"skydiving"
Occasionally, life mandates that we do something slightly daring and adventurous. During spurts like this, the mundane and typical regimen of daily living will simply not suffice. Some of us are literally bursting at the seams to embark upon some sort of a breath-taking endeavor. So what's stopping you? It's your inalienable right to experience spine tingling thrills, ever so often. After all, these small wonders often help you to recharge your proverbial battery. Some of us spend too much time contemplating our next adventure. You owe it to yourself to plan that long awaited deep see diving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing, or white water rafting escapade. If your closest friends are too chicken to join you, feel free to conduct some research to locate interest groups who share your thirst for action. It's only right that you treat yourself to a well deserved adrenaline rush! Even if your idea of adventure is far more subdued than the aforementioned list, you'll be doing yourself a tremendous injustice if you continue to ignore your adventurous itch. Whatever your pleasure, find a perfect quest to declare as your personal "sky diving" episode. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. Just one small piece of advice... be mindful of where your rip cord is located. It truly will come in handy when trying to ensure a smooth landing. Be blessed.Corey R.
"Mr. Wonderful"
Sunday night I was privileged to experience one of the greatest R&B recording artists of my era, live in concert. Stevie Wonder graced downtown Baltimore with a solo performance paralleled by none before and likely none to come. Mr. Wonder has more talent in the left hand with which he grasps his harmonica than most of the new recording artists of this generation combined. It was quite refreshing to witness a live performance by a band and an artist who sounded exactly like the albums that most of us have in our personal collection. This is just a testament to the fact that Stevie always gives us 100% authentic music. His hits were never watered down with studio preservatives such as enhanced vocal effects like T-Pain's vocoder or Pro-tools (musical instrument software) generated tracks.
I have been a Stevie fan since I was in pull-ups and a bib. I had very little choice in the matter. My Mom and my Uncle played SW's "Songs in the Key of Life" and "Hotter than July" albums so much that eventually I could decipher a Stevie classic after hearing only the first two musical notes of the song. Perhaps I have an "old soul" but this just happens to be my type of music. Stevie didn't have an opening act. Stevie didn't even have an MC to introduce him. It was just a very intimate evening of SW, his amazing band and a few thousand fans. Stevie started the show by sharing with us that he lost his Mother a little over a year ago. He remarked that the experience was so painful that he contemplated ending his illustrious career. Fortunately for us, Mr. Wonder reconsidered.
I nearly got goosebumps as Stevie belted out his classic like "Love's in need of love today", "You and I", "Lately", "Overjoyed" and "Ribbon in the Sky". The shows energy level climaxed though when he gave us his most popular playlist including "That Girl", "All I Do", "Do I do?", and "Sir Duke (You can feel it all over)", respectively. For three hours, SW gave us all of the classics and even infused some new (soon to be classics) as well. Seeing Mr. Wonder was indeed a big deal for me. His imprint will forever remain a staple of upper echelon music, as far as I'm concerned. If you have an opportunity to see Stevie when he passes through your town, do yourself a favor and be sure to witness "the musical genius" in person. In the meanwhile, I strongly recommend that you blow the dust off of your Stevie Wonder collection and re-discover the wonderment of old. Have a "Wonderful" day, on purpose.
Corey R.
Too low to get under
One thing that I've come to realize throughout my lifetime is that 95% of the time, the outcome of any project is directly proportionate to the level of investment expended on that project. In other words, I've usually gotten exactly what I paid for. Whenever I have invested ample finance, time and effort into a job, the results have been top quality. In contrast, those times when I've settled for makeshift or sub par resolutions, I've gotten burned. In most cases, I eventually had to shell out more money to have the same services provided again by a professional. Are you one of those folk who always tries to save a buck by 'getting the hookup'? Do you often seek the services of "jack-leg" mechanics who claim to be able to fix any problem for pennies on the dollar? If you are this type of individual then it is likely that you are also the type of person who is accustomed to spending additional funds to re-do projects. Don't get it twisted; I'm not saying that occasionally you won't find quality service at a lower price. It is important to note however that this will obviously be the exception; not the rule. If you tend to cut corners on major projects, then you probably should not be too surprised when the quality of the finished product does not meet or exceed your expectations. You remember that $60 Fendi purse you purchased in the salon? Nah, it wasn't your lucky day, you just copped a "knock off". Oh yeah, the guy you paid $250 dollars to paint your entire house will probably not take the time to tape before he paints your walls. As a result you will either have to conduct 'touch up' work yourself or pay someone else clean up his substandard work. Sorry to inform you but that neighbor who replaced your brake pads for cheap forgot to mention that there were five screws left over when he finished the job. Chances are those screws were necessary. No worries though, clearly you'll have that project completed correctly... just as soon as you decide to spend the necessary loot to have the job redone PROFESSIONALLY. Stop taking shortcuts on major chores. Or if not... then at least stop getting upset when your results are inferior. Be blessed.Corey R.
Luv 2 love you
Happy Friday beloved. Today's blog is inspired by an often abused emotion. Love, at least as far as I can tell is a fairly intricate and confusing feeling. Some folk misuse the expression by frequently and carelessly tossing the phrase around in every direction. C'mon now, if we let them tell it, they love every damn thing. It seems as though this sort of individual simply inserts the term 'love' in place of the word 'enjoy'. Ladies, after 4 weeks of dating, if he turns to you and says "I love you", trust me, what he really wants to convey is the fact that he "enjoys" you. The next time your girlfriend goes on a tirade about how much she loves Starbucks' Caffe' Latte, please understand that what she really means is that she enjoys it. My brotha, when ole' girl whispers in your ear how much she loves making love to you, (no disrespect but...) it is highly likely that she really just thinks the 'lovin' is quite enjoyable. Here's a thought... how about we start 'calling a spade a spade'. Let's stop confusing gratification with the emotion of Love. They are completely separate and unique entities.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have those overly guarded individuals who would deliberately dispute Love's presence in their life even if they were hit by a Mack truck with LOVE spelled out on the license plates. Okay, I realize that was a little dramatic but you get the point, right? Some folk wander through life intentionally trying to avoid emotional attachment to anything or anyone because they've been "hurt" before. I don't claim to be a psychologist nor a psychiatrist but if I were... my advice to such an individual would be to seek professional counsel, confront the issues that plague your past, break the shackles of yesteryear so that you can maximize your future potential. Trust me, true love is one of those things that we can't afford to deprive ourselves of. If you are the type of person who refuses to love someone because you don't like to appear vulnerable, that's a clear indication that you're already in a very endangered space. Love God, love life, love yourself... enjoy milkshakes. Be blessed.
Corey R.
