The Power of A Smile

What are you doing right now?

Are you sitting at your computer reading this? Browsing your phone? Are you taking a minute or two out of your busy schedule to get a dose of Vernee? Are you close to a mirror? Go and peep at yourself, are you peeping? Smile at yourself, go on, go ahead, smile, it won't hurt you. 

The power of a smile is so amazing. Monday, I wasn't having the best of days, I was immensely tired and I knew I was going to have a long day, so by the time I made it to town in the afternoon I was pooped. Walking along Swan Street with my Skullcandy's on, and blocking out any outside noises, an old lady happened to look me in my eyes. As our faces locked, she flashed me the most gracious smile that suddenly changed the whole outlook of my day. I thought to myself, if she could see a light inside of me that made her smile, I must be able to see it in someone else far less myself. I smiled then at everyone who's eyes met mine. It was such a lovely feeling. 

In whatever you do, pass a smile to someone, smile at yourself, it really is contagious. Let the power of your smile melt someone's heart, touch someone's life. Remember, you awesome, use your smile to show that!

Love and Light.

*May the road rise to meet you*

I'm Sorry, Why Can't Girls Run The World?

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way form or fashion knocking religion. I come from a religious family and while I might have strayed a bit, my faith hasn't. With that being said, let's do this ish!

So it's been really taxing on me lately to see all these posts about the Illuminati and hidden messages in music and what's not. If you choose to believe it, fine, I can't tell you what to believe, but when you can take something as simple as 'Who runs the World' by Beyonce and turn it into a devil worshipping anthem, I have a very big issue with that. I see alot of people posting pictures to the effect of, 'No Beyonce, Jesus/God runs the world' and how many evils lie in that song and most of them by women. Hold up, have we no sense of pride? I actually love the song. Why? Because girls need to know that they are more than just pieces of garbage to be thrown around. 

Girls need to know that they are beautiful, strong and can hold their own next to any man. What if the song were to say, 'Who runs the world - Men'? Would that be ok? Through all of the work I have done, even in everyday life by something as so simple as a Facebook post or a tweet, I see girls who have no sense of who they are and how powerful they can be. Must we continue this victimisation? Must we continue to belittle them? They need to be empowered and why not with a song telling them how awesome they are? If we do not say it to them constantly, we are to blame for the ills that they embrace in their lives. 

I guess what 'ol 'feminist' me is getting at, is that we need to take responsibility for what our society has done to girls, whether Black, White, Hispanic, Indian, Asian, mix up like cook up rice and the lot. We need to show them that there is more to life than fast cars, clothes, weave and money. We need to show them that just because they don't have degrees doesn't mean they can't make an impact on this world, because they can educate themselves. We need to show them why reading is so awesome, why smiling is so addictive and why love is so contagious. 

So ya know what boo boo, you do run the damn world. You are a girl and you are amazeballs! I've said it, now I think you need to look in the mirror and say it too.

Love and Light

*May the road rise to meet you*

Youth In Migration

Buju Banton once said 'What is to stop the youths from getting out of control, full up of education yet don't on a payroll'. 

Truer words have never been spoken. 

There has always been the battle of 'brain drain' and youths leaving the country to settle somewhere else. I saw one tweet today that said that youths in Barbados are not familiar with the wide range of vocational activities in the island and they therefore go in search of greener pastures. I must completely disagree with this logic. When Barbadian youths leave, they leave because the opportunities here are slim pickings. They tell you that you are either over qualified, not qualified enough or don't have any experience. I have an Associate Degree, a Bachelors and a Masters, full to the brim with education and have come back home to the same saga that plagued me before. 'But you don't have much experience do you', well OK, help me by giving me the experience that I need. If we keep shutting down our youths in every way possible, not trying to help them in gaining what they need, how are they to thrive? How are they to prosper? 

I am and always have been in support of youth migration, mostly because one will never gain appreciation for where they live if they don't leave. I've went on trips countless times and it still meant nothing to me until I had to move away. Moving led me to realise how much I take the little things for granted, things like wearing slippers, the sun, sea and sand, my parent's smile, my friend's laughter, my grandmother's soup. And now that I'm back, I'm happy I have all of that once more, but there will always be something missing. If I'm not given the opportunity to make my mark on the world, how then can I inspire someone to do the same? 

We need to stop and think, are these youths leaving because they think Bim ain't shit, or are they leaving because they can't prove otherwise? 

I always like to throw in a piece of controversy. *snicker*

Love and Light my beautiful people.

*May the road rise to meet you*