No Resolutions

 

 This new year like, so many others before, I have no resolutions.  But, that doesn't mean I can not extend a warm New Years greeting (see above pic).  I wish you the best for 2012 and may you never repeat any of the mistakes from 2011.

One Love

Who is Santa Claus really?

I love the holidays!  For me it truly starts with Thanksgiving.  That is my fav.  But Christmas seems to be a top-ranking holiday for many and in my opinion its because of the gift giving.

We often hear before the holidays: What do you want for Christmas?

And after the holidays: What did you get for Christmas?

Which leads me to believe Christmas is really only about what you get... and maybe it forces you to believe you have to give excessively for apparently no other reasons other than its Christmas and its socially acceptable to do so.  Now... even though I'm sure your probably a grown behind adult like me, you might still be asked: "What did Santa bring you for Christmas?"

... pause... Really? 

No disrespect, but who is Santa anyway?  My mother never told me about this dude. My education on this man comes purely from TV.  All my presents were signed 'from mom and dad',  never Santa, and even then I knew the from dad part was a lie - that man does not Christmas shop.   Then somewhere in high school I finally learned Christmas was much more than presents.  This happened abruptly and quite simply.  I woke up on Christmas morning to not one present.  We had Christmas dinner and went to a Christmas program and... that was it.

But this dude Santa, the giver of presents on Christmas.  Why do we tell our children about him, when to my knowledge we all generally agree he doesn't exist. Why do we further deceive our children letting them believe they have been good all year and reward them with presents from Santa.  Under the pretense of Santa, why do we start of the spirit of benevolence with a lie?

Two disservices are done by the perpetuation of Santa, we encourage our kids to be materialistic and we encourage them to lie.  Its harsh but somewhat true if we remain honest with ourselves.  Its time for the idea of Santa's gifts to die! Yeah, I said it.  Let him be a great folklore or something...

So honestly, If someone asks me this year what did Santa bring me?

I'll say "The same thing he brings me every year - not a damn thing."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!


One Love

What does it mean to be natural?

Today I am 5 years natural.  Thus, I thought it apropos to raise the question: what it means to be natural?  The word natural has too many definitions, as I have recently learned from Merriam-Webster, but today we will start with the term natural as it pertains to hair.

Generally, when someone dubs ones self  “natural” it normally means that they do not use chemicals to permanently alter the texture of their hair.  This is frequently used among women with naturally highly textured hair.  In other words, they do not have a relaxer/perm.  However, the term natural is used differently for different people, but I never cared to clarify the term natural until recently.

A couple months ago I went out with some friends.  We were admiring a woman with a large curly afro, which evidently was a wig.  After it was clarified that the women was indeed wearing a wig (which by the way was fabulous) this dude, who we will name Kevin, took it upon himself to say he loves women who are natural.  The comment was made almost as if to discount Curly Afro wig lady.  What he didn’t know was that under the wig she was natural, natural that is according to our previous definition.  So I took it upon myself to give this woman a fair chance.  I told Kevin she was natural,  and that was when all hell broke loose.

For what seemed like the next hour Kevin and I launched into a debate on whether one can wear a wig/weave and still be considered natural.  I only indulged him in this conversation because I was bored; and because at present I also had weave in my hair. But mostly because I was bored…  My stance was just because you wear a wig or a weave doesn’t mean you’re not natural. Though Kevin seemed to disagree he was very passionate about his point, and during the course of our little debate he said, “I take the word natural very seriously.”

Though our conversation came to no resolve, I left thinking... At what point do you not call yourself natural?  My mind spiraled down so many scenarios, not all pertaining to hair.

If I wear simple makeup and shear lip gloss, am I natural?

If I wear lotion or perfume, am I natural?

If I don’t have implants but wear a wonder bra or any bra really, am I natural?

If I wear contacts vs. glasses, am I natural?

If I had braces, am I natural?

If I wear nail polish, am I natural?

If I shave my legs are remove any excess hair from my body, am I natural?

If I wear a spanx under my freakem dress, am I natural?

If I color my hair or chemically alter my hair, am I natural?

And of course… If I wear weaves or wigs, am I natural?

Where do you draw the line?  If I allow myself to be completely objective, anything that is not strictly hygienic that enhances or alters your appearance can easily put you in the category of un-natural.  So, I hear you Kevin, you take the word natural very seriously. But, exactly how is one to define natural?

One Love

Blogging Cherry

 

The Pressure!


My first post…

What shall I write about? 

How often should I write? 

Does my blog need a theme? 

Will anyone follow me?

How do I get people to read my blog?

Or… Should I even care if no one but mom reads it?

How much of myself should I share?

…

I’ve wanted to create a blog for some time.  At first, there was the mere problem of not knowing how to start a blog.  Even at my youthful age technology confuses me.  It’s quite embarrassing really.  Finally a combination of boredom and anxiety has led me to this point - My first post.

Now that I’m here I don’t quite know what to write.  Well… more like I don’t quite know what to write first.  Do I jump in there or do I introduce myself?  I don’t know, it feels awkward.  Nonetheless, I am here.  Writing has always been therapeutic for me and now writing for my thoughts to be found by anyone is a brand new journey.  My inexperience with blogging has handicapped me long enough. I’m just going to give it a try and I welcome you (yes you… the world wide web) on my journey and definitely welcome input.

I am not a writer, not terribly creative, extremely sporadic, not always too bright, but most importantly I am inquisitive and opinionated. I have taken to blogging because I want an outlet to express myself on issues I find interesting.  As any complete person my interests varies from topic to topic which is why I cannot dedicate this blog to any particular topic.  I’m sure a general theme will develop over time, yet I don’t know what it will be.  Overall, I am excited to have completed my first post and even more excited to known that I now have a blog!

Thanks world wide web for reading my first post about nothing!  Specifically, I would like to thank my mom and my first follower.  Thanks for believing in Queen Eyes before there even was a post.

One love