Timing

I’ve been working on different things I wanted to discuss, but in light of what’s happening all over the world at the moment, I’m shelving several pieces until tempers and emotions scale back a bit. I am not insensitive and can see where people could/would get upset at an inappropriately timed post. I had NO idea these things would happen as I was preparing and writing, obviously. I simply wrote from my perspective. Life is, at best, unpredictable.

I pray that better days, better moments, are waiting for all of us.

For those of you who’ve checked in on me via e-mail or other forms of social media these last few days: THANK YOU. I’m never entirely sure if people truly care or if they’re just being nosey, but I know that at least a few of you truly DO care about me and I appreciate it.

I know that a lot of you run in the same circles as people who dislike me. Yes, there are people who dislike my cheer, charm, and blatant honesty. It’s astounding, isn’t it? 😉 I don’t blow smoke up their ass and tell them what they want to hear, therefore I am not a part of their cliques. I weep openly about it…never. If any of you are attempting to play both sides, know that I am aware that some people get pulled into the middle of things for no reason whatsoever. If someone says something to you and you have no idea why they’re coming to you with it, please be kind enough to say something to me before I find out. I don’t usually kill messengers, unless the delivery is really bad.

Thank all that is Holy that tomorrow is Friday. I’ve got studying to do (Yay!), editing to focus on, but mostly, I just want to get as much sleep as humanly possible and clean up my DVR queue in preparation for Fall premieres. It’s unbelievable how little there is to watch. That should free up lots of time for writing and new things on the horizon.

Your voice is one of the most important tools you are given in life. Sadly, it is an under-utilized tool that we are born with.

While I do often say that sometimes people take “freedom of speech” way too far, I also believe that far too many believe hold back for fear of what others will think and say.

One of my best friends admonished me for pulling yesterday’s piece, saying that I should not have to edit myself to appease other people’s issues. I agree, but since this is a newer platform, maybe next year would be a better time to bring up the points I would like to make, and by then, there might be additional like-minded people who wouldn’t be hurt by opinions and basic facts. However, while she’s right about me holding back my voice so as not to stir up drama, I also believe there’s a time and a place, for everything. Yesterday wasn’t the right time, but this will always be the place.

I’ve been accused of having “no filter”, and that’s partially true. I will filter myself in public to some extent, and I will filter myself in a room full of people who I don’t know, but I will still adhere to some basic principles. One of which is: Always be yourself. So many people worry what others will think of them, for one thing or another. I don’t. In fact, if you’re reading this and you DO worry about what people think of you, stop right now.

Ask yourself if other people’s opinions truly matter at the beginning and end of each day. I assure you, they do not. Opinions do not make or break you. What matters most is how you feel about yourself. It’s not ego, it’s not cockiness, it’s confidence and grace. Know thyself, and in doing so, be true to yourself. Don’t tell yourself negative things because that’s what others tell you. For one, it’s unhealthy and two, it’s what I call “self-abuse”.

When your inner voice (not your intuition, but your internal dialogue) turns against you and whispers negativity in your head, tell it to fuck off. I’m not kidding, tell it to fuck off. Do not allow yourself to take any of that negativity to heart. If you do, you’ll spend a lifetime with self-doubt and you’ll spend a fortune on therapy that could be better spent elsewhere.

Ultimately, it comes down to judgement. It’s your call. Speak up and speak out, be yourself, and live a more fulfilling life. In the same vein, sometimes you have to know when to let something rest. Just because you file something away for another time doesn’t mean you have failed in any way. It’s important to know when the time is truly right, even if for something as simple as the written word.