I bet you can’t resist singing the song in

your head. It will probably be stuck there

all day. 

Sorry ’bout that.

Happy May!

YAY!! I made it back for another episode. This makes me more excited that you will ever know. 

This is my first official episode after the hiatus. What better way to kick off a new month than to spend time with my virtual besties. Below you will find the observances we will shed light on during the month of May.

What We’re Into

Monthly Observances

There are tons of observances going on this month, but I only picked out a few that are important to me and will benefit you to hear a little more about. We are here to help each other out right? I wish this was just a way for me to shoot the breeze with you, but it’s much more important than that. 

• Mental Health Awareness – We are going to spend a lot of time talking about mental health, because I think, although it is not as big of a stigma as it was before, it’s still quite a stigma and a lot of people don’t feel comfortable sharing that they’ve had mental health struggles. So, May is Mental Health Month, and we’re going to spend a lot of time talking about it.
• Date Your Mate – For those of you who are married, engaged, have a serious relationship or a significant other, and you’ve been together for a while; you’ve kind of let things get stale. This is for you. It’s time to refresh your love. Let’s go ahead and put a new spin on the relationship; bring more excitement into the bedroom, or start spending time together like you once did when the relationship was brand new and you were all goo-goo gaga over each other. This is your time to bring it back.
• Blood Pressure Awareness – We know that blood pressure is a silent killer. I know definitely for those who are in the African American or black community, we get warned about this all the time. It’s time to do something about it.
• Lupus Awareness – a lot of people I know have been affected by Lupus, and until someone you know is affected by it, you don’t really know about anything about it. I am going to share warning signs and ways that you can care for yourself and facts about lupus so you can support those in your life, who may be suffering from it, or you can watch for signs and symptoms within yourself.

Weekly Observances

• Small Business Week – I have a small business being a life and relationship coach, also speaker, blogger, and different things that I do in the community. I also have many friends who are entrepreneurs too. I’ll talk more about them on the 5th through the 11th.
• Women’s Health Week – this definitely ties into lupus, blood pressure, and mental health. We will chat about that on the 12th through the 18th.
• Teacher Appreciation Week – here is your chance to pay homage to your favorite teacher from elementary school or buy a nice bottle of wine for the teacher your kid drives to drink. Either way, take time to recognize an educator. They are severely underpaid and underappreciated. Make your moves from the 5th to the 11th.
• Nurse’s Week – For many, many years, I worked in an industry where I would credential nurses to work in hospitals or other facilities. Nurses were a big part of my life. My cousin is studying to become a nurse. So I love nurses; they helped my husband when he was getting his kidney transplant and at all of his appointments. They helped me when I was delivering my babies, and I’m sure you’ve had an interaction or run in with a nurse some time in your life. We will appreciate our nurses on the 6th through the 12th.
• Safe Swimming Week – This one, again, is quite important to the African American or black community, because it seems a lot of black people I know aren’t teaching their children to swim or aren’t allowing their children to take swimming lessons. As a result, many of the trips to the beach, the lake, the pool result in drownings. We really want to bring attention to this and encourage all people to teach their children to swim. Let’s do that on the 20th through the 25th. 

Daily Observances

• Mother’s Day (05/12) – I want to hear from you guys telling me what you’re actually doing for your mother’s on Mother’s Day. Or if you’ve lost your mother, how do you remember her? Let me say in advance, I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you have fond memories, and you’re willing to share them with me. I may even do a special series of episodes for Mother’s Day or different people recounting the times that they have they’ve had with their mothers.
• Haitian Mother’s Day (05/18) – same concept as American Mother’s Day, but I get to celebrate twice. AWESOME SAUCE!! My husband’s family originated in Haiti and we incorporate as many Haitian traditions into our celebrations as possible.
• Memorial Day (05/27) – a popular pool day or beach day, especially again, in the African American/black community. We spend a lot of time at the beach celebrating. This enhances the importance of taking safe swimming week seriously. It’s right before Memorial Day. You probably won’t be able to teach swim before then, but at least you can teach them water safety, right? 

Mental Health Tips…My Way

• Set Goals or Intentions – I know it’s so cliche to say set goals or set your intentions for those of you who don’t like the word goals. But it means the same thing. Make a plan and go out there and figure out how you’re going to enact this plan and do something new. Make yourself a list of things that you’ve always wanted to do. At least try it. Get out there and try it. Let me encourage you that there is no shame in not reaching a goal. There are so many people who try things out, you know, once, twice, three times, and they don’t get it, but maybe on that 45th time, they get it or maybe on that 133rd time they get it. So, you know, part of the journey and learning is actually failing and learning how to do it better. Your tries haven’t run out. Tell people about the things you want to do and allow them to support you because so many times we fail simply because we are too ashamed to share that we’re trying this new thing. You don’t want the people around you to know that you aren’t doing well in whatever this goal is that you’re trying to achieve. So please decide to try something new, or try something old, So you can you know, fulfill one of your wishes one of your dreams and make yourself happy.
• Do Your Best – Your best will differ from day to day. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, but it hasn’t changed. Your best will differ from day today. Today, you’ll feel great and you’ll give it all you got. Tomorrow, you may feel like crap and you can’t give it as much. So you give 75% or you give 40% or you give 2% but you gave something. Again, the important thing is you still have breath in your body and blood in your veins. You can do this, even if you take an inch, or you take two feet, or you take a mile forward is forward and you are a little bit further than you were yesterday. 
• Take Life one day at a time – Don’t worry about the 5th, don’t worry about the 15th. Don’t worry about the 31st worry about today. Whenever you listen to this episode, just worry about this day. concern yourself with this day. What can you do to make this day your best day? Because truth be told today is all you have? Tomorrow is an illusion, you may not make it. Sorry to sound all down but you may not. That’s a fact of life. All you have is today. Every day you say oh, I’ll do it tomorrow. But does tomorrow ever really come?
• Don’t Ruminate – this means playing events in your mind over and over again. So the best way to explain rumination Is this how a cow chews its cud, a cow has four stomachs. So it eats the grass and it goes into stomach number one, then it brings it back up and it goes into stomach number two, then it brings it back up and it goes into stomach number three, then it brings it back up and it goes into stomach number four, then finally it gets rid of it. That’s how you get cow patties. It took the cow three freakin times to get rid of this mess. How many times are you going to bring up an issue, play it back in your head. and push it back down again? You keep throwing it up. It’s like having a mind full of throw up for lack of a better visual. I know it sounds kind of gross, but you’re allowing yourself to throw up all of these thoughts, usually negative ones in your mind. You just bog yourself down with all this mess. 
• Stop, Drop, & Roll – No, I am not advising you to go set yourself on fire. Although if you do find yourself on fire at any time, please stop, drop and roll. But that’s not what I mean in this situation. I’ve adapted it to my way of thinking, stop: stop doing whatever it is that’s not healthy for you, or you find that’s draining for you, or something that’s bringing you down, anything like that exercise your right to stop, exercise your right to drop it all together, you can put it down and you can walk away from it. And who gives two flying bats, what anybody else thinks about that. Because you have to live with the consequence positive or negative of going forward with this thing you keep getting bogged down or being tormented by it right? Roll, roll your butt right back around and go in another direction you are entitled. You are very much entitled to do that. I encourage you to do that.

Our motto for this month is stop, drop and roll, especially if you’re on fire. But also, if you are in a situation that you don’t like, go the other direction. That is SO okay.

Conclusion

Finally, I have a new course that will launch on Thursday, May 23rd. It is all about dealing with past events in your life, putting them in the proper perspective, and taking a positive step forward. This course will also allow you to make amends with broken relationships. So many of us are experiencing guilt and shame. These events are causing us to make bad decisions and spin out in an emotional cyclone. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. Here is your opportunity to stop it. Keep an eye out for details about the course. Early bird sign-ups begin on May 6th. This course will never be offered at this price again. Only 15 spaces are available. Participants will be selected via a short application process. 

I look forward to serving you,