THE ONLY THING CONSTANT IS CHANGE!

I’ve often heard it said “the only thing constant is change”. Somehow, during my lifetime I did not recognize that my life was always changing.

When I met Rey he inspired me to reinvent myself.  “We’re always changing” he says. Our ideas change. Our commitments change. Our knowledge and expertise change. Our finances change. Our emotions are constantly changing." When the changes were easy and made me happy I went with the flow. However, like many people I often feared change especially if I believed I was losing control of my circumstances, my situation, my life.

One day Rey and I were having an interesting conversation about generational wealth recognizing how nearly impossible America’s racism has made it for Black folk to profit from our labor and invest in ourselves. The overt oppression and discrimination efficiently practiced by America ever since my people were forced into slavery made education, owning property and investment in our own businesses unachievable for centuries.

Growing up in a modern day society where technology has changed everything except the hearts of the ancestors of the colonizers, we succumb to the indoctrination that has deluded our self-perception, perpetuated our self-hatred and in large, inhibited our courage to face/make change and prosper.  “The disadvantages that persist are invisible precisely because people in power continuously innovated new forms of discrimination” writes Calvin Schermerhorn of the Washington Post.

I could spend time connecting the dots between the Tulsa massacre and the racism that has fueled terrorism against and the massacre of Black people all over the U.S. including Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Illinois; Omaha, Nebraska; Elaine, Arkansas; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbia, Tennessee; Houston… up to and beyond the murder of George Floyd.

However, the point of this blog is to take us to a new level of understanding. Asking for equality and civil rights in America’s racist cauldron is as ridiculous as the dirty look you give something after tripping over it. The world is wide. Rey and I have chosen freedom rather than equality. We have chosen to reinvent ourselves and live in the world.

Reinventing yourself means to live more in alignment with your values so you can transform your life. Many of us have a clear sense of how we want to live, but we are blinded by the security of living in the box while waiting until retirement to achieve our “dreams”. Unfortunately, the majority of us don’t live that long. We are afraid of freedom so we relinquish our health and happiness for the security of an underpaid job that will lead to a retirement plagued by stress related illnesses and everlasting unachievable dreams.

Through Rey, I have learned to grasp every opportunity and not worry about how we will achieve it. Once the inspiration hits us we find a way. We have both experienced insolvency. We have both experienced homelessness. We have both experienced doubt. We have both experienced despair. But most importantly, we have met the challenge and we are not afraid.

There’s a big difference between the known and the unknown hell. In the known hell one chooses to sustain routine. You slave until the colonizer authorizes you to retire, while deducting money from your paycheck for his own investment purposes… without paying interest on the loan which gets paid back in the form of social security. Fear is greater than pain. That’s why we stay in the box and go to a job that drains us year in and year out. You think the money is worth sacrificing your health and happiness because you are afraid to face the alternative challenge of the unknown.

Fear of change impacts our personal and professional lives. When opportunity presents itself we hesitate, stagnate and let opportunity pass us by. Fear is temporary. Let it go. Step out of the box and accept the challenge of the unknown. It just might be heaven!

Recently, our landlady decided to double the rent for our tiny house on the river. The investment “we” made in renovating the house and making it a beautiful and comfortable living space somehow made her feel “she” deserved more money. The joy she witnessed between us somehow assured her that we would be unwilling to give up the space and succumb to her demand for more money. She greedily gave up the golden egg believing that we would stay in the box.

Our daily commitment is to manifesting joy and happiness in our lives. We manifested a beautiful home that we rent from an incredible couple who have proven to be fair, trust worthy and legally compliant. Every move we make in life carries us a rung higher. Every move we make in life brings us more joy and happiness because we are not confined by the restrictions of the box.

How will we pay for our beautiful ocean view condo with direct access to the beach? I don’t know. I do know that we are inspired and creative. I do know that we will manifest.

America is not the only land of milk and honey. Actually, America purchases at least 50% of its fresh produce from Mexico, 70 miles from where we live. Mexico has a wonderful history that is – like black history – not taught in school or any place else in the U.S. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829 and refused to extradite runaway slaves to America asserting that once a man, woman or child reaches Mexican soil they are free!

Equality and justice will never be real in America. What we want is freedom! The world belongs to you! Be inspired. Manifest your dream. Find your place and live the life you really want.