In the 80’s Steve Arrington, formerly of the group Slave, had a tune that became an anthem for so many…Nobody Can Be You. I vividly remember this song and the effect that it had on so many around me. I was a kid of course but I completely luv’d and understood the power of music and the effects it had on people’s emotions. I understood how music could encourage and uplift one’s spirit and this song did just that!

In the recent months I have pulled out all of my Steve Arrington stuff and have come to appreciate them now more than ever. If you recall (and I hope you do!) Monday’s post  also featured one of my favorite Steve Arrington tunes. If you didn’t get the chance to read it now would be a good time to do so! *Wink*

For me, these tunes have become my theme songs and I have added them to my “Dessert Menu” to listen to and meditate on in the early morning hours. As I listened to today’s tune I was reminded of one of the messages that I try to convey in this blog. NOBODY CAN BE YOU BUT YOU and that YOU CAN’T BE ANYBODY BUT YOU either! Sometimes it becomes tempting to look at others that we admire and try to model ourselves after them. Perhaps we admire how popular or well known they are and think that if we just had what they have we too could be so well known. I remember a time when I decided I wanted curly hair (this was a few months before the naturally curly hair) and allowed my friend to put a curly weave in my hair. It was heavy as h*** and needless to say it didn’t last more than a week and I have not worn a weave since. I actually have sworn them off but I digress and that is not the point. LOL! One of my co-workers apparently liked the curls and a couple of days later came to work with the exact same weave. It just didn’t fit her and she looked very awkward. She must have realized it because just as fast as she had it sewn in it was taken out.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s OK to admire others but I encourage you to first admire yourself. Get to know yourself and find out what it is that YOU like, who you are (personality wise) and just be you. It’s never OK to try to be something or someone you are not because you will always feel uncomfortable doing it. The Divine created each of us with our own unique personality and footprint for us to share with the world and you can only share yours!

Photo courtesy of: http://www.nowfoundation.org/

It’s Monday; my favorite day of the week! Most people dread Mondays because of the meaning that they have created around this day but for me (and I hope you too) Monday symbolizes new beginnings and new opportunities. I can file the previous days and their experiences away and look forward to a new day and a new week full of possibilities.

As I had my DESSERT this morning ( meditation, prayer, and dancing of course) I thought about the tone I want to set for myself for today and what kind of week I want to have. I know that we can’t predict what will happen FOR us or what opportunities will be presented to us in the form of challenges but what we can do is decide that no matter what we will choose to fully be in the flow of life and open ourselves up to all the possibilities that the day has to offer. We can decide to dance in the key of life and go with the flow.

I encourage you to let go an any previous meaning that you have attached to this day and use it to create a great week for yourself. I encourage you to let go of any resistance to the events of today and use them to help you grow and evolve into the person that you were created to be and already are. Remember that challenges come to reveal the strengths, gifts and talents in us and that they are precisely what we need in that moment to grow. So embrace them fully and know that you are right where you are supposed to be. #EMDF

So today is Labor Day; a day that we honor our workforce and celebrate the social and economic contributions that American workers have made to the prosperity and well-being of our country. The origins of Labor Day can be traced back to the late 1800’s to the labor movement. I think it’s one of the most celebrated holidays of the entire year next to Christmas, Thanksgiving and maybe the fourth of July. I can vividly recall that it is one of my mother’s favorite holidays. With her having been a member of the workforce for 20+ years I can certainly understand why. I can count on her to break out the BBQ grill and cook up a feast truly worthy of a king. In this case a queen. Like many others, she may even take off to the lake or park for the day to celebrate herself.

But here’s what baffles me about the holiday: that once the day concludes one is not expected to be seen wearing the color white until the following spring. Be seen wearing white after Labor Day and you are subject to be “ticketed” by the self-proclaimed fashion police and for sure have your photo taken and posted on every social networking site known to man in order that you be ridiculed into never committing such an infraction again…in life. The wearing of white shoes is a more serious offense and rather than just being cited you could actually be hauled off to fashion jail.

I won’t bore you with the details of why one is not expected to wear white after Labor Day as that is not the point of this post but just for kicks here is a piece I found on the net this morning that seems to explain it all.  The author does a good job of humoring us while explaining the whole no white after Labor Day thing.

But here is what I have to say about it: This blog is about living and enjoying your life! It’s about celebrating your fabulousness and your uniqueness and about accepting and luving yourself just the way you are. It’s about being who you are and it’s about being FREE. I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would conform to this (or any other) societal expectation that was created by someone(s) whom you or I have never met and who more-than-likely don’t give a darn about you. Do we have the need to fit in and be accepted so much that we would conform to societal standards that were not created with us in mind?

I say if you want to wear white, SNOW white, or whatever shade of white you like after Labor Day or any other damn day then wear it! As we always say around here you were not created to fit in, you were created to stand out! And I promise you that if you wear white after Labor Day you will definitely stand out because  most others will be conforming to the “rule.” But you? You will be to busy creating your legacy and leaving your mark on the world. And if part of your legacy is that you had the audacity to be seen wearing white after Labor Day then all the better because what you are actually saying is that “I am confident enough in who I am to not give a damn about your white rule!” So go ahead and strut your stuff wearing white and walk right past the fashion police (probably some of you friends) and dare them to say anything! But they probably won’t because they will be speechless with their mouths wide open in shock that you are actually defying societies white rule! #EMDF #JustBeYourself