Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler...

Being on the MS Gulf Coast since
2000, I have adopted this Mardi Gras fever. I am not going to parades and
baring my boobies, but I do enjoy the festive atmosphere...and the
music.

Today is FAT TUESDAY---the day to do what you wanna...




Because at midnight, it's Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent season.



Mardi Gras is about music, parades, picnics, floats and excitement. It's one big holiday in this area!



Everyone is wearing purple, green, and gold, and adorned with long
beads caught from the beautiful floats. You'll see a lot of crazy
costumes, kids everywhere, and both locals and visitors having a great
time.  People sit on the ground, throw balls, play music, eat great food
and watch the crowds walk by between parades.  During Mardi Gras, all
of the businesses and roads are practically shut down.  People walk
everywhere and meet new friends. 



So today, let the good times roll!!! Eat, drink, and be merry...

 

The No. 2 Speech

Mary Jane Speech

Click Mary Jane Speech to see the speech.

"You know I had this great little sisterhood speech all prepared, but I seem to have left it in my purse at the table. I don’t want to talk about sisterhood, today.

I know there’s a lot of professional women here, but I want to speak to the younger girls. You guys signed up for this mentorship program because you want to be successful. You want to be your mentors! You know everybody tells you: 'Do your best so you can be number one!-But there’s another position...

You know I’ve found that being number two (glances over at Avery) gives you all the glory of being at the top without all the pressures of the number one spot. See, the job of any great number two is to figure what the number one is missing, what they refused to see and what they are doing wrong.

So, you know take your time, learn, be patient, get better. You will get to where you’re supposed to be if you do the work. Because remember, if you don’t somebody else will. I’m Mary Jane Paul and thank you for listening."

— Mary Jane Paul

I am not sure if you watch Being Mary Jane on BET or not. It really is an interesting show. I think a lot of women of color can relate to the lead character, Mary Jane, on some level. She is professionally successful, educated, single, childless, family drama, lackluster love life. You name it and Mary Jane is probably dealing with it. At any rate...

On the show, MJ learns that her love interest, that fine Andre Daniels, is married. Granted, she learns this after the fact but still, he's married. She then takes it upon herself to tell his wife, Avery. Of course, this revelation gives us much of the conflict for this season. 

Last night, MJ and Avery had a modest showdown at a business luncheon. I must say that Avery started it but MJ finished it. MJ handled it as classy as she could. Yet, I wonder if  'the speech' was really the advice we want women to have. The image that being No. 2 has its privileges and if parlayed correctly, can eventually lead to the No. 1 role. 

Although Mary Jane delivers this speech to a group of females who are oblivious to its ulterior motive, female viewer of the show knew good and doggone well what MJ meant. Is that really what we want women to think about choosing to be the 'second choice?' Sit back and be patient? Watch and learn for the No. 1's mistakes? I admire MJ's justification for keeping Andre in her life. She has to tell herself something to rest her nerves at night. No woman deserves to be anyone's second choice. Love yourself enough to walk away if he can't make you first.

This has certainly been the television year of the SIDE CHICK. They got role models now. First, Olivia Pope. And now, Mary Jane Paul. Ladies, you are the zenith of God's universe. You shouldn't be anyone's side anything. You were meant to be BY HIS SIDE, not something he keeps there.

I'm SA Brown and thanks for reading...
 

The Woman of His Dreams

God will take you as far as you want to go; as fast as you want to go. To be that woman of His dreams, that woman after God's own heart, is up to you.

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart will all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life." 

You decide what you will and will not do; whether you'll grow or not grow. You also decide the rate at which you'll grow. Will it be hit or miss? Will it be measles rate: a sudden rash here and there? You have to believe you can be a woman of His dreams? With God's grace and in His strength, you can. 

Let His will be done...

To Love or To Be Loved....

Interesting answer the grandfather gives, wouldn't you say?

As humans, we are made in God's image. God is love; therefore, we are love. Humans are made to love. The issue is when you aren't loved back. At least, you are not loved the way you want to be loved. Most people love the best way they know how. Frustration and disappointment set in when their version of loving you does not match your version. We have to learn to accept people as they are.

People will disappoint you; love them anyway. Because for you, as a human, you need to love and to be loved. Just like a bird needs that left and right wing...

Hear My Call

I know some would consider this to be an emotionally draining song. I think of it as a prayer---a petition asking God to help. Today I am asking...

Here I am again asking questions; Waiting to be moved.
I am so unsure of my perception. What I thought I knew, I don't seem to.
Where is the turn so I can get back to what I believe in?
Back to the old me...


I am such a fool. How did I get here?
Played by all the rules; then they changed
I am but a child to Your vision.
Standing in the cold and the rain; Lost here in the dark.
I can't see my foot to take a step. What is happening?
Oh, this hurts so bad. I can hardly breathe.
I just want to leave so...

God please hear my call.
I am afraid for me.  Love has burned me raw,
Love has turned me cold; I need Your healing.
Please, please, please, please, please, please

According to Forbes Magazine...

Successful people have a routine in their lives. The question is what do you consider successful. Is it a six-figure income? Maybe it's a growing family? Success can be so relative. We all have our definition. 

For me, I define success as a person doing the things that they love. So by all practical accounts, I am a successful person. I love to write. I have a published novel. I have short stories in two published anthologies, one of which is featured in a Zane anthology.  Two one-act plays I have written have been produced onstage. Yes, I should consider myself successful.

One thing I lack is DISCIPLINE. I pray about changing that. One day, I read an article in Forbes Magazine that listed the four things successful people do before 8am. For the last three weeks, I have tried to incorporate that list in my morning routine.

1. Exercise----Pray for me. I set my alarm for 5am. And yes, my alarm wakes me. Still...  Just pray for me.

2. Eat a Healthy Breakfast----I believe I have this one done. Breakfast is my most important meal of my day. I try to make sure it's hearty. I am working on the healthy. 

3. Map Out Your Day----Every morning, after reading my devotionals, I create a list of things I need to do. I easily get distracted from that list, but at least, I have a road map. Even when I venture off the trail, I still have a sense of accomplishment if I've done one or two things on the list. Eventually, I will complete a days' list and I'll smile.

4. Make the Day Top-Heavy----Usually on that list, one or two projects we hate to tackle. It looms after you all day (or week or month) until we finally set your mind to do it. To solve the problem, simply do the one thing you don't want to do FIRST. Get over the biggest hurdle first and the rest of your day is all downhill.

Every morning, I have the best intentions. Soon those intentions will become actions. Once they are actions, habits form. One day at a time...

 

Mission Accomplished

Now that it's complete, I feel a certain kind of way. I had the feeling when I was printing the pictures and deciding where they should go.

I am not sure where God wants to take me in 2014. I can only go after it one day at a time. That's my plan...

Vision vs. Action

Years ago, vision boards achieved great popularity with the book, The Secret. Even I bought into the 'attraction'. I still have my copy.

After reading it, I realized that its guiding principle for incredibly Bible-based, but most people are afraid to give God His proper due. The idea that your mode of thinking directly affects what the universe give you. And who made the universe? That's a different post so I digress...

Creating your own vision board is considered the key to success. It is not enough to simply have a positive mental attitude. The secret to achieving your goals is to dream about positive, focused, and specific goals. As The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vision Boards describes, the images and phrases that make the board should represent your highest priorities. Some post that a certain amount of time spent in front of the board is necessary for complete success, while others suggest that simply creating the vision board is what is critical to maintain the goal in your subconscious. If you think about your goals as if they've already occurred, then the universe will give this to you.


Cutting out pictures and writing down positive affirmations may be beneficial to some; especially if it helps us organize and more clearly delineate our goals. Just remember that after you dream, think, and pray about it, then it's time act on it. Sir Iaasc Newton says it best.

 

NEWTON'S FIRST LAW OF MOTION -- Every object that is in a state of uniform motion, tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. In other words, there is a natural tendency for objects to keep doing what they're doing. All objects (including humans) resist changes in their state of motion. Unless there is an unbalanced force that comes in and knocks something loose and shakes it up, then the object will remain in the same state of motion.
Example of Newton's First Law of Motion -- Dirty dishes in the sink won't clean themselves. Certainly, you can use the dishwasher and make it easy on yourself but YOU STILL HAVE TO PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER! If you want something to change (move), an external force (you) has to be applied to it. In other words, you have to take action. 


NEWTONS' SECOND LAW OF MOTION -- Heavier objects require more force to move the same distance as lighter objects. So we have force, mass, acceleration (F=ma). Force is equal to mass (times) acceleration. Acceleration is produced when a force acts on a mass. The greater the mass of the object that needs to be accelerated, the greater the amount of force needed to accelerate the object.
Example of Newton's Second Law of Motion -- Hmmmmmm . . . would it be easier to push a bicycle or a car if you had a flat tire? How much force do you think I would have to apply to create a five page website as opposed to this 3,000 page website. Yeah, the more moving your want means to more force you'll need.


NEWTON'S THIRD LAW OF MOTION -- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, for every force there is a reaction force that is equal in size, but opposite in direction. So whenever an object pushes another object it gets pushed back in the opposite direction equally hard.
Example of Newton's Third Law of Motion -- Let's just say that YOU are a rocket ship and you want to go to the Moon with your career. How much thrust do you think it will take to get you there? Your action (being the rocket) is to push down on the ground with the force of your powerful engines, fire, thrust and power, and the reaction is that the ground pushes you (the rocket) upward with the equal force of your rocket boosters. The more force from you, the higher you go.

It's okay to dream about it but you'll need to act on it for it to happen.