Look Up!
He said, “You know, Shannon, depression is a spirit. It’s a seductive spirit. Because, while it’s tearing you apart, it’s also feeding you chemicals that feel good. Good enough to make you keep it around. Good enough to not cast it out… You can be free.”
Lean In
“Lean in,” I heard. It was a simple, quiet statement. I knew what it meant instantly and it scared me. It meant:
\ Stretching a little farther in embracing (even the idea of) joy and hope for the future.
\ Releasing more fear that the bottom might drop out. Again.
\ Trusting that the worst is behind and the best is yet unfolding.
Lean in. Drink deep…
What Was the Last Thing?
So what’s the last thing you heard? Do you remember? Have you finally stopped long enough yet during this quarantine to ask?
365
Suddenly, I saw myself making my way thru LAX - prophetic, forward-moving, life-giving paintings in my right hand and Jermaine’s urn under my left arm - and heard:
‘NO EXTRA BAGGAGE’
boom loudly and clearly in my spirit. I knew what it meant instantly…
Perspectives
Yesterday Nipsey Hussle died. Rapper to some. Visionary to others. Father, son, brother, and friend to a few. Humanitarian and man of the people to most. We met a couple times, were from the same hometown on Los Angeles’ westside, and we travelled in some of the same circles in the LA entertainment orbit but I can’t say I ‘knew’ him. Still…I can feel it.
Tap On
I had been praying quietly and singing when suddenly I heard it:
“I’m turning the tap on and I’m not turning it off. The only thing that can turn it off is ingratitude because ingratitude makes you forgetful. Ingratitude leads to forgetfulness and forgetfulness will turn your tap off…”
BOOM!
Burn the Boats!
I realized then that I had continued to hold onto one residual thought; one remnant feeling that was very effective at preventing me from moving forward with any sense of urgency. That residual remnant was this: that there was something to ‘go back’ to.