St. Augustine pops on the list that Travel and leisure shared their list of destinations for those longing to travel and must stay home. Road-trip getaways offer an alternative. World travelers only hope. Adrenaline pumping, I was Incredibly excited to dive into the the list of European destinations that can be enjoyed in the USA. Here are my topic 5 favs:
Getaway Vacays Instead Of:
Madrid Spain, St. Augustine, FL
Tuscany Italy, Napa California
The French Alps: Mount Hood Oregon
Nice Fance, Newport Rhode Island
Rome, New York City
Stwitzerland, New Glarus, Wisconsin
Take a close look at the list and start planning your getaway. If there are other US destinations that can be added to the list that makes you feel like you’re on a European vacay, do share, we would love to hear.
Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind,
-Toni Morrison
How do you get your child to read? Popular question 21st century parents ask. It can also be extended to adults. Booklovers find themselves lost in books facing curiosity for the reason many defy reading as avidly as a decade ago. Too many distractions most say. Parents have it the hardest especially during the era of virtual games. But as far back as my own family’s history, I can think of my uncle who was a school principal, I received books on birthdays and holidays. Didn’t like it at the time but appreciate it in the years that ensued.
So, parents there’s hope. Here are 13 ways booklovers shared to spark that fire.
Don’t be a nag
Read more yourself. Children live what they learn
Limit screen time from early
Read stories to them
Make bookstore visit a habit
Let them pick books of their choice
Dramatize characters. Make them come alive
Watch movies on books of real life events then let them decide which is better – book or movie
Display books around the house – Easy access.
Make reading a habit
Read books with exciting stories, then visit museums for visual effect
Share amazing stories and when they ask what’s next, let them read the book for themselves
Lead by example
Any points missing that you would like to add? Do share. We would love to hear.
I could not miss the launch of Pioneer and Award Winning Actress Cicely Tyson’s New Book titled “Just As I Am” tonight. Two hours later the news broke that she had passed.
She had marked the occasion with an inspiring discussion led by fellow award winning actress Whoopi Goldberg.
I enjoyed the soul-searching private virtual share between both …as Miss Tyson shared her mission which was to make a difference in how women, especially women of color, were portrayed on screen.
Cicely’s life mission depicts how to recognize when to Ditch a career and switch into one of purpose.
What happens when your career becomes your identity? This Happens to so many of us? Here are 3 of the Questions HBR’s contributor Janna Koretz suggest asking yourself.
1. How do you think about your job outside the office?
2. How do you describe yourself? How much of this description is tied to your job, title, or company?
3.How would you feel if you could no longer continue in your profession?
Great questions. Read the article for the full analysis.
You may also listen to tips as I chat with Patricia Reid-Waugh or get a copy of my book ‘Your Career’ Ditch It? Switch it?’ Both provide a deeper dive into how you can ditch it and gain the identity that brings lasting satisfaction.
Such a delight to see the Dreams of winters come through especially when you played a part in it. Yes, thrilled I am! I met Miss Pat in 2016 in Washington DC after coordinating the recognition of her son as Honoree. I serve as member of the Honorary Host Committee for the Caribbean American Heritage Awards (CARAH). We hit it off immediately. She shared her dream to write her biography and over the years I encouraged, reviewed the development of the title, manuscript and chatted monthly during the book’s 3-4 year publishing journey.
It’s now a delight to hold the long awaited dream book titled ‘The Reggae Music Journey in hand. The book shares the journey of a 4ft tall Miss Pat who worked hard, persevered and brought Reggae Music to the streets of New York. Despite the difficulties of being a woman in business, she persevered. Now 40 years later, she shares the journey of hubby Vincent (deceased) and Pat. A journey that has made Reggae Music a Globally loved phenomenon.
In exchange for this great resource on the evolution of Reggae Music, she takes contributions to the Vincent and Pat Foundation in honor of the Alpha Boys Home. You will have no regrets. Ask singer Shaggy of the acclaimed song “it wasn’t me” and Marion Hall they will tell you the same.
Deep thought. Articulate she was as she shared her soul searching work to a global audience captivated by her eloquence during the historic inauguration As a writer and lover of words like she is, how could I resist the opportunity to share the work of a Quiet Storm, Amanda Gorman.
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman, USA Youth Poet Laureate
When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast. We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.
And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it. Somehow we do it. Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.
‘This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge’: Joe Biden calls for unity in first speech as president – live
And yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect. We are striving to forge our union with purpose.
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man.
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. We seek harm to none and harmony for all. Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew. That even as we hurt, we hoped. That even as we tired, we tried. That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious. Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
Goals…There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. And there’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them. —Jim Rohn
Over the past few months we had lots of birthdays at the office. So we could all enjoy, I bought candies! More specifically M&M’s with all the nuts and stuff. Yum! Staff was thrilled. Another liked to chew on pens when thinking. Don’t we all know someone like that? Anyway, I bought a pack of pencils in her favorite style and gave to her as a precursor appetizer to a group lunch. She found it hilarious!
Then as she was about to consume the M&Ms, she cried out omgeeee it has nuts! I’m allergic to nuts! The pencils were a trip but then she exclaimed ‘ you want me to die? I…
The difference some people make comes alive after they are gone. Sad but true.
S. Cameron
Martin Luther King, Jr., was a Baptist minister and leader extraordinaire. His death catapulted a movement so others could live. The more recent deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many others who lost their lives and in their deaths they made an impact. Their deaths made others live.
It causes us to wonder if some people are born with the purpose to make a difference after death. We think of children. Amber alert was created after little Amber died after being abducted. Sad but her death encouraged changes that saved the lives of others.
Sadly, it is in death that we understand. Only after some die that we understand the purpose of life. Today I encourage you to look back on your life. Try to understand your purpose. Are you on the path that leads you to making a difference?
Reflect. Think about your purpose. Why are you here? While you’re at it, reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech. It depicted a leader who had attain his true purpose.
Jenna, a writer experienced a terrible situation. After a book signing, her world turned upside down. She lost everything. Her husband, home and everything that meant something to her. Despondent and saddened, she was offered a ticket to Europe which she initially refused then later accepted and went on a solo trip. What should have been a short getaway turned into a life-changing adventure. On a whim, she bought an old house with lots of projects and rebuilt it one room at a time in a strange faraway country. That’s the story of one of my favorite movies “Under the Tuscan Sun”.
New chapters can be daunting. Life throws us a ton of bricks all at once. Before we know it, we are tossed deep into situations that are overwhelming. Such situations can be caused by anything. Let’s take a few examples:
A great situation that brings joy
Marriage
Births
Divorce
Deaths
Job change
Relocation – Move to a new area
Disappointing Health news
Accidents
Bad experience(s)
Actions that we regret which force the change
Questions To Ponder
What happens when this happens to others and not you?
What happens when it happens to you and not others?
Different response in each scenario but whatever the situation, be confident and know that you can survive. Though it can be hard at first, you can survive.
Something to think about if you or someone you know is going through a period of change now.
The Only Limit To Our Realization Of Tomorrow Will Be Our Doubts Of Today. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Music, passion, travel, the rain some shared.Once a staff member fell seriously ill. Apparently she hid it from most but as it progressed, it became more evident. Word finally reached me in my role as HR. That was when I called to tell her of the concerns raised by her co-workers. It was then that she shared her situation. It was grave… with a crescendo of physical issues, she wouldn’t survive. I immediately jumped into action-mode to assist in the best way that I could.
In reflecting on the question “What Inspires you?” I realized that what inspires me is the ability to make a difference in the lives of others. Helping others inspires gratification. Here I share a brief synopsis from the perspective response of what inspires others.
Fear isn’t real. It’s something we tell ourselves.
Will Smith
A writer asked a group the Question what is the one thing that you are afraid of. Fear often grips us whether real or imagined. My interest sparked, I peered into the responses of those who were quick to chime in. Here I share:
Just simply taking a quick glance at the responses, most are not real. They are in our imagination and stays there for a while. Personally, I was afraid to jump out of a plane. I did a tandem jump and faced my fear. Many fear things like job loss, health, and loss of loved ones. But today, if there is something you fear as we start a new year, face it and move beyond your fear. Remember, fear isn’t real. It is something we tell ourselves.
Thinking that there is something waiting for me on the other side of the shower
Walking up the basement stairs at night
Ending up alone
The fear of my husband dying from an epileptic seizure due to low blood sugar
Unexpected knock at the door and the person stands in an area where I can’t see them
If I fall sick and no one knows
The concept of eternity scares me. Living forever
I am terrified of plugs being left on when there’s no plug in there. I am convinced it will cause a fire.
I’m afraid I’m going to wake up one day and it turns out I never let my ex
That I will be popular and people will be bugging me all the time
Being held down, weight on me and not being able to breathe as in swimming under water
I have an irrational fear that I rub my eye I will accidentally slop and gouge out my own eye
Dying alone in my home of a heart attack or something and having no one realize it for weeks
Someone staring back at you
Public speaking
A deer will run out in front of my car during a late night drive in the country
Chicken bone being lodged in my throat
Waking up in a house fire
Ceiling fans that one is going to get lose and fall on me
My uncle sent me a New Years greeting that all my dreams will come through. Got me thinking about him. Retired, does he have a dream? Sure. We all have dreams. Then it took me back to a sports newscaster who retired the day before after decades in the business. It was his life. He loved it. And we love him.
But what’s next?
I thought about this wretched year as most people would describe it. Ravished by loss of life, hope, shame as most middle-class experienced wants and needs in a world rocked by a mysterious pandemic. Never before has cleanliness been so top of mind.
But what’s next?
Year Of Innovation & Creativity
Personally, 2020 was one of innovation. Creativity soared as mankind tried to survive. Children became computer wizards as they had to learn to use the tools that adults used in business to get things done. Seniors did the same. Those previously fearful of computer are now experts at zoom able to turn on or off their videos depending on whether or not they want to be seen during church services. Entertainment became virtual from tik Toc to Instagram and Facebook lives. Innovation Soared.
But what’s next?
There Is Hope
As we step into a new year, 2021, most are hopeful. They’re hoping that the wretched 2020 year will not repeat itself. For me hope is the most important thing. That being said:
I wish you health. I wish your needs satisfied beyond what’s required I wish you leftovers to share with others I wish you smiles that goes deep within I wish you a year filled with extravagant laughter But most of all I wish you peace that only the spirit can provide. I wish you solace that you will be able to stand firm holding onto the only one with strong support.
So as we wave this wretched year goodbye, we join together to welcome the new filled with renewed goals, dreams, aspirations. A future bright and beautiful beyond compare.
Cheers to you and yours as you cross over into a bright future.
