I work for an organization where some of my colleagues speak many languages. It is an enviable ability that has had me wish I really paid attention when Senior Fazinni was teaching my Spanish class, at least to recall more than a few phrases. The one that I still remember and used most – ¿puedo ir al baño so I could find a study hall to socialize in. I’m ashamed but confession is good for the soul. Hola NAHS clase de 89!! Continue reading
The Big Reveal!!
Walking on the Boardwalk at the shore….and came across this gem. Go ahead and look at it again…I’ll wait. Did you peep (as my kids would say)? The irony got my attention and made me stop to snap a picture. It wasn’t the lovely red and blue letters covering every inch of space on the banner screaming it’s message, nor was it the oh-so-pristine & ornate security gate that made me share this with you all (you’re welcome). As I giggled and sent it to my fellow sarcastic/ironic/blooper loving friends (Heeyy Opod, PJ and TeeDubb) I thought of an expression that would make the perfect caption for this picture if this was the picture of a person. ‘When people show you who they are, believe them’ – The cautionary advice given by the great Dr. Maya Angelou in these nine simple words carry an often ignored wisdom. Look at the picture again. Clearly the gate is down but we know without even witnessing it, some genius walked up, read the sign, saw the gate down & lights off and still looked for another door on the side or out back to go inside, after all it’s NEVER CLOSED!!.
Teachings from Miranda Priestly
Who is Miranda Priestly you ask? Who. Is. Miranda?! — First, me get this out of the way: Yeaaaahhh I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated whats been going on Under this Brim. Forgive me, I have taken on a new challenge….school. Mommy always says ‘You are never to old to learn or never to young to teach’…lies. There are differences in adult learning and the youth learning…but we’ll whip out our course notes from WhereEver University & commiserate on that subject later.
Let’s learn a thing or two from one of my fave movies….The Devil Wears Prada. This movie is about 10 years old and I can tell you that the one liners are still used today. In summary Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) is an icon revered in the fashion industry. Her new assistant Andrea (Ann Hathaway) has much more to learn other than what Miranda wanted for lunch…If you have not seen it go see the movie, come back and tell me I’m wrong. If you are an Miranda Priestly fan….you will want to get your snack, take notes and read on. Continue reading
Hello?
I once heard that dreams are like grapes on a vine – if they don’t get nurtured to grow they dry up and turn into raisins. I say that is true about almost anything….relationships, careers, goals (fill-in-the-blank-with-your-word-here) and so on and so on. Continue reading
True Story
There is truly never a dull moment when you look at each day as an adventure. Continue reading
What are you Afraid of?
What am I afraid of?….this simple 5 word question that was asked of me rolled around in my mind. Not so simple. As a person usually quick with a snappy response…to my surprise and chagrin, I struggled to answer. I’ll give the intelligent response as Marrian Williamson’s words from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”, Ch. 7, Section 3 (1992), p. 190. popped into my head: Continue reading
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Thanks to Google’s International Women’s Day doodle I did some quick and almost perfunctory research about a day that I think I should know about…but didn’t. Should I feel bad that as a woman I wasn’t aware of International Women’s Day? Should I just accept that there are soooo many movements for the protection, equality and representation of women (me)…that this one slipped through the crack? Am I overthinking it as I have a tendency to do (which I’ve been told…many times…LOL!)? Continue reading
Time to be Selfish
Yes…this is how it feels….
It was the coldest day of the year…maybe not according to the meteorologists but it sure felt like it. The wind’s icy grip snatched tears out of my eyes. My dried lips felt like sandpaper as they pressed together tightly in an Continue reading
NOT an Angry Black Woman – Unbothered
Not long after having a conversation with friends about how the first emotion given a black woman’s response to a situation is ‘angry’, I was watching the 2016 State of the Union Address and was introduced to Miss Edith.
Continue reading
Bump in the road? KEEP GOING!
There are things that happen that we can’t explain but when we look back, we recognize 
that had that bump not been on the road, the path we would have chosen could have lead us to an unfavorable outcome. Call it God’s Divine Order, coincidence or even happenstance….but don’t call it an accident. Continue reading
Under Her Brim 