30 Things That I Know at 30, continued

Yes, I know.  It's been a couple of weeks since by last 30 at the age of 30 post.  I realize that you have been anxiously awaiting my next five, and I trust that the previous five were educational and have made an impact in your life.  This week's top five...here they go:

6.  When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

                We all give benefits of the doubt, and we should allow room for mistakes in our daily interactions with others.  However, we have got to pick up on patterns of behavior and thought.  We can’t make excuses for people or accept everything as happenstance.  People behave, await our reaction, and that reaction helps determine their future behavior.  When someone throws you under the bus, on a “technicality,” believe that they will do it again.  When someone doesn't follow through as they said they would, believe that something in them makes their word less of a priority.  Of course, we can allow for some human error, but for the most part, believe that their behavior reflects their character, their personality.

7.  Life is for living.

                I thrust myself into work.  I started working at McDonald's at 14.  I worked all throughout college, up to 3 jobs at one point.  After I graduated from college, it was off to full-time work I went.  I became a teacher at the tender age of 22, and haven’t stopped yet.  But somehow in this myriad of jobs, I happened upon a job that allowed to me to work in an organization full of hippies, world travelers, and liberal minded folk.  They have lived in Buddhist temples, road tripped across the country, skydived, and run a winery in Costa Rica.  And this is far from an exhaustive list of all the “out of the box” living they have experienced.  At that time, the most I had done was lived in LA for six weeks.  I would say that I was perfectly happy living inside this box, working a 9-5, well a 7-3, but to be honest, I wanted more.  I want more.  Can I just live? 

Two quotes come to mind.  Katt Williams’ reference to weed in Pimp Chronicles, “Weed was put on this earth for people on the struggle and it’s got a chemical called fuck it.”  Now I am not a proponent of weed, sorry, but his point is well taken.   Stop thinking so much.  Overanalyzing.  Just do you.  Which leads me to my more sophisticated quote, by Duane Michals, “Trust that little voice in your head that says, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if..”; And then do it.”  If something pops in your head as a thought that interests you, do it.  Just push forward.  And even if it feels crazy, sounds out of “character,” do it anyway.  I would have to disagree with John Legend’s “Ordinary people” in this sense.  We’re not ordinary.  Back up, let me speak for myself.  I’m not ordinary.  I’m multidimensional.  I have layers.  I have interests, and goals, and thoughts that defy typical Chavonne.  Why not tap into that sometimes?  Nobody creates rules for your creativity and freedom of spirit.  You do that. I do that.  We put a ceiling, a cover, a top, a fence, parameters, over and around our creativity of mind and actions. I cannot be true to myself if I do that.  Don’t know about you, but my life is for living.

And in the spirit of life is for living, I know I said five, but I’m going to make it two this time.  Y’all have read long enough.  I got a little carried away on number seven.  Until next time….