Be faithful to that which exists within yourself. - Andre Gide Faithfulness to You Listen phenomenal  living soul that you are all that is miraculous lies  within -Wanda M. Toby Too often we are told, not overtly but through images and media messages, that we are not good enough and we are subhumans, thugs, hood rats, trash, ghetto, and criminals. If by some happenstance our success is noticed then we are an anomaly and not the norm which is insane to me. We are survivors. We thrive. We rise. We conquer or hardships. If our existence annoys anyone, then fine, we live to annoy but we live. We push through. However, I want us to do more than that. I want us to achieve and grow and become our own marvelous dynasties.  In order to prosper for not only ourselves but each other as a community, we have to know that we are beyond beautiful. We have to know that we are beyond creative and strong and innovative. We have to know that we were made with all that we need

Dancing is music made visible -George Balachine I have gone back to the gym and having a hot workout playlist goes hand and hand. Check out this little Caribbean gem. Dejaypat put together a hot compilation of Haiti carnival tracks. Get up and get moving!

Wyclef Jean's J'ouvert was released February 2017 and like many albums that do not have the marketing money machine push behind it, got virtually ignored. He already has a new album out after  J'ouvert  called Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee . However, if you passed over J'ourvert, you are missing out. It is a collection of smooths melodies, smooth rhymes, and head bopping beats. Wyclef has stayed pretty low since the Yele Haiti controversies and somewhat addresses it in his Lady Haiti track. He also addresses the Black Lives Matter in Life Matters controversy which from hearing the song may have been misunderstood. Both tracks keep with the trend of infusing his Caribbean influence with hip hop flow that he has been known for. If you want to get your carnival jam on jump to Party Started and shake you ass. He does continue to sing throughout his album. I still remember when he was made fun of doing such a thing now many of these rappers are doin

Questions How long does pain last Does it fester What does it melt into Is that now contaminated Harboring, good or bad What are your intentions Universe When you presented yourself who asked you the tough questions Did you come in with the intention of taking over Who let you Why are you so presumptuous What if I were to say no - Wanda M. Toby

I get by with a little help from my friends. - John Lennon Tyrese Gibson is having a public melt down. I am not going to post the video but if you do a search, you will easily find several postings of it. It seems that he has been having a slow melt down for quite some time now and it is a serious testament to the importance of having a support system and taking care of our selves and well being.  People have been commenting about why is a grown man crying. Please there should be nothing wrong with this. Men need to release their emotions as well. He is going through a tough time and cannot keep it bottled in. I think the main issue is why is he doing it all over social media. I understand that he is in the public eye and has been going back an forth with his fans and enemies in this arena for a while; however, in his time of need (whether self induced or not) he turns to the cold, brutal place of social media?  Where are his friends? We need those people that we can t

Shelter is the first track in a compilation album put together by Foreign Exchange. It is a smooth jazzy collection of various artist and definitely worth the time to listen. It definitely has the potential to put you in a nice, relaxed vibe. When you think you've had enough but it just ain't adding it up. I will keep you safe inside. Shelter from the rising tide - Foreign Exchange, Shelter I think we all want that person or place that can provide us with shelter from the daily struggles of the world. These are the people that make the struggle worth it. The loved ones that you work for, that you can laugh with and cry with. The people close to us that help us decompress. The person that you call when you have news or want to vent. This is our shelter. They are our safe place. We all need that. It helps build out stress resilience and overall coping skills. It is necessary to find shelter. Listen to Hide and Seek compiled by The Foreign Exchange on Youtube

To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness. The other day I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about happiness. We discussed what it was, what it meant to us, and what it looked like. I maintained that it is not a sustained feeling but that life is filled with moments of happiness that ebb and flow into our lives. I mentioned that we can be content with where we are in life while still working on a goal.  What we find now; however, is that people are not at all content with where they are and most do not have any idea about where they are going or where they would like to go because they do not stop to think about it. Most people seem to busy to do this because they are working on maintaining or getting through life. It is as if we are driving through a beautiful rain forest while ignoring all of its splendor, not even realizing that as we zoom in out vehicle, we are completely out of place. I find that