The Breath Before the Kiss

I want to be a lot of things in life right now. Most of the time I just feel like writing or reading.

[iglovequotes]

http://iglovequotes.net/

[peace-ofmymind]

Love him where love gets physical I don't mean the literal Body entering body I'm talking soul entering soul My love for you feels ancient, like them goodies that must be old

To be feeling this authentic It had to be brewing before we even knew it It stirs to depths unheard of and it's out of control Burning in my chest with only one purpose, one goal

To bring me back to life when my earthly body starts to suffer too greatly And remind me how that body might react if you left me

This type of love is no doubt dangerous But to say I could live without just don't make sense.

[iglovequotes]

http://iglovequotes.net/

[relatablepoetryandquotes]

via @grungelifee

[peace-ofmymind]

It's a daily practice. Make authentic decisions. Live a real life. #alwayslearning #brenebrownquotes #breakthewheel

[quotemadness]

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way - things I had no words for.

Georgia O'Keeffe (via quotemadness)

When someone asks me about how I feel about #Charlottesville 

[untidysouls]

I’ve spent the last two months living and working in a Superbloom and it has been magical.

Southern California | 35mm soaked in laundry detergent

[peace-ofmymind]

The Heart is Treacherous

I’m starting to reconsider what it means to follow your heart.  Growing up, I’ve been advised not to follow my heart because “the heart is treacherous”.  This can be true, but what I wasn’t taught is that this is not my truth.  

The heart that lacks wisdom and peace can be treacherous.  Usually a child lacks one of those things.  Following your “heart” when it tells you that you have to have sex with him because he said he loves you is treacherous.  Deciding to run away from home because your heart is so hot with despair and the feeling of betrayal due to a deserved punishment is treacherous.  But at a certain moment in your life, when you’ve amassed enough wisdom and peace, you’ll realize that your heart was never really talking to you.  Youth an inexperience will make you feel as though your heart is pulling you in those directions, when in reality, your heart was that rock in your stomach or that beating in your chest trying to tell you that this isn’t what you really want.  When your heart is truly pulling you to follow, you are at peace, and you won’t live a satisfied life until you abide.  

The trick is to understand when the universe is offering omens as Paulo Coelho would say.  Understanding that when you truly desire to do something or be somewhere, the Universe won’t let you forget it.  In this moment, your heart is not treacherous, its trying to save you.  

Have you ever driven home from work, parked in front of your home, and stopped to think about all of the people who are suppressing their Personal Legend?  The people who are going to work every day without feeling joy or enthusiasm for life?  And how many of us try to trick ourselves into believing that we’ve found our calling because accepting the reality that we are so far off feels like swiping our foundation from under our feet?  We are afraid to start over.  Existing is no way to live.  It is not our Personal Legend and no one was called to earth to live this way.  

Believing is the hardest first step.  Do you have the courage to believe that everyone has a higher purpose?  Many say that the world needs a top and a bottom.  They say that without this structure, society would fall through the cracks like sand through the fingers of a child.  I believe that this is not the language of the world.  The world has been spoken for by man for so long that the message is unclear.  Like the beauty settled in the landscape of the earth, I see potential in humanity.  We are supposed to compliment the light of the world.  And we can only do that when we are working towards our true reason for living.  So once you start believing, live to find the treasure that was buried for each and every one of us.  

[peace-ofmymind]

I feel like my spirit

I feel like my spirit flows through places that are untraceable I feel signals that can't be called home. I understand moments in time that typically drift by This is my spirit I don't know if yours feels the same But I'm so intrigued with my own Where does she come from? Which ancestors share her with me? Who can understand this energy that has taken me nearly 24 years to connect with. Each year I feel closer And everyday I wonder if she'll let me make it Or if life will just continue before she moves on.

[peace-ofmymind]

Grateful.

I am grateful.  I am marrying a man that I love and that challenges me to be a better person every day.  I have a job.  A job that I love and a job that challenges me to become a better person every day.  I am still growing and my mind is open to learning and changing.  I feel at peace with my religion and the decisions I’ve made in life up to this point.  I have an understanding heart and family to give that love to.  I am not perfect and I understand that.  I am so grateful.  To be in this body and in this mind that God gave me.  I am not trapped in it.  I am enjoying this journey of life that allows me to understand how I fit in this universe.  The things that I complain and worry about do not stop me from having or feeling this way.  So I am grateful.  Because although I am not perfect, I am still happy.  Thank God.  

[peace-ofmymind]

Ida B Wells #sayhername

I'm reading the biography of Wells and learning about her family history alone really makes me think about America's history. I learned that she was born to parents who were slaves. They were given the last names of their masters. Granted, her father was actually also the son of his master, but still also his slave. Wells is such a powerful figure who has made a lasting name for herself but she still has to bear the name of the man who owned her father. When someone wants to make anyone feel bad for talking about this shameful part of America's history they should remember this fact. The descendants of these slaves have to carry the name of the man who owned their ancestors. Forever. No one can change that. We have to live with knowing that our name didn't organically belong to us. This is just an example of how permanent the history is. I will never stop reminding everyone of this history because it's a part of who I am. I live with these thoughts on a daily basis. If I can't ignore it, you can't either. And it shouldn't be ignored; it should be acknowledged.

[peace-ofmymind]

Is social media healthy?

I’m starting to wonder if social media is healthy for me.  I have a hard time pin pointing exactly who I want to identify with.  Do I want to be the creative that lives on passion and feeling?  Do I want to be the teacher that lives out her dream of helping other people?  I don’t know.  But what I’m starting to understand is that seeing too many identities and too many opinions on a daily basis is stifling my creative process (shout outs to kanye).  I can’t be me because I see too much of “they” (shout outs to khaled).  

*that photo does not belong to me* 

[peace-ofmymind]

10 Contemporary Authors Redefining Black Literature

[peace-ofmymind]

Free writing prompt because boredom: Without using color names, describe a tree.

It was so high that looking up to it’s top blinded my eyes.  The leaves no longer had a color that could be named.  They were dry, dusty, and dead.  Seasons were changing but it still stood high.  I wondered how long it would last?  How long can a tree maintain the dignity that comes with being a tree?  When will it wilt over or when will someone use every ounce of their strength to bring it down? I guess even the most deeply rooted and majestic creations of the earth are always vulnerable.  It was so high that looking up to it’s top blinded my eyes.  

[yamanitos]

when your shift is over but the customer keeps talking

[peace-ofmymind]

Caught up in the rapture of writing...

As she walked into the ballroom she felt her feet leave the ground.  The weight of her heart vanished and all she could hear was the pianist’s fingers tickle the keys of the piano.  The beautiful sound guided her to the best love she’ll always know.  She never looked around to see anyone’s face but His.  She knew gravity was holding her body down but her spirit…her spirit was definitely flying.  There’s no other way to feel such joy.  The deepest exhale couldn’t calm her spirit.  It was flying stubbornly without regard for how her physical body would take the experience.  But she didn’t care.  Emotions were all around her and they were overwhelming.  But the calm of her body wasn’t worth the disappointment of calming her spirit.  This is her day.  This is her moment and she’s not going to let any worldly thing control it.   Freedom feels good…to be completely free of the memory of this world.  

[merlins-total-turnip-head]

Traditional Celtic marriage vows, better than anything I've ever heard:

You cannot possess me for I belong to myself But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give You cannot command me, for I am a free person But I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.

[shrineart]

But there’s more of it? I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night. And the eyes into which I smile in the morning. I pledge to you the first bite from my meat, And the first drink from my cup. I pledge to you my living and dying, equally in your care, And tell no strangers our grievances. This is my wedding vow to you. This is a marriage of equals.

[hitsvilleuk]

Listen: Janelle Monae - Hell You Talmbout

This is powerful. Janelle Monae’s latest track is firmly in the protest song pantheon, gahering the entirety of her Wondaland Records roster to chant the names of black Americans murdered by police and others over the last several years. The track’s release follows Monae and co. leading a Black Lives Matter march in New York’s Times Square.

Monae shared the meaning behind the song on Instagram:

This song is a vessel. It carries the unbearable anguish of millions. We recorded it to channel the pain, fear, and trauma caused by the ongoing slaughter of our brothers and sisters. We recorded it to challenge the indifference, disregard, and negligence of all who remain quiet about this issue. Silence is our enemy. Sound is our weapon. They say a question lives forever until it gets the answer it deserves… Won’t you say their names?