If the front door of opportunity won’t open, try the window
The biggest misconception I had as a teenager was that I’d have everything figured out by my mid to late twenties.
I was so, SO wrong!
I imagined I would have a well-paying, fulfilling career. I would be engaged to the love of my life, building my dream home while donning pantsuits all week.
Instead, I constantly second guess my career choices, am currently intentionally single, and live at home with my parents. …
There’s been a change of plans.
I assumed I’d be halfway to the altar by now. Guess what? I’m not even close. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t manifest my husband. Or pray for one.
As bummed as I should be, quarantine allowed me to toy with the idea of perpetual singleness.
It’s a mindset I thought I’d never have. One my ultra-conservative friends find depressing, but my feminist pals? They’re shelling hi-fives all around.
Oh, dear.
Pining for human connection during self-isolation isn’t uncommon. In fact, it’s understandable. Yet here I am, relishing the quiet that quarantine brings.
A few years ago, I was happily preparing…
For a lifetime he’d been every bit of God as she deemed God to be
The minister slept with the deaconess on Wednesday nights. On those nights, he anointed her body with his spirit’s oil. His was the broken vessel that left his wife’s dwelling every mid-week. And for over a decade, he ministered to other women in both body and soul. Practicing tongues, laying hands, and being the great physician’s hands-on assistant.
Nothing usually went awry at his baptismal visitations. This evening was different. The horror that etched across his face when Noni caught them in the act was paralyzing.
Noni, 14, was the deaconess’ only daughter whose father died in the Middle East…
Cardi B’s strategy: a case study for starving artists
People value an authentic story. Or rather, they value an unapologetic storyteller. It doesn’t matter what’s said, or how it’s told. This is why Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016. Why comedians, despite their uncensored jokes, will never be muted. And the reason social media personalities like Cardi B flourish.
I don’t share the same hysterical fondness that other millennials have for Cardi B. But that’s what makes her the best case study.
The definition of success is a relative one. But…we can narrow it down to: monetary wealth and recognition in your field.
I’ll…
These blueberry pancakes are delicious and filling
During quarantine, I ballooned to well over 200lbs. Typically I weigh in at around 180lbs.
I was so ashamed that I couldn’t fit into my favorite pair of jeans or most of my clothes.
I knew something had to change.
I started out with exercise and asked a friend to be my accountability buddy. The results were slow at first. Then another friend pointed out that in order to lose weight a total lifestyle change had to occur. Weightloss is 20% fitness and 80% diet.
So, he helped me with a nutrition plan. Together, we calculated my goal weight and…
Lifestyle
Play dates, first dates and vacations won’t be the same for generations to come
Ihave always dreamed of having a family, growing old with my husband and watching our children have children of their own. In my version of events, I imagined sitting in a rocking chair recounting distant memories — good and bad — to my loved ones.
I would describe how hurricanes Irma and Maria rattled my windows and peeled back roofs in 2017. Or watching America’s first black president sworn in on television in 2008, or the agony and aftermath of 9/11 in 2001 and the escalation of technology in the 2010s.
But I never thought I’d relay simple things with…
The impact of mass petition weakens when we cancel in excess
When I was a child, I was taught this song: “Be careful little lips what you say…”, the penultimate line cautioning that God sees everything we do.
But when it comes to social media, we’re more concerned about another all-seeing eye.
Enter Stage Left: Black Twitter.
Black twitter is the parallel universe you do not want to get trapped in, the maker you do not want to meet, and the judge, juror and executioner of our fates. By “our” I mean anyone who has ever published or been published online through video, photo or text. …
In the midst of death and disease I found the unexpected
No one ever looks at the bright side of a pandemic. It’s indisputable — there isn’t one. People have died. Thousands were laid off. Fragile health care systems crumbled.
What’s also true is that in the wake of one of Earth’s most devastating years in history, many persons have reaped rewards. Streaming platforms, advertisers, online businesses, and delivery services are prospering. The stark contrast is that brick and mortar facilities have lost sales, small schools have lost income and numerous persons deemed dispensable have been laid off.
But, influencers and online companies are biting their tongues about how their following…
‘Adulting’ Is Hard, But These Money Mistakes Will Make It HARDER!
//Do Not Purchase A New Car//
Even if you can afford one, or think you can afford one, always purchase a pre-owned, slightly used vehicle. I suggest at least 5 years old.
What no one tells you is that cars depreciate as soon as you drive them off the lot. It’s the worse investment you can make in your 20’s. Instead, use Kelley Blue Book or Edmund’s to do thorough research on a make and model of car that most suits your lifestyle, meaning a vehicle that accommodates your needs, not wants. Your car should cost in the low thousands…
Sylene "SylJoe" Joseph
Ghostwriter. Copywriter. (Email Me!) Literary Prize Winner. 📧: sylenejoseph@gmail.com
