Are You Living Your Life Like it's Golden?

Tonight I was in some kind of mood and I started listening to some music. I love music I can sing along to…so it should come as no surprise that Jill Scott is one of my favorite artists. I remember when I discovered her. I was maybe 15 or 16 and while all of my friends were listening to the typical Hip-Hop and R & B songs, I thought I had uncovered a gem in Scott. I guess perhaps that was a few seconds before neo-soul had become popular and was awarded the label “neo-soul.” Since my treasured discovery, I have bought and sung along to every CD she has released.

As the songs rolled from one to another, the feel good tune “Golden” came on.  If I had to choose a song to describe this stage in my life at this very second, this would most certainly be the one. I forgot how wonderful this song was and ended up putting it on repeat. Throughout the song she sings about her "freedom.”

I'm taking my freedom,
Pulling it off the shelf,
Putting it on my chain,
Wearing it around my neck,
I'm taking my freedom,
Putting it in my car,
Wherever I choose to go,
It will take me far

Shamefully I have sung this song a million times and glossed over how powerful those words are. Essentially what she is doing is taking ownership of her freedom. How many of us know what it’s like to be free? How many people own their freedom? Living in the “land of the free,” that word is tossed around frequently without much thought. We are free to own land; free to practice whatever religion we would like to and we have freedom of speech. The list of the many freedoms we have goes on and on.

But when I speak of freedom, I’m talking about the freedom of your spirit, your mind…an unbinding freedom. Hell, some people won’t even pick out what clothes to wear without considering someone else’s opinion.

Let’s take a closer look at her words. In the first verse, she says she is “taking” her freedom. She is pulling it “off of the shelf.” She is “wearing it around her neck.”  So many of us have given our freedom away or neglected our freedom. You can give your freedom away to that 80 hour per week job or that person you’re won’t stand up to. Or you can simply disregard the fact you have the freedom to be you and attempt to be someone else.

In the same verse, she goes on to say that wherever she chooses to go; it will take her far. She is not being held hostage by the expectations of others or society. She is being true to herself. And speaking for myself as I always do, I noticed that when I’m true to myself, I manage to go further than I ever expected to go and places I never expected to go.

So to you my friends, I ask the questions: How many of you are living your life like it’s golden? Like it's important? Like it's valuable? How many of you are taking your freedom?

Ms. Jas

 

Wanna Get Away

I’ve been in need of a change of scenery for such a long time. I truly cannot remember my last vacation. And I’m not talking about those trips that I take to visit my family that usually take place  during the holidays. Although I love my family, that doesn't count as a vacation…it just doesn’t .What I am talking about is taking a trip somewhere…anywhere for no apparent reason other than to just get away and experience something new.

I finally got my chance to do just that. I have never considered visiting Arizona…it really never crossed my mind. Arizona typically (at least in my social circles) doesn’t come up as place to visit. However, one of my longtime friends recently began working in Phoenix and I thought to myself “Self, you’ve never been to Arizona, now would be a great time to take that much needed vacation.” So I purchased one of those Southwest “Wanna Get Away” tickets and a hopped a plane headed to Phoenix.

Since I’ve been stuck inside a cubicle for the last few years, I’ve had this crazy desire to be outdoors, when the weather permits it, of course. There is nothing like feeling the sun on your skin after you’ve been indoors all day. But, I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that it gets pretty hot in Phoenix and you’re right, this is not the sun I was talking about. The temperature reached 105 degrees daily, even the breezes I look forward to were hot and cutting. In order to beat the heat, most of my outdoor activities were reserved for the early mornings or late evenings. However, despite this my friend and I ended up at the Desert Botanical Garden in the middle of the damn day and it was horribly hot! We still walked around and were able to take in some sights of the desert, but eventually we had to do like the animals were doing and retreat to the shade.

One of the highlights of my trip ended up being saved for the end…the Grand Canyon. I never imagined visiting the Grand Canyon. I just happened to be surfing the internet for things to do in Arizona and I had another thought, “Isn’t the Grand Canyon in Arizona?” It is and instantly I became determined to go. So this past weekend, my friend and I made the 4 hour drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon National Park.

First off let me say, even the drive on the way to park was amazing. Being from Florida and living in Texas, it’s not every day that I get to see mountains. I have to say if I had to choose between the beach (and I do love the beach) and mountains…I would choose to go see mountains every time. There is just something so majestic about them.

Anywho, we finally arrive, park our car, and begin our walk to the Grand Canyon. I couldn’t believe how anxious and excited I was, especially since visiting the Grand Canyon was a recent idea. I don’t know what I was expecting, but when we finally arrived to the canyon I was struck with a speechless smile. It was simply amazing. It felt like I was witnessing one of the many instances of God’s love and existence…even the air was clean and crisp. I honestly could have stayed there forever or at least all day.

While I was standing there taking in the view, I began to reflect on my life and where I came from. I grew up in a working class neighborhood. My family worked extremely hard for what we had which is why I have such a strong work ethic. Our yearly vacations consisted of places like Universal Studios and Bush Gardens. This was truly a treat because some of my friends didn’t have vacations and never visited a theme park much less the Grand Canyon National Park. It was in that moment that I felt truly blessed and my heart was open.

So I had to share my experience because so often people don’t get a chance to experience moments like this. I also decided that I need to take more moments like these for myself. It’s so easy to get caught up in the minutia of everyday life because most people are just trying to survive. Needless to say I can’t wait to go back and when I do I plan on hiking into the Grand Canyon.