How To Live a Life of Integrity Or The Integrity Checklist

Many people strive to be morally upright and God himself commands us to have integrity. And a lot of times, Christians often wonder and complain about not knowing what to do or not hearing from God. Well sometimes, he couldn't be any clearer. This is one of those times. Psalm 15 gives 7 different things on a checklist of integrity. I don't know about you, but there is so much perversion and evil in today's world that it really has never been more important. Not only are these things necessarily for life, but the Psalm prefaces them by asking who may dwell in God's place. The MSG says: "who gets invited to dinner at God's place?" Woah. I know I want in on that guest list. So I'm sure you do to. Check them out below:

1.) Those who lead blameless lives.

2.) Those who speak the truth from sincere hearts.

3.) Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends

4.) Those who despise evil/wicked/despicable people

5.) Those who keep their promises

6.) Those who lend without interest

7.) Those who never accept bribes

Short and simple. Yes I can be precise sometimes too. Yes, I throw shade at myself.

Ha.

Thank God it's [almost] Friday.

Stay safe.

Love,

I

The Road Trip in the Vacation

Warning: Picturessssss

I'm back as promised *does backflip*

I'm ashamed to say this vacation was a full MONTH ago, no kidding. The thing is I knew there were so many pictures that I wouldn't know where to begin. Anyway, in the usual "summering" fashion, my sister and I traveled again this year, but this time a little earlier in the year (another trip later this year perhaps??) and a little different as well.  Anyway, so we took a road trip to the South woooooooooo! Specifically Atlanta, but we stopped by at other places too (Virginia; the Carolinas (North and South); Athens etc). It was LONG, but it really was fun. We had a good time; although, I wasn't free from work and had to stay up all night catching up on work, I still had a good time. We did different things within two days, and I'll try to write a little bit of some of the experience beneath the pictures. But most of them speak for themselves anyway. In sum, we visited the Center for Civil and Human Rights (my fave!); world of coca-cola (the BEST part of the trip, it needs a post on its own); CNN headquarters; Georgia Aquarium (which was really wack, at least compared to the one in Toronto); Skyview (Boy, was I scared?!); Fernbank Museum of Natural History; and...I feel like I'm forgetting something. Anyway enjoy!

YES!

Baker Street! (Sherlock anyone?)

In our fabulous hotel room

I'm almost invisible here lol; since I blend seamlessly with the wall art

cool, huh?

I didn't get as much picture at the Center; it's usually one or the other: soak it in or remember to take pictures. 

OMG; we were about to have a great time at a 4D viewing in the world of coca cola and we didn't even know. Seriously, I will write another post on that experience.

Haha; we had our brother on Skype. Yes corny much. Sue us

Atlanta has a very beautiful skyline

Lol, we were up in the sky and going upside down. So yes I was scared. I don't do stuff like this at all.  My sister is way too adventurous for me. However, it wasn't until we got there that I realized just how crazy it was. But it wasn't so bad after all.

Hashtag dead.

Still Skyping with my brother 

..and Again

Number 1 in the U.S? Indeed. 

I don't even...what the hell was this?

Take two

In the dead of the night...*insert crickets*

This place brought lots of history to life and it was real great...I recorded some videos and don't know what to do with them. But I just was too busy with all the history to take pictures. 

The first black girl to go to an all white school...just barely 60 years ago. Her courage was formidable. 

Snapchat filter chronicles. No I still don't have snapchat. No I'm probably never getting. I have Instagram though :-D 

 How does this fit here? You ask. I took it in our hotel room, and briefly considered ditching weaves and wigs forever, for scarves. I changed my mind. Cool picture though.

Cheers! 

Okay, so blogger be tripping, and I can't really label every picture. I hope that from the description in the first paragraph of places we visited, you are able to place the pictures in context. I was right to be scared of uploading these pictures; they were a LOT. Thanks to my sister for taking most of them. The way my iPhone is set up, there is barely space for anything. Traveling isn't very enjoyable for me, but I love making memories especially with loved ones. So for that, I'm incredibly happy we did this! More so with my partner in jollification. This was long haha. But hey, you stuck through. Thanks for that!

Have a great week ahead. 

Love,

I

P.S: Only people who watch the show "Bones" would understand my bad attempt at mimicking their style of episode titles lol. 

Friday Reflections

1.) I'm officially tired of apologizing. It's not that there is nothing to post; it's the lethargy and lack of willingness to do anything that isn't absolutely important. So, accept my apology, again.

2.) I think I'm back.

3.) Self-control is bae.

4.) I read this brutally honest, yet exhilarating piece on Eureka Naija. And the feels.

5.) That paragraph on work:
"...It’s passive-aggressiveness, it’s conflict, it’s competition, it’s conflicting feedback. It’s a workload that overwhelms you with its mind-numbingness. It’s struggling to find your passion in all of it, in fighting to remember the graduate trainee you were with your naiveté, and your confidence, and your unshakeable optimism."

Lord have mercy; it could have been me who wrote these exact words and it would have been right.

6.) If there was one thing no one told me about adulthood; it's the constant self-doubt even when you know what you are doing. Christ.

7.) Ok a second thing (no one prepared me for) is having to repress emotions; more on this later.

8.) Can I also just say that post is the ultimate birth control lol. I usually joke that I'm way too selfish to get married now. Seriously, I can't imagine having to take care of a little human now. No. Just no.

9.) This has sparked so much discussion on the web about mental health and wellness. It was devastating to read someone's suicide note online, to be honest. Especially from someone so seemingly...okay.

10.) My tolerance for BS is at an all time low. Please watch out. Thanks.

11.) Forgiveness. More, much more on this later.

I really hope to be back on Sunday. Have a blessed weekend.

Love,

I

On Wellbeing, Wellness, and Taking Care of Yourself

Aloha!

The low bun life

I took an unexpected break in transmission. I'm on the one hand disappointed for not going through with schedule. On the other hand, I'm proud of realizing I just could not do everything and being okay with that. I took a vacation some weeks ago with my sister yayyy (I have tons of pictures to share, but laziness and life are happening). Anyway so I got back and then fell ill, so everything was/is a blur. I'm slowly recovering and incredibly thankful for good health.

Last night I saw a tweet that took me back to last week.

I saw firsthand how stress can translate into physical illness. So much was happening with my work and I was incredibly stressed and pressured and next thing I knew,  it evolved into something physical. I think we young people are especially notorious for being  perfectionists and possessing a knack for the hustle. So much that we rarely take a step back to sort out priorities, and to take care of ourselves first. Even though I already told myself that my wellness would always come first, I still sometimes find myself going without food or sleep just to meet another deadline. And the worst of all aka the bane of my existence: worry! Am I doing enough? Am I working hard enough? So what happens in 5 years time? Jeez I gotta work harder etc. No.

Seriously if you die from stress or anxiety or depression, whatever it is would continue. Life would move on swiftly. No time. So millennials (and pretty much everyone) how can you look out for yourself?

Pray and/or meditate. I know I know: not everyone is religious bla bla. But it will be hard to find someone who copes successfully in this world without being in tune with their minds/without praying to something or someone. I personally pray to God almighty and study the Bible, which is filled with the most reassuring and comforting words. Honestly, it's hard to still remain worried when you remember you serve a God that thinks you are worth dying for. But that's just me. Do you.

Prioritize and plan. Everyday I hear people talk about taking on THE most. They just do every single thing without sometimes stopping to ask what purpose does this serve? How does this fit into my long term goals? Just to look busy or be taken seriously, young people would often do the most ridiculous stuff. It's impossible to do it all. If one thing is doing well, you are probably dropping the ball on another. It's just life. So plan, manage your time wisely; remembering to leave out some time for recreation or... for nothing. I sometimes need time to just...stare. And think about nothing.

Eat well. Perhaps millennials already know this. I mean we tend to go overboard anyway, but there is a new consciousness with what we eat that is really great. Hey, just do what you can: carbohydrates, protein, vegetables. Less alcohol, cigarettes, and junk food. More of actual food. Eat well. Think of your body, like I often think of mine: the temple of God. In that vein, cherish it and care for it. Inside and outside; a la moisturize honey! Your body is not a thrash can. Not everything is meant for consumption.

Exercise. I feel like many people do this anyway. But try to be less sedentary. My Fitbit inspires me to move more; almost an obsession. I check to see how much steps I have taken. And everyday I meet the 10k requirement, I have a little dance party. Haha but yeah, walk more. Move more.

Yup that's it.

Take care of you, you are worth it.

Love,

I