Mind.Body.Soul.etc

Pressure Makes Diamonds, but what Does Judgment Make?

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:18:00 -0500

I remember where I was 10 days ago, in Chicago, finishing up a photo-shoot (fancy, I know), preparing for a night out on the town, as one of my melanin deficient friends would say “ready to get schwasted!” when I first learned of Whitney Houston’s tragic death.

I struggled with even wanting to go out at that point. For one, it was one of the main reasons I flew to my beloved Chi-town a day early, to really see what its nightlife had to offer. However, after a struggle of internal backs and forths, I opted for a calm, less “rockstarish” evening. Something about partying just didn’t feel right (It was ironic to learn that her peers, people who actually knew her, did that very thing that same night in the same vicinity where this tragedy had occurred).

It still doesn’t feel right. Now those of you who know me, know that I was and still remain a huge fan of Michael Jackson. His death hurt, but for some reason, Whitney’s shook me to my core. A lot of us barely 80s babies grew up on Whitney, as we did MJ. I sure know my mother was a huge fan. I would often hear her belting out ballads on select weekends, and I promise you I can recite just about every line to Waiting to Exhale (don’t judge me!).

For the last few days, not so much to pay homage or tribute, but to better understand why I feel so uneasy about her passing, I’ve been watching a few of her very popular interviews (2002 Diane Sawyer and 2009 Oprah) to better understand this icon that I grew up on, yet never really felt the need to learn about. I started off with the 09 Oprah interview and almost immediately understood. This lady was me. Now before I continue, I have never done drugs nor have I ever been married. More depressingly, I have never been able to hold an ear pleasing note in my life. Yet, I saw the HUMAN in her. The human in me saw the human in her and I fell in love almost immediately.

I saw this woman, who was human, just like you an just like me. For certain reasons that I won’t get into in this post, I relate to this woman more than any other “super human” I have in the past.

Unfortunately she was human living in a world that expected her to be superhuman, yet the only thing that was superhuman about her was her voice. And we the world and more specifically the music industry pulled at her, expecting her to perform nonstop, star in movies, tour all over the world, be an excellent mother, and be a good wife. We wanted her to be a superhero, yet she was human. Human with a human voice that did super human things.

The human voice is an instrument that can be damaged several ways. While, I’m not saying Ms. Houston didn’t aid in the deterioration of her voice, I’m saying it was inevitable. Especially knowing that initially she had no formal training of how to use her voice correctly. Point blank period: her touring in the early 90s wore her voice out! Her speaking and singing voice was noticeably different after the Bodyguard tour. Although I’ll admit, it’s nowhere now. I can’t even imagine where my voice would be if I tried to belt out “I Will Always Love You” every night for 6 months.

People cope with different things different ways, and what many people don’t understand is that:

1. Artists tend to be more in tune with their feelings and more sensitive to their surroundings. History has proven that the most talented people “go through things” and are affected deeper than the average person. (My examples: Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, Kanye West, Mariah, even Beyonce…the list goes on).

2. Words hurt. Pulling and ridiculing her when she didn’t live up to our impossible standards didn’t exactly help my previous point. In fact, this was clearly a disaster waiting to happen. She was fragile, as many of us would be under such demanding pressures.

I get it. We judged her, we all did. We judge all of these celebrities, aka super humans/heros. Why? Because we want to be in their position, we feel if we had their talents and opportunities we would make so many better decisions and so fewer mistakes.

That’s what we think. There are many of us who wouldn’t last a day in their worlds, yet we expect them to make wiser decisions than they do. What’s even worse, we expect them to be the role models to our children, to our youth, and even to us. All because of what? Because they can sing a song and sell a lot of records? Because they have millions of dollars, star in movies, and wear designer clothing? And who are we to judge another person not having walked a day in their shoes?

A part of me understands, but a bigger part of me doesn’t get it. Why rely on another human to be the sole influence you or your child? While I don’t have children, I have a younger sister who I really pray can understand the only difference between them and us is a few zeros in a check (sometimes) or more visibility in the public eye. They are human, not superhuman.

We should enjoy the talents they share with us and realize they are nothing more than ordinary people with dynamic talents. Nothing more, nothing less. They struggle with the same things we do, celebrity is not a vaccination, nor does it grant immunity to the very things us “common folk” would crumble at.

At the end of the day, their only judgment should be that of God’s, just like yours and just like mine.

RIP Whitney. May you rest in peace.

My Hiatus

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:45:27 -0400

Hey guys,

I’ve been neglecting my site but with GOOD REASON!

1. I’m currently transitioning from school to starting my career.

2. I am figuring out how to design the site so its “more” than just a tumblr with a fancy url lol

3. I’m really working on myself so my posts arent a bunch of bs!

I will still update from time to time, but I want to “re-launch” this site sometime no later than January 1st, 2012 :)

I hope all is well.

Everyday I wake up in my beautiful 2 bedroom apartment to an...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:09:00 -0400

Everyday I wake up in my beautiful 2 bedroom apartment to an amazing view. I make breakfast in my incredible kitchen with gorgeous granite countertops. When its hot out, I make sure I go and hang out by the pool and then sit in the sauna.

chronicheaven: What’s Better Than the Aspirin Mask? (by...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:02:10 -0400

chronicheaven:

What’s Better Than the Aspirin Mask? (by ChronicHeaven

)

Check this out! I’ve been a fan of the aspirin mask for quite some time now, but if this is better, I have to try it! I will update when I do!

“If service is the rent you pay for your existence on...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:43:55 -0400

“If service is the rent you pay for your existence on this earth, are you behind in your rent?”

Accomplishments are great, but are nothing without being able to give back. To whom much is given, much is expected. #Philanthropists in the making! ♥

Food for thought….

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:30:00 -0400

Food for thought….

Intimidation: Most things in life aren’t as scary as they...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:36:00 -0400

Intimidation: Most things in life aren’t as scary as they seem. It took me a good 10 minutes to jump! But once I did, it wasn’t that bad!

-Some cave in Mexico.

dallassugarscrub: Life Gives You Lemons? Make Sugar...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:39:45 -0400

dallassugarscrub:

Life Gives You Lemons? Make Sugar Scrubs!

Many love the smell of lemons and they make great lemonade. They are so much more than that!

Lemon oil is excellent for controlling oily skin, it is an antimicrobial, encourages blood circulation and is detoxifying among many other things. I took the wonderful traits of the lemon into a fantastic all natural sugar scrub. It is amazing at the end of a grueling day as it will refresh your spirit and mind! It is an amazing exfollient that leaves your skin silky smooth. However; this should be used at night as it is phototoxic, (Don’t use and go out in the sun).

It is absolutely Wonderful!

geminilounge: Of course this is a great tip for a summer glow…...

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:43:24 -0400

geminilounge:

Of course this is a great tip for a summer glow… but I am reblogging this to show yall how bad my bestie/lil sissy/love is!!!!

mckenzierenae:

Here is what I use to achieve my summertime glow :) None of these products have failed me yet! **tutorial coming soon**

NARS Orgasm Blush : $27

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder in Sunkiss : $12

MAC Fix Spray : $12

Takin’ it to the streets! A week or so ago me and some...

Sun, 29 May 2011 23:34:38 -0400

Takin’ it to the streets!

A week or so ago me and some friends went bike riding. I fell in love with this activity all over again, and it sure was a workout! I will be investing in a bike this summer to help me get in and stay in shape!

"MISSED ME? MISSED ME? Now you gotta KISS ME!!! :)"

Sun, 29 May 2011 23:20:26 -0400

“MISSED ME? MISSED ME? Now you gotta KISS ME!!! :)”

Spring "Get Fit" Challenge

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:38:55 -0400

It’s the middle of April, for MindBodySoulETC, this and May will serve as “get fit” months. Here is my current challenge, via Tami Roman. Her and her followers did this at the end of 2010 and it was such an experience, I thought I’d share with you all. I’m ready to get fit? Are you?

Tami:

Ok ladies, I am so excited about this journey we are embarking on together!

I will not lie to you, I LOVE food and HATE working out, but it is time for a change. If we are not happy with things in our lives, we have to work towards changing them. No one else can do that for us.

I am not happy with my health and weight situation right now, so I have to do something about it. Thank you for joining me!

*We start Monday, April 25th and go through May 23rd.*

I would like to keep it simple. To me, that is where people go wrong – they try to do too much, too fast, with no real knowledge or direction on how to achieve the final goal. We are going to take it SLOW for long term benefits. We are only going to follow a few simple guidelines each week:

1) Everybody measure and weigh yourselves. Report your starting weight in the comments on April 25th.

2) Take a daily log of what you are eating. Review your log at night and replace something bad with a healthy food alternative.

Wheat instead of white; veggies instead of pasta; brown rice instead of white; pretzels instead of chips -You know the drill! (I’m going an extra mile and I’m slowly removing meat from my diet)

3) Do at least 20 minutes of low to moderate physical activity at least 4 times during the week. Try to do at least two days back to back. For all you “jump in head first ladies”, please allow your body to rest and recover. Take a day off-Please! Oh and be sure to stretch to avoid injury.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator-go to your local track-run in place at home-jumping jacks. I do not care what you do, just get physical (sex is not an alternative LOL).

4) Take a vitamin supplement. Working out causes depletion of important nutrients. I like One A Day for women, but you use whatever brand you want-just pop the pill.

5) Drink lots of water! I am not even going to say anything other than that-we all know how important water is to our bodies. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!

6) Work together! We have got to encourage each other to stay motivated. The worst thing is to try something like this alone. Every person who participates is a fit and fabulous healthy weight loss buddy.

7) Check in on Sunday with your new weight via the comments section. Also leave your feedback and updates so others can reap the benefits.

Read the blog each Monday for gradual changes.

Now I am not licensed in this field. If you need to consult a doctor before starting, please do so. Only you know your personal health situation.

I simply want to stick to basics, nothing fancy. Just good old fashioned eating right and exercise.

Let’s do it ladies! I am so excited to get started…

Via @tamiroman

"WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS..."

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:28:19 -0400

“WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE!”

Nude meditation anyone?

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:33:01 -0400

Nude meditation anyone?

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes documentary. I can watch this...

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:51:08 -0400

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes documentary. I can watch this over and over again, its so personal. I find it great when you can see someones growth.

The Story of Stuff…this is definitely food for thought! ...

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:06:00 -0400

The Story of Stuff…this is definitely food for thought! Please don’t let the 20+ min deter you from watching!

www.storyofstuff.org

"If you eat better, you live better, you feel better. If you treat the universe better (including the..."

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:40:01 -0400

“If you eat better, you live better, you feel better. If you treat the universe better (including the animals), you in turn will get better for your life…”

- Common

"It’s better to measure weight loss in inches rather than pounds. Simply because as you..."

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:35:49 -0400

“It’s better to measure weight loss in inches rather than pounds. Simply because as you continue to exercise, you will gain and define your muscle mass. Muscle is heavier than fat!”

"I believe you can make people believe you’re sexy no matter how many pounds you are. When you show..."

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:33:12 -0400

“I believe you can make people believe you’re sexy no matter how many pounds you are. When you show that confidence, you make them be like, ‘Oh, she’s fly!’”

- MISSY ELLIOTT (via chronicheaven)

Mayda Del Valle “Change” (by smashes38)

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:01:27 -0400

Mayda Del Valle “Change” (by smashes38)