Hope & Healing
Hope and anger don't mix.
Hope Matters
You cannot hope in anger. Well…you can, but it’ll go a little something like this.
I hope he gets run…
I hope she gets smac….
I hope they get lit up…
NO! Absolutely not! These examples are not how you truly hope.
I can’t say that I haven’t thought some things like this at points in time, particularly when it comes to Son and how he has been treated at different times by strangers, so-called friends, and sometimes even family. I can’t say I haven’t thought this in traffic, at work, in the grocery store…Well, you get the point.
Please understand that in all of these hopeletters. I am indeed referencing hoping for the best. Also, understand that I’m - at any given point in time -healing from something or people start peopling and getting on my last nerve, and these feelings arise. However, it wasn’t until I began my journey of personal healing some years ago that I realized hope in anger, frustration, and disappointment sucks the life out of all the beautiful hoping that I could be doing for myself and my loved ones.
No words I type can express how important it is to shift your mental focus to the good. When I changed my internal language, that’s when I began to see shifts in my physical life and my attitude. You have to find the good in a thing, circumstance, or people in order to think then speak well of it or them. Sometimes, ya girl has to dig deep, depending on the thing or person. But I promise, something is there. Let’s look at a couple of examples, shall we?
Change “If she side—eyes me one mo’ time…” to “At least she spoke today.”
Change “How much longer is this meeting going to last?” to “Gonna stop and get me some wings after this.” 😋💃🏾
I’d much rather be focused on the flavor of wings I’m going to order than simply enduring the meeting. I could also be focused on new knowledge from the meeting, but I’d rather think about the wings. 😁 I know this seems trivial. But, if you start changing the way you think about simple issues, it’s easier to do this with larger situations and *huge eyeroll* deeply annoying people.
Heal your mind by shifting your focus. As much as I’d like, this doesn’t magically happen; this takes intentional thought and practice. I’m still practicing daily, y’all. The Bible tells us that transformation comes from the renewing of the mind. I want you to take a moment and think of the thing that most concerns you. What’s the good you can find in it? What do you hope to see happen on the other side of it? Start there. Do the work. Pray and meditate on the good. You and those you love will be better for it.
Here’s hoping. ☕️
Coffee Matters
So, y’all, I’m getting ready to do some traveling, and one of my favorite roasters, Cxffeeblack, has instant coffee. Yep, you read that correctly. As coffee bougie as I am, instant coffee is typically an automatic Yuck! for me. So, when they rolled out Instant Guji Mane, of course I had to buy some.
I don’t know what kind of coffee-roasting magic their roaster, Renata Henderson, brought back from The Motherland, but I swear I haven’t tried one of their coffees I don’t absolutely love. So, buying their instant was a no-brainer. Still, I was skeptical that the instant would measure up to their beans. Yet, I bought and placed one of their cute little tins in my office for mid-afternoon coffee emergencies.
Well, one presented itself when Son asked to see the Barbie movie, and the only time my schedule would allow was the 9:40 p.m. showing (I’m an early riser and sleeper, y’all.). So, about 3:00 p.m. I fired up my electric kettle and dropped one of these packets in a mug of hot water. Although I’d read the packaging, I was pleasantly surprised to see the packet dissolve, and my coffee smelled just as if I’d brewed their signature Guji Mane coffee. My first thought: Now, I can be coffee bougie on the road.
Me on early flights from now on: Just a cup of hot water please. 😌
What are you hoping and sipping this week?