How About Right Now

Right now I'm sitting here writing this blog and evidently...right now...you're reading or listening to this blog. I'm smiling now, how about you? The reason I'm writing is to share my feelings with you, you're where you are because you want to know what Calvin has to say. You know what, regardless of what time it is or was for you, and for me, we're still on the same page...and something's happening for both of us right now.

What am I saying? No matter where we are or what we're doing, let's stay in the right now and be all right with where we are. I went to Las Vegas this past Saturday, and had reserved a room online the day before. Beautiful ad that boasted of the king size bed, free cable, free wi-fi, downtown location, and all for the low price of $67.92 per night including tax. Unbelievable price in reference to the beautiful pictorial, panoramic  views of the room and motel site, and I felt so blessed to find such a wonderful deal.

It was a wonderfully scenic four and a half hour drive, but being eager to see my friends John and Willa upon my arrival, I quickly checked in at the motel, and took a moment for a  quick glance around my room. It wasn't as spacious and alluring as the depictions I had seen online, but the bed was king size, and there was a television in place, so I just dropped off my bags, and headed out to the home of Willa and John. We had a real good time reminiscing on our 20 year plus relationship, we were all extremely overjoyed that both John and myself had almost simultaneously overcome life threatening illnesses, and I can still taste the wonderful meal we shared at 'Lucille's', while listening to some live 'down home' blues. The time came to head back to the motel though, and upon agreeing on a breakfast meeting on Sunday morning, I took the short ride back.

Got back to the hotel and went to the bathroom where an almost unbearable, incessant noise, sounding like the huge pumps on the inside of the Hoover Dam, was taking place. The sound was undetectable in the bedroom thank God, but I knew my trips to the bathroom would certainly be quieter and more pleasant if I had some earplugs.

Coming back to the bedroom, I looked for the remote control but that was all in vain. I turned the television on manually, and made a call to the front desk. I was informed that the remote control for the room could be obtained by going downstairs to the desk and leaving a five dollar refundable deposit. When I arrived I had paid no attention to the environment outside the room, but having spent a number of years in the street life, I readily recognized the pimps, prostitutes, and drug dealers as I approached the office.  Needless to say, I was now fully aware that I was staying in a transient motel,  and that my expectations should not exceed this realization.

Undaunted I rented the remote control, went back in the room and found that the remote control didn't work.  There was nothing of my liking on TV anyway, so I took a chance and turned on the laptop. No signal as I had expected, and upon calling the desk about free wi-fi, I was warned that it didn't work all the time but I could click on the site 'Motel 8 downtown’ icon, put in the 12 digit passcode, and see what happens. I apprehensively did as I was told, was surprised when my site came up, yet understanding when it disappeared about forty seconds later. "Right now",  I said..."I'm going to bed." and in spite of the loud noise from the Mexican Independence Day celebration across the street, I was able to sleep.

Upon picking me up the next morning, John informed me that the area about three blocks down was improving but that more murders were committed there than in any area in Las Vegas. Right now though, I was all right cause I was still here. That's my point ya'll, no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, if you feel ok you are ok, and what you don't know can't hurt you. What you do know should be considered however. I was vividly reminded that drugs and street life ain't for me. I realized that I needed to communicate more and ask somebody who knows to suggest hotel accommodations. Most of all, I accepted the fact that it’s best for me to stay in the ‘right now’  and enjoy the view, no matter what time or in what place that might be. 

I'l holla...

To comment or respond please click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com

TWEAK YOUR TUDE

That's right...from time to time we should check and see what's going on with our attitude toward life and the people in it. 'You better check yourself before you wreck yourself' is the adage I'm familiar with, and I'm sure all of you have been told from time to time, whether verbally or just by the expression on somebody's face, "I don't like your attitude.' Don't get me wrong though, cause the same applies on the other side as well. Most , if not all of us, have been told..."I like your attitude... Man, I wish I was cool like that..., or that confident..., or that cocky." Well it's okay to be checked by others, but it's better to check ourselves first so that we can better respond to those others that are checking us.

We got to go inside ya'll, we got to go in deep and find out what we're working with before we get worked up or worked over. It's simple, but it's not easy living in this world of ours. All it takes is treating others like we want to be treated, that's the simple part. The hard part is not treating people the way they treat us. Every other day we run into somebody, or hear about somebody that doesn't seem to like or respect who we are or what we stand for, and it takes a lot to not respond in a negative way to what they're bringing to the table. The real dilemma doesn't start with them and what they have to say however, it starts with how we respond. We need to reset our spiritual agenda, so that our physical and emotional inclinations don't control how we interact with others.

Ohh it's been many a night that I've been upset to the point that I'm walking down the street of a rough area in the city, and asking myself 'What if somebody tries to do something to you." You know the response..."OOH I ain't had a fight in thirty years... I wish a n---- would." It ain't good to have that kind of attitude ya'll, cause in this day and age people are looking for somebody to take off, and they don't give a damn about your attitude.

Attitude is revealing and contagious. It sets the stage for how we treat others and how they treat us. Unless we know who we are and what our purpose is, the field for foolishness is wide open and we might go anywhere  cause we have no direction. I think these words from the 'Desiderata' pretty much sum up what a desired attitude looks like...

"...be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

That's right, go in and see if that's how you feel inside. Stop everything for a minute and reassess if you're spiritually where you want to be. If not open yourself up for the change that needs to take place, and then be about letting it happen. You know we work too hard at trying to be this and trying to be that. We strive too much to look like what we think the standard of beauty is. We spend way too much time trying to live up to what we think somebody else's expectations of us are. Come in from the outside and go in where the real you resides.

It's way cool to look good, feel good, and our personal happiness is of utmost importance.. The fact of the matter is that we can do, we can have, and we can be all of that if we use our attitude as our guide and our follow up as our sustainer. Whatever we want will unfold... We just need to do our part and be patient with the outcome.

I am happy with myself, and when you see me, you can be what you see. Just tell yourself that every day, make up your mind to live from that perspective each and every moment of your life, and don't allow anybody to steal your joy no matter what page they may be on. Stay in your book...'The Road to Happiness', and understand that every chapter and every page in that book is contingent on your attitude towards the "Book of Life'.

People gon be who they are and the only way to contend and get along with them is to be you...the real you that dwells inside. You may not be where you want to be, so be happy with where you are and know that it always gonna get greater later. Let that be your attitude and vow that you're gonna be sticking to it.

I'll holla...

To comment or respond please click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com

CHICAGO VIBES

I'm here in Chicago and just totally excited about the vibes I'm experiencing. Albeit some of them are not as titillating as I'd like them to be, my hometown of Chicago is still an accurate barometer of what's going on around the world, and I'm just happy to be here and to be able to check things out.

I do not watch the news in California but while here in Chicago I viewed a news broadcast Sunday night and and learned that there was:

• a number 6.o earthquake in Napa, California 
• two police related shootings of one black man and black woman and another individual black man in two different Chicago neighborhoods and...
• a severe thunderstorm watch for the Chicago area on the next day Monday.                                  

All three news items produced negative vibes which gave me an opportunity to find the common denominator for the barometric pressure felt here in Chicago, and the rest of the known world...that common denominator being fear. This finding was confirmed for me as I drove down the Dan Ryan expressway about 1 pm the next day, and saw about 30 vehicles parked under the viaducts between 95th and 87th street. Might not mean anything to you, but here in Chicago we call that expressway 'The Damn Ryan' because of its high potential for accidents, yet nobody ever pulls over unless there's something wrong with the car or the police tell us to. In all my 65 years I have never seen that many people pull over and I know that a part of it was out of fear of the thunder and lightening that was occurring

Don't get me wrong. The fear I recognized was an understandable fear, as was the fearful anticipation and consequence of the earthquake in Napa, as well as the apprehensive potential for a citizen retaliation to the two shootings by Chicago police officers. My contention is that we're living under the auspices of a media induced fear, initiated and perpetrated by the so called 'powers that be', and that the vibes created as a result only serve to keep us worried, unhappy, and wondering what's going to happen next? 

On the other hand there were the positive vibes I got from hearing again that although Chicago's own Jackie Robinson West Little Leaguers baseball team had not won the International World series, they were still the World Series champions of the United States. You see I got a chance to see their last game, and I got a chance to be on the Damn Ryan' where thousands of motorists were on their way downtown to stand in the middle of State Street and watch those young black males demonstrate that they are not a lost cause, and although they might not win every game, they refuse to be defeated. I got a chance to see their black parents, along with white, black, yellow and brown supporters say... "Later for demonstrations and uprisings and terrorism and starvation and disease and killings and all that other stuff going on. We got HOPE right now and it's going to sustain us until." 

Needless to say, the positive vibes are what I'm on now and they're going to sustain me until...that until being immeasurable because I know that things are always going to work out when they're supposed to, and that all our fears are unfounded simply because they're  only comprised of False Evidence Appearing Real. Don't be fooled by the media, or by anybody or anything else ya'll. Whatever negativity is going on...it too will pass because HOPE...which I've anagrammed as Hallowed Opportunities Provided Everyday... is inevitable and ever present. I don't know about you, but I'm living in the now yet still excited about our future. Thanks Chicago for still being my kind of town, and thanks to you for allowing me to share these vibes.

I'll Holla...

To comment or respond please click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com