. We need to look at each other, talk to one another, read one another’s body language, and wipe one another’s tears. Our only touch shouldn’t not be sexual in nature! How can we reduce and eliminate those little particles that are hindering our growth without physical interaction.  It’s important to engage in social intercourse so that you know where another stand on anything. Stop making assumptions that everything is gravy while your socks are collecting dust.

© Soulmuze 2012

The Bare Essence of Love

by Soulful Storytellers, LLC, posted in Poetry

As you hustle for that perfect Valentine gift for that special someone remember it’s beyond the day, the minute, the moment. If it’s true it will be eternal and not influenced by outsiders or corrupted by society’s views. The symbolic token is an enhancer for the bare essence of love.

Focus, adjust the lens, check the lighting and click.

The picture has been taken and now we evaluate to determine if it will be discarded or evolve into a series of consecutive masterpieces.

The masterpieces begin…you have just captured the bare essence of love.

Lyrically sweet, syncing to one another’s beats.

Sharing passions, freeing your inhibitions, entering territories forbidden to all others.

The bare essence of love

Syrupy sweet and bitter root the symbolic journey of two becoming one.

Unified and distinct. Only then do you realize that you were a mere half and now your whole.

The bare essence of love.

Passion remains even in adversity. Strengthen the bond thru each laugh and raindrops of tears.

You may not finish every sentence or complete every thought but united you stand after the wars that were fought.

The bare essence of love.

Daily expressions not date driven. Said or unsaid, energy radiates from inside out.

Admiration of what you share no other will compare.

The bare essence of love.

Loving one another becomes your religion. The greatest gift that surpasses all other.

The gift that lead to our existence.

The bare essence of love permeates thru your union and engrains itself in every fiber of your being.

When you capture the bare essence of love, it is, and always will be soulfully yours…

© Soulmuze 2012

Overindulgence

by Soulful Storytellers, LLC, posted in Eclectic thoughts

How did we get to this point of constant overindulgence? We have gone from large to x-large to xx-large to fuck it let’s just SUPER SIZE IT! We never seem to have enough. Our global economies are crumbling. We blame the financial institutions, the government but never the role we played in this debacle. Did the banks tell us to use all of our available credit? Did the bank tell us to buy that car or house we couldn’t afford? Did the government tell us to live beyond our financial means?

Just because credit is extended it is up to us to know our limitations. No one forced you to use it all. The choice was and still ours to make.

Our ancestors contributed to the growth of our world not for us to overindulge but to make our lives easier. Their goal was to bring us comfort so that we didn’t have to work ourselves from the cradle to the grave. The age of retirement increases like the national debt! Look what we have done to ourselves, our indulgences has lead to our inability to control our greed.

When you saw an overweight person it was once associated with genetics or a medical condition. Increasingly it’s now the result of what and how much we eat.

Relationships were once one-to-one now it’s one-to-many. You can barely handle one but what the hell let’s just throw in a couple of side pieces, much like ordering a bucket of chicken… ‘can I get a mixture of mild and spicy, yes I want legs, wings, thighs oh don’t forget the  breasts like you did the last time.’… lol

Let’s not ignore the spread of sexual diseases.  Over indulgence with multiple partners, under utilization of condoms and other birth control methods. Increasing deaths by AIDS,   increasing abortions, increasing infertility, increasing children having children, increasing dependency on the welfare system, increasing taxes to support our increasing (often immoral)  indulgences.

WE need to accept OUR part in the state of these affairs. No one is exempted. We overindulged in that which is not truly a necessity for our existence…the wants.  We under indulge in…the needs.

We need to be honest; faithful; community minded; pay attention to our family; raise our children as a village; stop allowing the media to represent us as immoral and uneducated; remember the sacrifices of our ancestors; and the list goes on…

“Your body is your temple, your values are your foundation.

They must be aligned to create a solid path for your family… our collective futures.”

BT Express comes to mind on this one, “People know just what they’d like to do, whatever it is, you’ve got it, long as it pleases you. Make it last as long as you can, when you’re through it’s up to you to try it again. Come on and do it, do it, do it til’ you’re satisfied. Whatever it is, do it …”

WOW, who knew we would live these lyrics to the fullest and then some! Where is your point of satisfaction?

© Soulmuze 2012

Opening…

by Soulful Storytellers, LLC, posted in Eclectic thoughts

Are our thoughts truly new and profound? Or is it just the slight twist in the delivery that gets people thinking. Words awakening the spirit and stimulating a new thought or better yet activating an existing one you have chosen to ignore.

We may share the same story, but how we tell it differs on it’s impact. We are all unique by design, yet we share the same pain, concerns, needs and wants… or do we? See how easily we create confusion within ourselves, changing a punctuation changes our lives forever.

We hide behind our fears and scares. Hesitating to open ourselves, stiffling emotions and growth. When a flower refuses to bloom it’s beauty is trapped inside, wilts and fades. It’s lost and wasted. For the others that dare to open, it’s beauty is embraced, enjoyed and when it wilts and fades we have attached memorable moments to it’s existence.

It’s time to OPEN ourselves, reach within the depths of our beings so that we can know who we truly are. Share this transition with someone you love and trust. We were not designed to stand or do it alone. A world was OPENed for us, OPEN your world with someone.

“Creation begins with the OPENING of a seed which allows itself to be fertilized.”

© Soulmuze 2012