This year marks my 14th year living in Atlanta. Over the years, I’ve met some amazing church friends that I’ve grown to call family. I had the pleasure of celebrating with one of those friends, Naomie, as she graduated from Georgia State University. She is one of the most exuberant people I’ve ever met. So petite yet full of so much energy. Needless to say, we had a blast. My body still hurts.
When I first started blogging, it was more of a public journaling experience. I didn’t care who read it. I didn’t care who commented. As my blog grew, more and more people would tell me something specific about a post that really inspired them. Then and only then did I realize that someone actually reads this thing. One of my biggest fans of my blog is Miss Heather Lindskold of Between the Covers. I can ALWAYS count on Heather to like, comment or share one of my posts. I have never met Heather in my life but I promise, the support I receive from her, a complete stranger, (well not really because we’ve beeeen buddies on Twitter 
), means the world to me. And I know it comes from a genuine place.
In the beginning, I used to take it personally when my close friends didn’t read my blog. Not in a badgering “Why haven’t you read this post” way but in a “What I did this weekend is up on my blog. It’s been up -___-” kinda way. But, I got over that really quickly. A while back, I attended a going away gathering for a friend and one of the ladies said something that completely transformed my perspective on receiving support from friends. She said “your friends are not your customers”. OOP. And it makes so much sense. So when a friend of mine asked a question on Facebook yesterday, I had the perfect (well, I thought so) response for her.
My friend asked:
“Why is it that you can receive more support from strangers than of those who you’ve known for years?”
My elaborated response:
The highlight of my weekend was being able to witness the nuptials of two of my friends. But, not without some pre-wedding drama. If you were in Atlanta this weekend, you experienced the monsoon winds and incessant rain. I was already running a little late to the wedding. My GPS noted that I was only five miles away from my destination. But not before I got into a fender bender with a white Mercedes-Benz. At that point, I was absolutely ready to burst in tears. Just two months ago on a rainy night, someone hit me from behind. And now, on a rainy day, I hit someone from behind. Just my luck.
My mood was completely ruined. I texted one of my friends letting her know what happened and that I would not attend the wedding. Long story short, after exchanging insurance information and shooing off the officer, I was able to attend the wedding. I’m so glad I did!
There are some people who come into your life to show you something and then leave. There are others who come into your life and completely ruin it, lol. And then there are some people who come into your life and unknowingly help you become a better you because of who they are.
I don’t remember how we met. I just know that she has changed my life for the better.
Today is my best friend Bekky’s birthday. I’ve never done this before but she really has a special place in my heart. Never have I ever met such a genuinely humble, giving and caring spirit before. Bekky has truly taught me (and is teaching me) what it means to be a good friend.
She’s done SO MUCH for me. The least that I can do is to use my platform to share some of the few things that make her a beautiful individual on her special day.
I cannot recall every little thing but what I do remember is…
1. Having an assignment to sleep outside during homelessness week and her coming along.
2. Her family sending me to London.
I can’t say that celebrating my birthday is something I enjoy doing. Most times, something bad always happens. But this year, I really did enjoy myself and my company.
In the midst of my “loner” moments, I forget how much love I have surrounding me. And it’s the little things that matter to me the most: the time spent and the memories. It’s the things that money cannot buy.
I’m so very grateful to the few people who came out and celebrated with me. The new and the old friends. I really appreciate you all. Thanks for the memories. XoXo.
In another life, I was a 1950s housewife. One who loved slim waist cut floral print dresses, had pumpkin pie scented hair and just a tiny bit of dirt under her nails from playing in the garden. I’ve lived this life for a long time in my head.
As part of my pledge to do 28 acts of random kindness, I found a community garden for weekend volunteer work.
Saturday
I volunteered at the Edgewood Community Garden with a group of high school students from a gifted program. One of the first youths I spoke with was Tasha. She attends the Carver School of the Arts and will be attending Spelman college after graduation. I was really impressed with her as well as the other students and what they were doing for the community.
Last night I watched the classic, The Breakfast Club. I’m a little embarrassed to say that I hadn’t seen it before then. And maybe because I was barely paying attention but for the first half of the movie, I really questioned why it was even made. The plot seemed uninteresting and slow. But as I continued to watch the characters develop, I quickly retracted my statements.
I try my best to at least spend one day over the weekend catching up on rest. That never happens. One moment it’s Friday evening, the next moment it’s Sunday morning. We really need a day between Saturday and Sunday just to relax.
I spent Friday night at a club. Totally not my scene but Vanquish is one of the nicer clubs in Atlanta. Still, clubs give me the heebie-geebies so we left pretty early and I took myself to dinner.
Saturday, I rested up until the Lianne La Havas concert.
“hand me down” top; shorts from Macy’s; clutch from F21; sling backs from Ralph Lauren
Okay so I only found out what Final Four was about a week ago. And no, I didn’t attend any of the free concerts. They weren’t worth the traffic that I knew I’d have to face downtown.
Friday
My good friend Christopher was visiting for the weekend. I suggested we have dinner at a popular Ethiopian restaurant called Desta. Neither of us had ever been but we’ve heard great reviews. Let me tell you, it is all the hype. I ordered the Fish tibs with collards and cabbage. Very friendly wait staff and super yummy food. I seriously need to go back once a month.
I have this thing where I can hang out with certain people 24/7. Only a few though. This weekend, I literally spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday with my FRIENDSIES Tara and Marcia. We don’t get on each others nerves. We just watch tv, get on our laptops and laugh randomly at how Marcia and I are Taurus twins. Very refreshing.
Saturday
After our impromptu girls night on Friday, we decided to go to the park on Saturday.
Of course they were fashionably late so I stopped in Flying Biscuit to smash some food really quick.
