Newness

UP until this very moment, I have been contemplating what I wanted to share in this first (and loooong overdue) blog of 2018. Earlier this evening, I read an email from a dear friend of mine, who wanted to express his gratitude for and to the people in his life. Humbled to have been on the receiving end of that email, that list of I Am's, I was inspired to happily oblige and reply with my gratitude-now list. I then wanted to continue these positive vibes and send my list to the people who humble and inspire me. Then, I decided I would do it in a slightly different way.

IN reading my friend's list, I realized that the very act of professing our gratitude brings about a feeling of renewal, and a fresh start, in that very moment. We do not have to wait for New Year's Day or life anniversaries (birthdays) or even the beginning of the week to begin anew. Every day we are given to rise from our beds, we are already new. We get to use today to be better than yesterday; that is our clean slate. No matter what occurred yesterday, it does not keep you from being your best You, today.  With that being said, here is my gratitude-now list:

I Am grateful to have been a part of a dope email chain (re: dear friend's shared gratitude list).

I Am grateful that I get to have passionate people in my life who inspire me to be passionate about Life.

I Am grateful for stillness and silence.

I Am grateful for getting to wake up and make today better than yesterday.

I Am grateful that I have stepped into my Purpose and get to live in it every day.

I Am grateful for my Blackness.

I Am grateful for parents who support my path, even though they were afraid I'd be homeless or broke, in the process.

I Am grateful that I got to experience being homeless and broke during my time living in NYC - without it, I might not have realized how resilient and resourceful I really Am.

I Am grateful that I can find a way.

I Am grateful that I have found a way to maintain inner-peace, assurance and gratitude, in the face of uncertainty and bullshit.

I Am grateful for Love over fear.

I Am grateful I get to be a Happy Black Man on a show that little Black boys and girls will see and remember when they're grown.

I Am grateful that I no longer feel that I have to prove myself or have to fit into the boxes that society has created, just to feel like I matter (dammit!).

I Am grateful for Our stories, Our strides, Our history.

I Am grateful for my commitment to Happiness, no matter what.

I Am grateful for my own permission to cry, to get pissed, to need, to ask for help, to stumble, to fall, to cry some more and then to get right back up and be dope as shit - that felt good, right there...

I Am grateful that I know who I Am, and that much assures my stability in every situation.

I Am grateful for the ones who take the time to know me, the ones who understand me and all my quirks to know that my Love goes beyond words.

I Am grateful to those whose eyes have reached this point - no matter what you may have said about this long list, along the way - because it means that on some level, you believe in me and my mission. Thank You! Until soon...


#SmithDonnellE #OnMyMind #newness #gratitude #blogspot #thankyou #iAM