Knock! Knock! Let Love In! It's Valentine's Day

When expectations of love slip, some people tend to proceed life swept up in fear of what might not go right if letting someone new into their lives.  

Some find it hard to nod with approval when love comes knocking at their doors because past loves failed to deliver as they were intended to. Even though those hurtful memories that were experienced over the course of their lives might be a decade out of fashion, letting new love in has simply,  not been laid out in their agendas.  If this applies to you, perhaps you need a bit of clarity to change your mind. 

You are enough! You are strong enough to sustain in a relationship! You are lovable; flaws and all! You are worthy of being more than just an option! You are a quality individual who deserves to experience the force of the natural elements of love! You are strong enough to let go of the sugar that left you feeling tart. 

Walk the atmosphere knowing that. Also, be aware that you are not your past. Don’t live your life emotionally damaged because you let the wrong person in who did not realize the true value of the royalty that you are. You are more than that. And remember, to have a happily ever after, it must start with a hello and then a meeting of the minds in a harmonious state to flow blindly into love. I wrote a song entitled "Blindly Into Love" on the basis of allowing love to flow naturally into love from the minute it becomes a thought phase unto the happily ever after. The lyrics came to me while driving and so at every traffic light, my pen was to the pad and a song was spilling out onto its pages. The music was written by Mike LeShore. Check it out here: https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/blindlyintolove

This post was just a way to encourage you to not be afraid to allow someone to come into your world and to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. When I see couples like my parents who have been together for nearly half a century, it makes me know that love can be real if first you love yourself enough to believe that you are lovable. 

If this does not apply to you, I apologize. I however know some people who do live their lives grieving over relationships that haven't been a part of their worlds for eons and they are still brokenhearted and afraid to move on and to love again; sadly. 

What a great day like Valentines Day AKA Singles Awareness Day to makes sure that we are giving the fullness of our own hearts to our own selves. Love yourself without limitations. And make sure that everyday, you find a real reason to smile. You are definitely worth that self-love.

For those who are experiencing a fine romance and a beautiful life as a team, may your love forever move mountains, conquer worlds and continue to grow. You are inspiring to the world.

Happy and blessed Valentines Day!  

The Here! The Now! The Present!

“Receive today’s gift gratefully, 

unwrapping it tenderly and delving into its depths. 

As you savor this gift, you find God” 

– Sarah Young

Every day of the year has its well-known holiday and then also, a wacky holiday attached to it. Today we are going to focus on the latter which to me is a great idea considering that today is Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day.

 Think about it, on any given day, we can either cry over the milk that has spilled that we no longer can drink, or we can mop it up and humbly pour ourselves another glass. There is nothing you can do to change the wasted liquid. You must keep on moving. The way we deal with it depends on our disposition. But I didn’t invent this idea though it is National Inventors Day. I am just stating an obvious fact to describe in a great deal, ways to deal with one crisis after another when discord creeps in.   

So here is a thought, maybe we can deal with spilled milk by getting into the grip of music; especially since today is Get Out Your Guitar day. Even better, take a picture of yourself strumming it since it is Selfie Saturday. Looking back at the memories pictures hold, always seems to make me feel good and bring a sense of calm to my world.

So, while trying to keep our moods up and not cry over things we can no longer change, it brings us to an awareness of where we are and how we think. Today is a great day to pay attention to our thoughts since it is Stress Awareness Day.

What drives the flow of ideas within your mind? What adds up the geometry of the landscape of your emotions? Are you someone who is at ease with forgiving yourself, without reservation, for your falls when you slip? Do you make babbling excuses to reasons why you cannot enjoy the joys in life?

Today is a great day to let relief wash over. Don’t wade in the deep end of sorrows on your own, even if you live alone, feel that you are alone in your stance or are single. They say that Valentine’s Day Weekend, is a time when it brings awareness to being single with February 14^th also being known as Single Awareness Day. Today, however, is Satisfied Staying Single Day.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating who you are and treating yourself to a hot stone massage, a sugar scrub spa treatment or a mani/pedi. Who said it was a crime to sit in a movie theatre or at a restaurant without an entourage? Go out there and enjoy and love yourself. If you don’t appreciate your own electricity, who else will? Today is a great day for it; especially since it is Be Electrified Day.

No need to feel sad about not getting the roses that your ex might have given you, might you have been together or feeling miserable because you see all those love commercials and you are not in a love situation. Be careful not to make your own self sick over overthinking on a day like today known as World Day of the Sick. But if you are feeling that way, hey, not a bad day to invite over your other single friends and celebrate being single. I mean, it is National Shut-in Visitation Day, so why not. Or you could visit someone who actually is shut-in for real and draw a smile on that person’s face. You could enjoy in peels of laughter as you celebrate the joys of life together while having meaningful conversations about all the idiot guys who thought they were Greek heroes of some sort, who did not make it into your here and now. No reason to feel vulnerable and alone when you are aware of the individual masterpiece that you are.

And as I conclude on this small measure of fun I was happy to experience with all you reading my post today, I also wanted to acknowledge that it is Songwriter Saturday and what better a day during this Valentine’s Day Weekend, then to share with you a song about a relationship that started in fun, had its strength and then ended with an awareness of who I am not and what I do not deserve, being the industrious soul I am. The song is entitled, “You Got to Go” which is the seventh track on my album, Finally JNote. Here is the link to check it out: https://open.spotify.com/track/7MWLb53uwGGk3kVUsCxkRj

Thankful that you decided to join me in my Saturday Kitchen as I cooked up a new and meaningful post. Only, my kitchen is a notebook and my utensils used were a pen and then the keyboard to type. Hope that you enjoyed my meal of words. Please come back again. This one was baked but the next one will be slow-cooked. 

Love Is In The Air

Here we are at the time of season when those that cling together become even more interwoven in romance.

It is a time to celebrate the relationship that has somehow survived and flourished in harmony; successfully and is still going strong. And when Valentine’s Day makes its annual appearance, a cacophony of opinions on how those who are celebrating together, should celebrate together. I have seen so many lists of recommendations on gifts and what to do on the actual holiday. And some of them were truly attention gripping I must say.

Perhaps you are just that lucky so and so that has met your match and that individual plays a song that only your heart can hear; and the song continues to bloom within. Or maybe you have found someone who has such inimitable style that you are convinced that he or she is your true match. Or maybe it is like having heaven at your fingertips when you are around that special someone that makes you know that it is truly love. Whatever it is that provokes that warm feeling of passion, it is worth celebrating.

Love is hard to find, so if you found it, love the one you are with like only you can, and make

it meaningful. Sparkle together. Enjoy each other. Show each other that you truly love each other. Make sure you share your time and your life with each other and keep igniting that flame so that it never dwindles if you feel as if it is meant to be.

Make it charming! Make it enchanting! Make it sophisticated! And remember Valentine’s Day is just a day, but if that is your true match than that special someone in your life is your everyday valentine, so make every day count.

Here is celebrating love with a cover of  "My Funny Valentine." Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Han9tnojS38

 Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! 

Happy Word Nerd Day

It is word nerd day and I have to tell you that I am a lover of words.

My favorite word in the dictionary is pulchritudinous because it is a big and delicious way of telling someone that you think they are beautiful. I think the word can fit into every and any circumstance that arises without leaving a maze of questions to follow.

I shout in triumph because I love words so much that I majored in English with the idea that it would make me a better wordsmith and just knowing that I long endured with superhuman effort to graduate with a Magna Cum Laude degree, to me is the epitome of pulchritude.

My second favorite word is sequoia because it is the only word in the dictionary that uses all five vowels and is about something I love a lot, which is a flower. How pulchritudinous is that! Somehow learning new words found lodgment in my heart and I have yet to wring it out.

Word Nerd Day

Today is all about words and so I decided to mingle in some of the words of the day that I found, to share in this moment of writing passion. If peradventure were not the Merriam Webster word of the day today, I would have beyond the shadow of a doubt been trying to stretch the battery of my experiences and my life’s long cadences to pepper this post with advice as a way to fulfill my burning desire.

SNOWDAY IN NYC - FEBRUARY 2017

When I was ready to rise hoping that the meteorologist was wrong and that a plethora of snow would not hit New York, my eyes responded sharply to the cover of white that carpeted the entirety of my neighborhood. I had to remind myself that even though my plans were trampled, my shattered hope was soluble when I saw that soluble was the New York Times word of the day for today. How pulchritudinous to focus my attention on the good things and not the bad! I can still dare to be inspired by the seeds I plant today that may one day stand tall and face the sun with beauty and grace like a sequoia.

Connotations

Some other words of the day I found in different lexicons that appealed to my interest were Cooperate in the Learner’s Dictionary, Struwwelpter on Wordsmith.org and Sciographer in the Oxford Dictionary. Here I am being the sciographer, trying to direct a deeper gradation of light on this gloomy, stormy Thursday. I get it, I cannot control the weather. But, despite Mother Nature’s not cooperating with my plans, I am still extremely ambitious.  With each brush stroke of minute, the jungle of my mind is refreshed and reinvigorated as I see the wide range of possibilities that lie ahead. This task at hand was a way of getting my writing mind into action and I think I am headed in the right direction.

JNOTE BAND

It is okay that this night will not be graced with the tuxes and gowns that I originally planned. Who could argue with the blizzard of facts that this weather is too bad to be driving around on the icy roads to live in bold colors? Definitely not I, the struwwelpter, who is thanking God that I did not decide to straighten my hair. It would have been a nightmare had I. Just thinking about what my locks might have looked like after being attacked by the wintry mix had I gotten it done, leaves me with a joy of laughter. I still have a slow hunch that regardless of the snow, that this is going to be a good day.

Definitions

On any given day, I battle with endless energy. It is almost as if there is a canvas living within and I awaken ready to respond sharply to life artistically. Words pour out of me and boom, I have new lyrics to a song. Boom, I have a new poem. Boom, I am writing a new word and definition in my notebook to use in a future setting.

My love for words I think started when my teacher walked into the classroom and in a song said, the linking verbs were: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, become, seem, appear, feel, taste , smell , sound and, sometimes, look. I can still sing the song today as if it were really a day ago when she sang it. I guess you can see that being a writer is one of the biggest kernels of my pulchritude. And though sometimes I am reluctant to share, I am so happy when my petals open up like a sequoia and I am able to scribble my ideas.  I am a word nerd and I know it!

HAVE A PULCHRITUDINOUS WORD NERD DAY

ALL YOU SEQUOIAS OUT THERE!

Lessons Worth Considering From Superbowl LI

Did you watch Superbowl LI?

I thought it was quite exciting seeing the teams both equally motivated to succeed. Every second of every part of the game was heart wrenching.

I can honestly say that this is the first year that I have ever watched so attentively. I am more of the commercials and halftime girl. I like to sit and see all the cool ads and then sing along with the cool performance of the artist that takes the stage after the second quarter of the game.

“Imagination is the highest kite that can fly”

– Sharon Lechter

Lady Gaga was pretty good I must say. Nice hearing some of the songs I loved by her that I haven’t heard playing on the radio lately. Her energy was amazing. Her story was even more amazing. 

She navigated her days from a young age with this cycle of hope to perform at the Super bowl. And then she was given the opportunity, showed up, got into character and lived her dream. 

She was literally floating high throughout the stage. I especially loved when she was in the middle of her performance and said, “Hi mom! Hi dad!” 

Her longing to be at that moment in her career was a musical experience that she decided to not only share with her fans, but with the people who probably heard her speaking her destiny into existence all her life.

“Comfort is the enemy of excellence.”

– David Hooper

As the game continued and it got more and more thrilling to watch the crazy catches made by the Patriots as the Falcons with their big lead started to get comfortable and forgot to play, the first overtime in Superbowl history and the crazy win going from being 20 points behind to winning the game. I actually enjoyed it. But what I enjoyed even more was spending the time watching, laughing, communicating and just enjoying the moments with family. I made a few snacks and we sat there, ate and enjoyed each other’s company while watching the attention-grabbing commercials, game and halftime.

I search my memory banks and remember when I was younger and my mother made it a custom to sit down at the dinner table and eat together on a daily basis. We got accustomed to the action of falling into rhythm with each other because our family dinnertime was built through routine and so we just did it without question. My heart beats like a drum for moments like that because with each interaction, I have a well needed blast.

In the Game

I had no particular attachment to any team. I was winning just by simply being with family. I remember sleeping on the bleachers of Patriot’s Stadium in the rain when I auditioned for America Idol years ago while the waters of Katrina sprinkled over Massachusetts in 2005. But, that episode and knowledge of their home base, didn’t steer my heart to root on for any team. Though as the game started to get more interesting, I started rooting for the Patriots, seeing them come back in the most unexpected way.

Made me think about the idea of pursuing our own goals and reaching out for the finish line. Sometimes we reach the dilemmas while charting our courses and come to the conclusion that the game is over despite the hard work that we put in. But don’t let the idea of a losing stop you from tackling inches towards your goals.

“We are more than conquerors through him who loved us”

– Romans 8:37

The Patriots winning the Superbowl are great example of continuing to reach. You never know what the outcome will be if you continue on in the race, regroup and believe in yourself. If it is worth the effort to accomplish something, continue to strive and have faith.

The Patriots win was very inspiring. If anything, to drive your motivation, let something like coming back from being twenty-two points in the hole to winning, be a way of realizing, hey, that could be me too. I can win!  The song below is entitled "Keep Moving On" and is about moving forward if your dreams are worth the fight. Hopefully it will inspire you today. Check it out here:  https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/keep-moving-on

Thank you for checking out my blogpost!

Sunday Inspiration: Enjoy Life

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

Only through experience of trial and suffering

can the soul be strengthened,

ambition inspired and success achieved.”

– Helen Keller

I have made it my mission to write a thousand words a day and to make the words that I share positive as a way of engaging a smile in someone else.

Through it all, I will benefit by festering my own wounds that have yet to heal and have been holding me prisoner to my doubts since they first left scars. I will not admit to living a life full of immense sadness but I will say that the past took such a toll that it still has fire power over my mood because of the heaviness of the scenes where and when the bulk of negative instances occurred that sort of affected the entirety of my huge heart.

Sometimes I am happy and then I think about those moments in time which I fell and then I unhesitatingly choose to withhold my beautiful smile. I get lost in the music of the thoughts of how I lost my step and what did not go my way in these detours that shouldn't have, and then I feel this emotional fragility that should not be present but is, because the past takes over.  

I don’t know if you can relate to constantly blaming yourself for where you are or are not in the present moment that leaves a physical reminder of how you messed up. Though accomplishments may occur daily, you overlook them because you never allowed yourself to experience closure from your past. You rather stay tightly bonded to your disappointments than to experience the momentary joys which I could say are on the flip side of the bad yesterdays.

Positive thoughts are the glasses that are half full. They create the sensation of looking on the bright side. Being upright and positive would result in the good feelings that you could have though you feel nothing but numbness where the sunshine should be beaming.

Here Are Some Things You Can Do to Ward Off the Self-Negative Reactions.

1. Encourage yourself.

Make a list of the good things in your life. Acknowledge the accomplishments. Pat your own self in the back with each rung you climb. Award yourself with a golden star or a mani/pedi when you take a tiny leap into the direction of your choosing.

2. Shake it off.

Turn on some feel-good music and just dance. For one, it will burn off a couple of calories. Secondly, music has a way of creating positive energy within. It can be that one thing to instill hope in those great, big old eyes.

3. Style

When you look good, you feel great. I don’t know about you but if I dress up and look stylish, I can’t have bad feelings about myself when I am looking at my dolled up, sexy self in the mirror. Dress up! Put on some stylish jewelry on. Put some makeup on and smile at how beautiful you are in your coordinated fashion. Look in the mirror and see the fearfully and wonderfully made heir to the throne that you are. Royalty in fact. Do you actually really see the truly blessed individual looking back at you in the mirror?

4. Have a conversation

I understand that some people feel that having a therapist Is the answer to everything. If you can talk to someone and tell them your problems than it makes a difference and in some ways, I agree. However, have you ever let out our thoughts to a great friend? Do you have someone you can trust? If you get sad and think no, then you are wrong. You can always turn to God with your problems. You don’t have to worry about what you say being repeated in gossip. You don’t have to worry about being judged for your thoughts and feelings. Get on your knees and let it out. He is a great listener. IT also will feel good to get it out your system to someone worth talking to.

5. Write it.

If you think you do not have anything worth writing about, sometimes letting out your emotions on paper creates the best stories. The way our thoughts operate on us is the way that a reader will look at what is written if you share it and feel the emotion ripping through the pages.  If you had a hard lived life, write a song about it. I am not sure about you but, my favorite Mary J Blige songs were the ones that she was singing sad songs. I could sing along to like the first five albums word for word. Then she started getting happy and the songs didn’t hit the same for me anymore. Some of the questions you may have that bubble in your heart, readers and listeners might be able to relate to because we all have baggage, songs and dances alike and across the breath of society, we are no different from each other in the fact that we all had a past that we jumped feet first into. The strain of the task might leave you exhausted because I often end up in tears writing when I do write but, it will help to experience a sort of clarity that you may not have had.

6. Yoga/Meditation

Yoga helps to experience deep breathing. I can honestly say that I don’t take deep breaths enough and not because I don’t want to but because my body was built this way and I mostly take shallow breaths while awake and while in resting mode. But, meditation hushes the overthinking. It makes you focus on your breathing. It brings you to the point of quiet of mind which is the only thing that never changes in a constantly changing world. Meditation helps to bring you into unity with yourself and also helps to correct your thinking. For 15 -20 minutes a day, if you focus on just your breaths, it can help to detox the clutter in your mind.

Enjoy Life

I hope that my words find you in good spirits as it was written as I sit back and process the beautiful message I received today at church as well as my dwelling on the first month and half that has left us in the 2017 year.

I attended two funerals already; one which was a double casket one for a friend of mine who lost his brother and mother in the same week. Days later, two other friends lost their mom, another friend an aunt and a plethora of others who have lost people already in 2017.

Life is so short and considering my friend cleaning out what is left of his recently departed, something to think about is the fact that things, physical or spiritual are just things. There is still so much life to live while we are in the land of the living. If lived with regret of what should’ve would’ve could’ve happened which again are just things, our days will be hard and we will suffer. But if lived with hope of what is to come, there is so much more promise than just the things. We have been kept for a reason. Never forget that!

I’d like to invite you to check out my song, Enjoy Life, about living and enjoying life regardless of our trials. Everything has an expiration date; things, situations, relationships, people and even our trials. But our internal joy is everlasting so don’t ever let go of it. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/qPCvcQLGd2o

Thank you for reading my blogpost. Have a wonderfully blessed day! 

The Writer is Always Reading: The Road to 36!

“These kids out there need to see that it is possible to be yourself,

love yourself and win in this world looking like your natural,

beautiful self.  Authenticity means something to me and I make a point

of sharing my authentic self rather than pretending to be something I’m not.”

– Taraji P Henson

The quote above was my favorite statement in the entire book, Around the Way Girl by Taraji P Henson.

I will be honest with you. I am one of those woman that instead of listening to music on a long drive, I like to listen to books and so I make it a point to download a good book every month from Audible because while I am driving or doing office work, I can also intrigue my mind and learn something new by listening.

I think my cousin knew that truth about me when she presented me with the audio version of Henson's new book, which is a memoir read by the author herself. I love Henson as an actress and am just learning so much about her life. She is one deep person and I enjoyed every moment of the book.

She is so grounded in intent. Henson made it a point to color outside of lines of the picture people are familiar of her to help give readers a more complete picture of who she is, the life she lived and what she is about.

I can’t say that I was bopping at the sound flowing out of the speakers because it was not my usual music that was oscillating but instead a very engaging book that made me laugh, smile, echo some of the thoughts she shared and also, learn something new as she shared her lifetime of experience from the course of her childhood, her role as a black single mother in this world and her bewildering journey to becoming not only a professional actress but a successful one. I got lost in her animated voice speaking like the words of a song to my spirit and it was great.

The book was witty. It was real. It was good; and I‘d recommend it to anyone interested in reading a new and interesting book. You can get it here if you are interested in reading it: Around the Way Girl: A Memoir

Maybe you are like me and are interested in driving and listening to books or listening while working. Audible is kind of cool to join because just by joining, you get two free books. Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

You know what they say. The writer is always reading and the reader is always writing. My goal for 2017 is to read at least three books a month which would equate to about 36 books for the year. 

I can say I got through two last month. My last read was The 
Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson. The book which this post is about was my first one of February. I am 

also currently reading the paperback "Year of Yes" by Shonda Rhimes and am due to finish the kindle version of Huckleberry Fin which I should have finished already but will 

soon. I do a combination of kindle books, paper or hard cover physical books and audible. 

How about you? What are you currently reading or do you recommend as a great read for me this year? Are you into audio books/kindle? Please share. 

Disclaimer: I am a member of the affiliate program of Amazon.com and if you click on the link and join Audible, I will be compensated.