Friday, January 24, 2014

Avonte


I'm sure many of you have heard the news by now of 14 year old Avonte Oquendo.  Avonte was a young boy with autism who went missing from his Queens, NYC school in early October and a few days ago, his body was discovered in a Queens river.

Y'all know autism has a special place in my heart so news stories like these always make my heart skip a beat.  Some children with autism are wanderers, have little to no fear and do not have the ability to make judgement calls or read social cues.  All of these things combined with some children not having the ability to communicate has the potential for disastrous consequences such as the one that befell Avonte.  But, maybe something could have been done?

When I was teaching students with autism, our local police department partnered with children and families to provide GPS trackers to students.  With Project Lifesaver, children wore GPS trackers on their wrists that looked like bracelets.  In the event that a child went missing, police would be able to find them quickly.  I don't know if a GPS tracker would have saved Avonte's life, but it's certainly time to bring the discussion to the forefront.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Girl, you are BEAUTY-FULL

You might be asking yourself, "Div, were you always this fine?" And my answer would be a resounding "Yes!" I guess it's time I let y'all in on my secret mission: to make the world a more fashionable & confident place; one big girl at a time.



I've been pleasantly plump most of my life, except those first 2 months when I was able to fit into preemie clothes. Being chubby as a 9 year old in dance class is not fun. While everyone else looks cute in their recital costumes, you look like an Italian sausage, waiting to break out of its casing. And being fluffy as a teenager is awkward.  But being a weird looking teenager is a rite of passage!

I say all this to say, everyone has struggled with their weight, self-confidence, and feeling beautiful.  It's up to you whether or not you let that define who you are. Life is too short to feel bad about yourself. Look in the mirror and own what you got. I promise, other people will respond in kind.


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Complete vs. Complement



Tom Cruise got it wrong. I mean, besides the whole Scientologist thing.  His famous line from Jerry Maguire was "You Complete Me." He said it to some woman and she swooned and they lived happily ever after.  But, he was wrong.

The problem with looking for someone to complete you is that it implies that you aren't 100% unless this person is in your life.  And that is a problem.  You should be fulfilled in your life, your career, your friends, your family, and your God (sha-tah) without the aid of a significant other.  Besides, why would God bless you with a husband/wife if you aren't a whole person?

Instead, you should look for a life mate who complements you.  No, not compliments (although that is important); your partner should support you, make you better, and make positive additions to your life.  Just like a belt complements a dress or a glass of wine complements a meal; it ain't necessary, but it makes it that much better.

I know dating can sometimes suck, but you've probably been going after the wrong partners.  Change your search from one of completion to complementary.  I think you'll be amazed at what you find.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Bird Behavior

You ever meet a girl that's a bird but don't think she a bird?  I like to think of these ladies as Swans on the outside, but Pigeons on the inside.  Basically, they're Swigeons.  Here are the Top Ten ways to tell that you are a Swigeon:

1. You always talk about how bad men are but you're in the club every weekend suckling at the VIP teet?

2. You post pictures of Beyonce & Jay Z and say "I want a love like this." (How you know? Did you give the toast at their wedding?)

3. You use words like conversate in casual conversations but don't know it's wrong?

4. You post pictures of yourself like this?


5. You narrate TV shows on your Facebook/Twitter timeline even tho no one is listening to you?

6. You spell words such as IS and WAS like IZ and WUZ?

7. You've been to one or more NBA All-Star weekend?

8. You only date men who can buy you expensive things/take you to exotic places?

9. You ever taken a selfie and captioned it "bored" even though you're in a full face of makeup?

10. You read this list and STILL don't think you're a swigeon?

Have you done at least 1 thing on this list?  Sorry, you a swigeon, boo.

#swigeon

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Book Review: Where We Belong

This book is like a Lifetime movie: the premise is kinda tired & cliche, but you still sit through the whole two hours. Where We Belong is about a 30-something woman who, in her teens, secretly gave a child up for adoption and now the child comes to find her.  The book was just aight; I wasn't on the edge of my seat the whole time.  I will say the author writes very descriptively and did a good job with character development.

One of my friends told me that another book written by the author was a very good read AND I discovered that the author was a UVA alumnus (WaHOOwa), so I'll give her one more chance.
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