life lessons.

in my old blog (it's not published any longer, so please don't ask for a link) i began to write life lesson posts. i copied and pasted the text here, for my own amusement & wonder at my personal growth. i'm likely to revise these and really make them more comprehensive. i've got 4 years of personal growth on me that will hopefully enrich my original project.

lesson one: your first mind.

we human beings have this wonderful thing called a first mind. or, as some call it, intuition/ a gut feeling/ a hunch. follow that motherfucker. if you are of the impression that someone's shady, chances are you're right. my first mind told me i wasn't gonna make it through my second week working for ACORN. did i? nope. when someone shows their ass to you in such a way that you can't deny what's going on, step back. evaluate what's going on. listen to the part of self that chews @ your insides telling you, "cut that shit out, yo."

lesson two: respecting one's gangsta (incomplete)

if you don't know, one's gangsta is their gumption/tenacity/ovarian or testicular fortitude. my gangsta is what made me decide to rock a teal t-shirt w/ red & green beaded necklaces, deep magenta sneakers & a pocket book that doesn't match ANY of it . . . all whilst wearing jeans w/ a hole in the arse. understand? i love me. i respect me. ain't nobody dope as me © outkast

dig me? your gangsta is all the history you carry w/ you that made your parents meet up & be who they are, everything that allows you to be your wonderful self. so yeah.


lesson three: extending yourself

it really boils down to a few points:

ppl who're unable to articulate their need for your help are more than likely incapable of articulating their appreciation of said help.

if you're helping folks so they will sing your praises eternally, you'll be disappointed.

know when to step back.


lesson four: knowing when to shut the fuck up. (also incomplete, likely to be revised along with the others at a later date)


just because you've been lied to/ bullshitted(bullshat?)/ had smoke blown up your ass, by no means do you need to be skeptical of everyone you know. there's a fine line btwn critical thinking and just getting on ppl's fucking nerves.

sometimes, you really do have to take things @ face value. & even if you don't believe everything you're being told, just take it w/ a grain of salt & allow that shit to roll off your back.

i skipped ahead cuz i felt like each lesson should move in progression, kinda building up to a climactic final life lesson, which i may only know of when i die. but anyway:

lesson seventy-five: shackin up

postin up w/ a motherfucker like you're his/ her wife/hubby is NOT the move under most circumstances. i was thinking back on how the fall of 2001 through the fall of 2002 was one painfully long, drawn out lesson on why plenty folks will not even consider buying the cow, so to speak, when there's free cow juice to be had. really. playing that role, for me, has proven to be a huge mistake. case in point: when you've already given everything & your relationship is still new, you've already taken away the mystery/ goodness of getting to know that other person. in a way, you've fast forwarded past the really dope shit & more or less created mundaneness. i'm not saying relationships can't move fast, but if it's only been three months & you still don't know where the fuck your partner grew up you might wanna fall back.