No Bull

Lately I realized that you are my happiness
What I'm saying is, with you I'm happiest
And without you I'm sad
And few knew that I had
The potential to love so much, me being in that few
I never thought I could love and do
Everything that I do with you
But you make it so flipping easy
You understand me. Others just see me
And I understand because I don't just see you
And I know now that she's through
And therefore I know that I'm done
And you are she so I've found one
That I know I cannot do without
And I don't have a clue about
How to love anyone else because you are my definition
1 Corinthians, 13. You are what was mentioned
In you I see God's kindness and his blessing
And I'm not Catholic but to you I'm confessing
I'm so far from perfect but you made me better
From now on I'm dotting and crossing all the right letters
See, I know it's just a matter of time
And though my words avoid it, my heart's saying "It's fine."
From helping me with Trending Topics to helping me last night
From giving me back rubs to turning off the lights
And all the other things you do to let me know
That you're never going to just let me go
I'm all in and I want the world to know
This here is real. None of it's for show
And when she smiles because she shares my last name
Know that I finally Wizards-Jordan tired of the game

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Humocentric

You know what I hate? I hate this Eurocentric thought process that Americans have. Not just white Americans, but all of us. We have been brainwashed to think that White is right and it really irks me. I was watching the weather just now and the weather lady just said that a storm was coming off the "coast of Africa and headed to Mexico." Really? Africa is a continent. Mexico is a country. So why not say some of the African nations that it originated in? Because, in the eyes of the American education system, learning specifics about Africa is one of the least important things in the world. Aside from Egypt, how many African countries did your teachers mention? I heard about Ireland, Korea, China, India, Russia (and all of it's subsidiaries), Spain, Greece, Italy, England, France, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, Guatemala, Argentina, and probably 30 other nations, but when it came to Africa, I learned about it because I wanted to learn about it. I won't lie, it's pretty frustrating.

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Realization

Last night I went to the club for the first time in a while and I realized a lot. I realized that these other girls really aren't attractive. They're good looking women and all but I've gotten past being attracted to them on a level that I say "If I were single, I'd talk to her." I am past thinking about "If I were single" because if I were single, I think I'd still be pursuing Des.

That was a hard reality for me to accept. For those of you who knew me as I was during my single period, I explored many of the eligibilities that being a bachelor with a promising future (and the most elite of all Greek letters) offered. These days, I'd much rather just lay in bed and watch a Redbox DVD with my Red. Crazy how things change. I can't wait to see where this takes me.

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

America's Worst Nightmare

Disclaimer:
FYI, I'm America's worst nightmare: Young, black and rich with a degree, a plan, a great attitude, a successful lady supporting me and a relationship with God. If that disclaimer scares you, keep reading.

No race in the United States of America will ever go through what black people have gone through and are going through. This country never has and never will be fair. But that doesn't mean we cannot succeed. Whereas other races have had to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, we must pull ourselves up by our bootstraps so that we can climb out of the grave we were placed in. This nation was not made for us. We are, in all actuality, the antithesis of what was intended to be the face of American success. America was built for white men to thrive on the backs of slaves. Black men were supposed to be farm tools and house servants. Black women had the same burden to carry, along with that of child birth, rearing, and suffering as victims of rape at the hands of their oppressors. This lasted for generations. So, not to belittle the atrocities suffered by the Jews in Nazi Europe, the Japanese in WWII, or the Arabs in a post-9/11 United States, but since we set foot on this land, a positive portrayal of a Black person has always been the exception instead of the rule. Well guess what? I am the new rule.


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

What's Your Why?/Work Harder

"How big is your why?" -- Bro. George Acheampong

Why do you work?  Why do you workout?  Why do you read?  Is it so you can make money?  So you look good next week at the beach?  So your vocabulary allows you to get women?  What will you do when you make "enough" money?  After you leave the beach?  When you are married to the woman who you tricked?  Why not work so that your kid's kids are wealthy?  Workout so those kids can spend time with a healthy grandparent?  Read so you can pass your love of reading on to a younger generation?  How big is your why?  If it's not big enough, why are you doing it?

If you think you worked so hard that you deserve something, get off your high horse b/c there are people who worked twice as hard and got nothing in life.  No one is owed anything.  The only thing someone might owe you is honesty but we are so frequently robbed of that that I can honestly say it too is a luxury.

This is not to say don't work.  Keep working.  Please.  You can get what you deserve but the hunger has to be there.  You have to have a certain drive about you that sets you apart from your competition.  What makes you better than the next person in line?  What sets me apart is the fact that I'm a Daniels.  I write that with all sincerity.  You see the confidence that is in that line?  There is no excessive verbiage.  It is simple and to the point.  It is not boisterous but instead certain.  That is what I am... Certain.  I am certain that my great-grandmother didn't bestow all of her wisdom upon me for me to be making minimum wage.  I'm certain that my grandmother didn't shower me with love so I could flip your burgers until the age of 37 (even though she made sure that I maintained a level of humility so that I would if I ever had to).  My parents didn't have me go to one of the nation's best public school systems so that I could drop out of college.  I am a Daniels and, if no one else believes in me now, everyone else whose blood I have running in my veins made sure that I would make them all believe in my ability to succeed.  That is why I work so hard; so they can claim my successes as their own because they are their own.  A pretty big "Why?" if you ask me.

Always remember: People who don't stand out don't stand out.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Alexanders, The Greats

"I was in my senior year of college on my 17th day when I got my draft notice." -- Harvey Alexander

Last night I had the opportunity of a lifetime (I tend to have a lot of those. God must be planning great things for me). And the best part is, it was unintentional.

This past week was my first week working at Target. I love it but I missed Desireè so we decided that I would come visit her this weekend. Friday evening after work, I went to the Amtrak station to catch a train to Charlotte, only to find that the train that was scheduled to leave at 6:30 PM had been pushed back to 8:20 PM. So I went home, got out of my work clothes, hopped in the shower, and threw on some relaxed jeans, my Manhattan Metro Map tee, and my Mets fitted baseball cap. Me dressing like that is a rarity but who cares? No one will be at the train station, right? Wrong.

As I am sitting on the bench at the depot, I see an elderly couple come in. They are both fair-skinned but visibly African-American. I smile as usual but look back down at my iPod so as not to draw any extra attention to myself or my less than impressive appearance*. But, for some reason, after about 5 minutes, the gentleman stood up and came to greet me. He asked "Have you ever heard of the Tuskegee Airmen?" I wanted to say "Yes! That's one of my favorite movies. I used to watch it all the time. My parents still have my copy of it back in Durham. I even have a Tuskegee Airmen tee shirt at my apartment," but I kept it simple and just said "Yes sir, I have." He said, "Well I am one of them," and handed me a business card with his name, rank in the army, and a picture of him in his uniform. I lie to you not, my eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. For those of you who don't know, I have a degree in Af.-Am. Studies and my appreciation for the material goes much deeper than just my college experience. I have been a Black History enthusiast since I could read so I was going to milk this opportunity for all I could.

I moved to the side of the bench that Mr. Harvey Alexander and his wife were sitting on and we began talking. He told me stories about his days in college and WWII and the depression and his battles with segregation in the United States Air Force as well as those he had as a private citizen. Every so often Mrs. Alexander would chime in with details.

They both started school at Fisk. That started a whole new conversation because my mentor and role model, the late world-renowned historian Brother Dr. John Hope Franklin, is a Fisk Graduate. I asked the Alexanders if they knew him and Mrs. Alexander said that Dr. Franklin was a close friend of her family's and had stayed with them on numerous occasions. He was like her older brother during his college years. I then began to rattle off names of well-known persons who were around the Alexander's age that I had personal relationships with and they knew almost everyone I mentioned. Mrs. Alexander kept saying "It's such a small world."

Mrs. Alexander then asked for my story and I gave her a brief biography. She asked how UNCG had treated me and I told her I enjoyed it and that I had had a number of leadership roles on the campus and I mentioned that I had been president of my fraternity. Mr. Alexander asked, "What fraternity is that?" I responded, "Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated." He said, "The only fraternity." Once again, my eyes lit up. "You're an Alpha?" The whole time we talked, I knew that, if this man was Greek, he had to be an Alpha but I am not one to challenge gentlemen who are so much older than me because, after a certain age you get forgetful and I would hate to disrespect an old brother.

He had "gone over" at Fisk in 1941. I was asking him how he felt about the nuances of today and he told me that the masks and the line names were non-existent but that he has no problem with the changes as long as we are still serving and leading in the right way.

I was showing Bro. and Mrs. Alexander pictures of my probate on my iPod and scrolled across one of Desireè and me. Mrs. Alexander said we looked nice and somehow it came up that Desireè is a Delta. "He just keeps getting it right Harvey." "You're a Delta? My mom is a Delta as well." "Well you've got a good mother and a good girlfriend." They are one year apart from one another in age (like Desireè and I are). Mrs. Alexander said "Having so much in common with young people is refreshing."

We then began discussing my career plans and their daughter, who was also waiting with them at the train station, said she wants to see me on the cover of Black Enterprise one day. I said, "I want to see that too."

Soon after, the train came. I can honestly say though, for once, Amtrak's mistake was to my benefit. Maybe in 70 years, I will be talking to a young brother like myself, giving him words of encouragement with a strong, smart, beautiful lady beside me, helping remember the things that have slipped my mind.






*One thing I hate more than anything is looking like a young man who isn't going anywhere in front of elderly people, black or white. It reinforces the preconceived notion that many of those in our generation are going to fail. Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Need I Say More?

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown