Have you ever given away something, “just because?”

 Unselfishly giving away something of value will teach you new lessons about yourself as well as make your joy complete.

Dr. Vivian Stringer, Head coach of Rutgers University Scarlet Knights, went to recruit a specific young lady for her team.  Stringer watched the young woman run herself ragged playing the game.   As soon as the final buzzer sounded , coaches from other schools approached the prospective athlete immediately.  Stringer too, approached the young dynamo about recruitment but she hesitated and decided against talk of basketball at that time given that the athletes appeared tired, dirty and wanted to shower and change.

 Stringer, put the player’s needs above her own and gave the tired athlete her business card instead. The look on the girl’s face was that of warmth, a welling of joy bursting from inside. In being rewarded with a smile for her unselfish act, Dr. Stringer also felt the joy; she too had a smile on her face.

Ms. Christian, an English professor at Medgar Evers College, was standing in line at the checkout counter at Toys ‘R’ Us during the Christmas season. The customer in line, in front of her, didn’t have enough money to purchase all the items she had stacked in her shopping cart. The distraught customer’s small daughter was crying and protesting, because she wanted all the toys in the basket. 

The little girl’s mother tried best to explain to her why she couldn’t have all the toys when Ms. Christian interrupted with a cheerful, “Merry Christmas.”  She paid for the entire purchase.  One can only imagine the joy that the little girl expressed. In an instant, you can give something away that will brighter someone’s moment, and in that, very same instant the emotional return you receive from the recipient will color your day with enough sunshine to bronze over a thousand summer fields at sunset, and in that warm wash of light you’ll understand why it truly is good to give.

You may not be a celebrity or have money to give away, but don’t allow those things to stop you from giving what you can; even if all you can is perhaps, a compliment, a few simple words of praise, a pat on the back of appreciation, or just a simple smile.  Make it habit to spread happiness to all those around you, for good is always repaid in good.

“You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for
what you think, because it is only at this level that you
can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think.”
— Foundation for Inner Peace: Publisher of Course in Miracles

                   

He is  Gone…Yes, Michael Jackson is Gone…

    The many faces of Michael Jackson have brought irrevocable changes worldwide. It was he who helped dissolve racial prejudices constructed by MTV in its early days, when up until that time black entertainers were seldom seen on the small screen. His voice transcended race; he appealed to the black community, yet at the height of his Thriller fame, 109 million of the 6.706 billion people living on the planet have owned a copy of his record breaking album. That’s one in every 61 people, worldwide.

There are more Thriller fans than Jews worldwide. That’s more people than there are currently living in the countries of Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Swaziland, and Trinidad & Tobago combined. Allow me to reiterate;

if you added up all the people who bought thriller, you could distribute them equally to replace the populations of seventeen countries. Since its founding in 1982, The Nation of Thriller has grown to outnumber the populations of 221 countries worldwide.

And that’s not all; Jackson as a philanthropist later went on to raise $63 million dollars with the help of his celebrity and musician friends with the album “We are the World,” which not only made a huge impact on famine relief in Africa, but also soared to the top of the Billboard charts placing #1 in twenty countries worldwide.

 

With all of his success, why is it that some people only see his flaws? A man who created his image in the tabloids by pulling bizarre stunts such as self-started rumors that he slept in an oxygen tent, and has had hormone therapy to keep a boyishly voice, to some seem weird.

He is , a public figure who could command attention and knew how to work the press, a true genius of the limelight who knew how people think about celebrities and used that knowledge to create a legendary image of himself- the zany man-child who lives with animals in an amusement park, who can dance without gravity, and shatter record sales with his inhuman showmanship.

 His ability to moonwalk the line between the Mozart of Pop and the Dali of social situations made him that much more great .  It’s that greatness that made us all want be him when he was up, yet pretend not to care about him when he was down- and unlike other celebrities, Michael knew this. He rode the waves of fame, but as time, and the weight of his crown laid heavy on his head; he collapsed under the tremendous weight of his own genius for his heart could take no more. And now, that nation of fans he founded on stage as a five-year old afro’d entertainer in a family band has transcended into myth and self-created legend. We pay our respects for we know his tragedy, we saw his frailty, yet we shook at his power.

 

The importance of eating foods with magnesium:

 What is magnesium:

Magnesium is a trace mineral known to play a role in hundreds of functions in the body; it helps to protect against a cluster of risk factors linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The risk factors of not including enough magnesium rich foods in your diet are, but are not limited to: elevated blood pressure; low levels of HDL “good cholesterol; elevated triglycerides (blood fats), elevated fasting- glucose levels(blood sugar levels) and abdominal obesity.

A lack of magnesium manifests itself physiologically in the form of migraines, attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, asthma, and allergies.  Magnesium deficiency as a root cause explains why some people suffer from a constellation of problems. 

Many of the following conditions have commonly been linked with each other in conjunction to magnesium deficiency; anxiety and psychiatric disorders, aorta strength, and the calcification of soft tissues including heart valves.

 50% of the magnesium we consume is found in the bones; the rest is located in the muscles, tissues and organs.  After exercise, muscles spasms are caused by dehydration and the lack of magnesium. Magnesium calms and relaxes the muscles.

Magnesium aids the body in controlling nerve conditions, muscle function, bone and tooth formation, protein metabolism, general health, and circulatory health.

When your body lacks magnesium it shows up in fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and weakness.  If the deficiency worsens it leads to muscle cramps, spasms, numbness, and cardiac arrhythmia. 

Foods that are rich in magnesium include: beans, peas, unrefined grains such as whole wheat, soybeans, spinach, potatoes, cereal, oatmeal, green vegetables, roasted almonds, and halibut.

Reassess Your Assets, Woman!

 

      The woman is shouting, “I am independent!”  The man hears, “You don’t need me.”

      Skylar, a beautiful 28- year old, says, “The odds are stacked against the independent woman.”

     Gorgeous 26-year-old Taylor explains, “Today’s modern women have new expectations placed on them in today’s society; to handle it all. We make our own money now, buy our own houses, and have demanding careers and pretty much go after whatever we want. 

      Young women no longer wait for a man to get those things for them (as has been the fact for decades past). Therefore, with all this newfound famine independence also comes a new expectation: to be the enterprising people when it comes to men and relationships. It’s a vicious cycle that men no longer feel the need to “step up” so to speak, because really, they don’t have to any more.

     There doesn’t seem to be that much driving men, since women are now taking the driver’s seat more and more and are in charge.  So where does that leave the women who are independent and don’t NEED a man, but definitely want one and one who is a gentleman and knows how to treat a lady?  They are out there but they are definitely a dying breed.

     Both Skylark and Taylor are unmarried and unattached – a common occurrence among today’s progressive, modern young independent women.  She provides for herself.  She frowns at domestic expectations and flaunts her financial assets.  She has the professional job that allows her to acquire “the things”: the car, the house, the fine clothes, the vacations, and on and on.

     She works side by side with men heading up corporations and creating change for our society.  They work well together and achieve fundamental results. Afterwards, she goes home to a beautiful yet empty house. 

     The roles are changing. Clearly, the independent woman does want a man, but her attitudes and expectations for him continue to change. Although she says she understands that men innately need to be the leader, provider and rescuer in the relationship, she struggles with this because she provides and makes her own decisions.  However, her needs and wants for the man are great.  She wants a man to be her partner, protector, lover, nurturer, and to share his life’s dreams and aspirations with her.

     The woman does not need the man to be her provider, yet his deepest desire is for his woman to appreciate his accomplishments, and value his worth. The biggest accomplishment for a man is to know that he is taking care of his family. 

    However, the true independent woman is not intimidated, nor does she literally live her life by Webster’s definition of independence:  “refusing to be under obligation to anyone, not relying on others for aid or support.”  Instead, she separates her title into two distinct roles.  She too desires “things,” and she understands that her material desires are met through finances.  Yes, she sets out to obtain the financial resources she will need to live her desired lifestyle.  She achieves higher education and economic success, allowing her to freely reveal her role as independent, showing her worth in the workplace.  She works alongside the man, and grosses equal or higher pay.  She too can now buy her needs and comforts. 

     Yes, another one of her goals as a true independent woman is to be joined with an independent man, to evolve together and become an interdependent couple.  So, how does a woman let a man know she is truly an independent woman without yelling, “I am woman, hear me roar”? 

Step One:

     She understands that her thoughts, actions and desires must be congruent.  Therefore, she does not allow society to dictate to her about her quest for independence and a relationship.  She does not attach herself to those messages that tell her that a successful woman will never get a quality man.  She removes her eyes from the words in print and removes her ears from the conversations and any negative words from her lips that might undermine her goals.  She removes any toxic thoughts from her mind and any detrimental actions from her behavior.

Step Two: 

     Her gears shift as she begins her quest for harmonious and happy relationships.  The truly independent woman leaves the office, the work as well as the workplace attitude.  She now focuses on her role as Woman!  She is in touch with her feminine side, and is comfortable expressing it.  Her confidence allows her to be vulnerable, leaving her open and available to balance her profession with a relationship with an independent man.  Furthermore, she is not in competition with her man on any level.  The truly independent woman shifts gears, and utilizes the workable old-fashioned values coupled with the modern progressive values to bring balance to the relationship, so that her partner’s and her own needs are met.

Step Three:

     The true independent woman reassesses her assets.  She isn’t in the panic mode at thirty because she hasn’t found her “quality” man.  Instead, she goes about life confidently knowing that her quality man will recognize her, and request her presence in a healthy, interdependent relationship.