What's Stopping You? Question #30

The second to last question in our October series and it is: “What is stopping you?”

Nothing really stops me. Basically, I am exactly where I want and need to be.

There are days or even moments when I am paused – and what causes that is usually my thinking pattern. For the most part, I have cleaned up and eliminated those thoughts that have paralyzed me in the past.

What pauses me sometimes – not often – are thoughts related to whether there can ever be another “big” relationship in my life. By that I mean intimate.

Yet, that does not “stop” me per se from having great connections with others. I date; granted most do not go beyond two for various reasons. I remember having a conversation with my last “big” relationship mate regarding if we should break up. We both blurted out almost simultaneously and word for word that there will not be another “big” one but a series of “meetings, greetings and moving right along.” I have watched and heard about his progression and he has been true to his word.

I have meet, greeted and said “thanks but no thanks,” for various reasons with the bottom-line being my not being willing to compromise Me in any shape or form just be in an intimate relationship.

So, answering to Question #30 – what’s stopping me is my having given more than I had to others and not willing to be tapped out again. End of.

What about you? Are you “stopped,” somewhere in your life? Where? Why?

Share with us here as we wrap up this series tomorrow. We do not posts articles on Fridays so please check our Facebook page for the finale!

Namaste.

Settle For What? Question #29

I love my job; meaning the one that pays my bills. There are other activities that takes way more of my time than my "day job," but those do not pay me a salary of any size. Those are my calling, my service and my purpose.

When I returned to Canada in April of this year, my intention was to settle for any type of work that paid enough to keep a roof over my head, some food in my tummy and, most importantly, allowed me to stash away money to go back to Jamaica this winter.

Settle. That was what I was prepared to do; settle for any job despite my abundance of qualification and experience.

Two things happened - Life and Lia.

I remember praying as another résumé was about to be sent. The advertisement was about to end that weekend and I hesitated to submit my application , thinking that they must have found a suitable candidate by then.

That was Saturday and on the Monday afternoon as I was exiting the car with my daughter to go in for her 3D ultrasound, my phone rang. By the following Wednesday, I assumed my current position - one of the greatest and most fulfilling jobs that I have ever had!

On July 1, Canada Day, Mahalia, Li-Li or Kitten, whichever of her many names you prefer, arrived. My decision was made soon after to resettle in Canada so that I can enjoy this beautiful little girl while I provide service to one of the greatest nonprofit organizations in Edmonton, Alberta.

Love and Service.

That is my response to today's Question, "Are you settling for something?"

What about you? Share with us here or on our Facebook page and have a great rest of the evening!

Revenge and Romance: What Do They Have in Common?

Question 28:  “What was the last movie you watched?”

Of course I know how to read instructions but going to be a rebel and tell you about the last two movies that I watched.

The second to last movie that I saw was in a cinema, starring my favourite, on most days, male actor – Denzil Washington. The movie was The Equalizer and I have never seen Denzil in a more gruesome and violent role! Leaving the cinema remarked about this to my daughter, who was my movie date – she bought us the tickets, popcorn and drinks – woot, woot!

The story line was a good one, I understand the point of using one’s skills to assist another and in this case, Denzil was a killing machine, a true weapon of mass destruction. Love him to death but this role, fascinating as it was, was not my cup of tea.

This past Sunday, I watched a ‘foreign’ film on Netflix. It was an East Indian production entitled The Lunchbox. I recommended this movie to my Netflix-watching buddy, one of my DOS Sistahs as a human interest story, a tearjerker and one that I was not sure her husband would join her in watching.

Reading today’s Question, No. 28 in our October series and pondering my answer, it struck me that despite the violence of Denzil’s movie and the romance of Lunchbox – they shared common themes – What is the meaning of this life we are called to live?

Have you seen either of these movies?

What was the last movie you watched? Share with us here or on our Facebook page and have a great evening as we are coming to the close of this series.

Namaste

How Many Emails Did You Receive Today? Question #27

One. I had one email today. Okay, one that I actually read.

In April 2014, I returned to Canada after spending five great months in Jamaica. My return was precipitated by a couple of things:

1. I was awakened from my  dream of 12 years to relocate to my country of origin even on a part-time basis
2. My daughter was expecting my first grandchild and I wanted to be close to her.

While in Jamaica and prior to that, my email inbox was always jam-packed with messages every morning, especially after opening Daughters of Sheba Foundation to the public and extending our social media presence.

Email came in from all over the world, covering a range of topics, including marriage proposals from very wealthy African princes who somehow could not access their large inheritances without marrying me?!

Try as I might to answer as many as possible some got missed. When it got to the point of ridiculous, I made a decision only to respond to persons who actually needed the support that DOS could offer, as well as emails from Twitter followers who wanted to make contact with me to lend support to DOS.

Google Mail also has a beautiful feature of sending emails to various categories such as “Promotions,” “Social,” “Primary,” etc. If you do not fall in my Primary category – your email might not get read at all!

The only email that I read today actually was from PC Plus – my grocery reward programme. I expected it as the Customer Service Representative asked me whether I wanted her to send me some additional information after crediting my account with a couple thousand points.

In the office, we have a tendency to either walk to a colleague's office or pick up the phone. We are a much friendlier bunch than any organisation I have ever had the pleasure to work with.

The Internet, social media and emailing have become such integral parts of our lives – however, it is important to use them rather than be controlled by them.

That is my answer to today’s Question of the Day (#27). Share yours here or on our Facebook page and keep clearing those inboxes. 

Claudette is the Founder of DOS Foundation and the main Contributor to this blog.

Last article in this #October series:

What Impact Do You Hope To Have?

Image: worktolive.info

What Impact Do You Hope To Have? Question #23

Quick response to an easy for me question – one that I answered some time ago so this is merely a public repetition of my personal mission statement.

Emerson it seems re-phrased the following quote of Bessie Anderson Stanley – one that I have taken to be mine and the impact that I want to have on the world: 

“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it; Who has left the world better than he found it, Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; Whose life was an inspiration; Whose memory a benediction.”

The version accredited to Emerson is my preferred, however the basic sentiment is the same.

What impact do you hope to have on the world? Post your answer to Question #22 here or on the DOS Foundation Facebook page.

 Namaste

My Favourite Sound Is...: Question #22

Beyoncé  and I have another thing in common – our love of the ocean. Here is what she had to say:

“I'm always happy when I'm surrounded by water, I think I'm a Mermaid or I was a mermaid.

The ocean makes me feel really small and it makes me put my whole life into perspective… it humbles you and makes you feel almost like you’ve been baptized. I feel born again when I get out of the ocean.” 

As a child, my mother would send me off to the coastline of Jamaica for most of my summer vacation. This was the most magical time of my life! The roads leading to Oracabessa in the parish of St. Mary seemed extremely treacherous to me, travelling as I did in the back of the car or on public transportation. The hilly turns in Junction would cause me to puke any meal that I was silly enough to eat before leaving home.

My stomach remained unsettled for most of the trip until my first glimpse of the ocean as we entered Port Maria.

Yes, I indeed was a mermaid in another life and shall return to the ocean when I die. That is where I have asked my daughter to distribute my ashes – off the rocks in Wilderness District where many summer nights were spent, listening to my favourite sound  - the crashing waves on the coastline.

Question # 22 brought a smile to my lips – a wide one – as I recalled those days and nights. Whenever my spirit needs reviving, if I am in Jamaica or on any island, the shores is where solace lies for me. My homes usually have a fountain of some sort and failing that, there is always Youtube videos of waves and water sounds to mesmerize me.

What is your favourite sound? Share with me here or on the DOS Foundation page; I look forward to hearing from you. Namaste.


Claudette is the Founder of DOS Foundation and the primary Author and Editor of this blog.

Related Posts in the October Question of the Day Series:

My Last Embarrassment

What Book Will You Read Next?

Would You Post Naked for Love?

Question 21: What More Do You Wish...?

Today’s Question is a tricky one – at least for me.

“What do you wish there was more of in the world?”

Apologies for the absence of an article yesterday – my hours in the office were much longer than usual and there was simple not enough time in my day to sit an write one. Maybe that could be my wish – more time in the world?

No, there is enough time – it is a matter of managing what is on one’s plate, clearing some and simply not putting others on it. My response to Question #21 in our October series is “Nothing.”

Maybe when I was numerically younger, immature and did not yet have my particular life experiences, my response would have been that I wish there was more money to go around. It was my view back then that money solved every problem we could imagine. The fallacy in this thought has been proven to me in my own life but more so as I observe, like most of us, how just as or messed up “people with money” lives can be.

Peace? Tolerance? These are all great things! Yet, is it not subjective to think that there is not enough in our world? Would it not be dependent on your perspective, where you live, who you meet and your experiences in any given moment to feel a need for more?

Honestly, I have no pat answer for this question. Why? My “world,” the one that I choose to focus on, has Enough – money, peace, and more than anything else – Love.

I guess my hope would be that “more” of us would see our world as Enough – so need to rob, maim, envy, hate or war against each other for racial, cultural, religious or any other reasons.

I wish for more Enough-ness? Is that a wish? Well, it is mine.

What is your wish? Share with us here or on our Facebook page where you will find all my answers to the daily questions.

Namaste.