Pardon me

So I spoke to my mother this morning and she said 25, you’re getting old, you ain’t my little boy no more. Well mom today is my birthday and I may be a man, however I still need you and Dad to keep me on your insurance…. hahaha Good morning, afternoon, hello I am so thankful to see this birthday, you really just don’t know. As my birthday had been approaching I was thinking about how I wanted to bring it in. I was curious as to what this year would bring and more importantly what I would allow it to bring. In order to receive whatever greatness God has for me, mentally I had to be on the right page. I could have brought it in in the club, so bent that I would not be able to wake up for my conference call this morning. I could have let 12am catch me doing a million things but instead I decided to take a shower. Taking a shower was symbolic for me, I was immersing myself in the water and starting anew.

While reflecting on the past few years I learned that at 23 I was arrogant, I had just graduated from college and thought I knew it all. So you know what happens when you get too cocky, you get smacked up a bit, life throws you some curve balls that you clearly weren’t ready for. Sometimes there’s no umpire there to yell “hit by a pitch” so you lay there, beat up. But it was a good look because it taught me that you can’t live in this world alone and you need to have a relationship with GOD and move along humbly on your path. At 24 I found a new Ced, a more humble Ced. I just feel there was a lot of growth last year. I found myself doing things because I wanted to do it, not because of someone else or what I could get in return but just because I wanted to. 

One of my favorite Malcolm X speeches finds him telling the people that any religion that tells you to love your neighbor is a wolf trying to make you their sheep. Jesus told us to love our enemies and I understand it more now. Love is a gift, when you can love someone despite the pain or hurt that they may cause you, you are on your way to finding inner peace. Why be bothered producing wasteless energy to hate, to be angry and have your face all scrunched up when you can kindly smile and have peace within yourself. So arrogant at 23, humble at 24, at 25 I feel like this is my time. Here is my time for peace, to find joy in little or big things, internal happiness is the best gift any of us can receive. And as I buried a friend who never even got to live her 23 yesterday, it just lets me know that while we are here on this earth we have an obligation to God and ourselves to be the best person we can be, to shoot for our dreams and together we can achieve. Peace and Grace be unto you!