I Ain't Afraid of No Troll

“A wise woman wishes to be no one's enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone's victim.” Maya Angelou

Comedian and Actress Leslie Jones has received enormous publicity lately and not for her comedic talents. Ms. Jones became the target of racial terrorism and social bullying. The fact is that it doesn’t matter how great, fabulous, beautiful or funny you are to be a target. So don't look now, but lurking behind you is a mobile app of popularity or success in life is a troll. From a child in grade school or a student attending high school or even a comedian at the peak of your career; no matter the age, you can be subject to be confrontation by a troll. And at any age or circumstance, how you handle the matter is predicated on what you chose to tell yourself.

Trolls and bullies are one in the same only with different methods of harassing behaviors. They pounce on opportunities to deliver malicious rumors and catapulting insults like a pie throwing contest in an arena that appears safety and comfort of fingertips at a keyboard and ass possible on a toilet while dropping terms like putrid feces from a rotten gut. Yes; these are disgusting beings clinging to a life void of attention; namely yours. Unfortunately, for some who find success in the workplace or a career, they are more subjected to random or a sudden barrage of attacks. The goal is to shatter your foundation of belief. First thing to re-anchor yourself in a solid belief system; repeat a series of statements or read a chapter from your favorite motivational book that helped you to achieve the success you have today. Be mindful and still to stabilize yourself from these attacks. You must be aware of why you became the target. The hurtful comments are simply mirroring the attackers’ ignorance, jealousies and inferiorities.

How do you handle an orchestrated campaign of attack by trolls? ‘What do you chose to tell the word and what do you chose to tell yourself?’ Here are a few statements by some famous people who at some point in their careers dealt with trolls.

Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
If there's something strange in you twitter feed Who you gonna call?
Troll Busters
If there's something weird And it don't look good
Who you gonna call?
Troll Busters
I ain't afraid of no Troll

You Go Gurl!

CELEBRATE THE MIRACLE OF LOVE, LIFE AND LAUGHTER TO CLOSE 2015

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" - Victor Borge

The year end is a time meant for reflecting all things good and bad, happy, sad; a time for a  moment in remembrance.    It is also a time of letting go forgiving and clearing our mental, spiritual and physical houses that can bring a flood of mixed emotions.  Remembering the good and fond things about people we are not longer connected to in the physical actually brings their spiritual essence closer.  More importantly is letting go and only holding on to the good and healthy thoughts.  

2015 has been a year of good, bad, and unexpected tragedies. It has been a year of resilience and for those of us who woke up this morning, a year of many blessings.  One way to balance life in between the ups and downs for the coming year is to remember to laugh.  "Laughter is the best medicine" is more than just cliche;  it's scientific.  For the year 2016 never forget how to forgive; just live, love and laugh.  Sonja Brooks.

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles”  – Willa Cather 

Amidst all the celebrations, the most powerful way to end the year for me is to celebrate the miracle of love.   Love is much greater than what we feel romantically. It is what makes us sing, dance and makes us human.  Love is the most amazing thing in our lives. It is what make us human, what makes life worth living – in the grander scheme of things, nothing else truly matters. The size of our homes, bank balances, the beauty of our partner, the speed of our car – all those things pale into insignificance when we face the miracle of love.

Love leads to other miracles such as kindness. Have you noticed how great you feel afterwards when you have done someone a kind deed? Through the miracle of our love, we can indeed transform the world – even a hug, a loving touch or just a smile can cause the miracle of healing others. There are so many simple things we can all do on a daily basis to bring more love into our lives. Together we can all make this an even more beautiful and miraculous world than it already is. I love the Creator of the Universe, and I love you all. Thank you for all your support and love (you know who you are). There are even greater miracles about to happen in 2016.  Watch out for those miracles. Keep loving. 

You don't need a reason to be happy just a choice. It's a beautiful world, enjoy it. Dream. Explore. Discover.
Contributor: Nanna Abban "Reflections of Adinkra."

When Laughter Is The Cultural Divide

America often boasts as being the melting pot, yet there cultural differences when it comes to humor. On Saturday August 22, 2015, a book club group made up of eleven African American women purchased tickets for a food and wine excursion on the luxurious Napa wine train. Like the other passengers, the women were served wine and cheese, laughed and chatted in between while enjoying good companionship amongst the group; that was until the train arrived in St. Helena You see where this is going, right? So apparently, passengers complained (as far as they know it was one or more) to the staff that the women were excessively loud with laughter and the other passengers found it disturbing. The women, whose ages ranged from thirty- something to eighty-three years of age, were confronted by a staff person to keep their levels down but when their laughter continued they were confronted by a female passenger aboard the train who scoffed stating, “This is not a bar.” Okay? After the second warning, when the train arrived in St. Helen, when the women were met by the local police who escorted them from the train. We are a diverse culture too often divided by class, culture and community. But now and then we will find ourselves in a blended situation coming together for a common experience; in this case it was for wine, cheese and a wonderful 18 mile scenic ride on the Wine train through Napa. What they did not have in common was a motivation of joy, fellowship and welcoming. But what was unique about this story, is that the Sisters of Reading Edge book club stepped off that train with dignity and continued to laugh. They did not let a woman with her britches in a bundle (if you can just imagine that they were way up her crotch) spoil their mood. What is fun and humorous to one culture or class may not be to another, but that should not prevent others the right to enjoy themselves and get a little bit loosey- goosey after a couple of glasses of wine. Just check out the smiling faces of the faces of the Sisters of Reading Edge. Keeping with the humorous mood, they continued to laugh about the situation not allowing the miserable Ms. Snooty Booty spoil the day. No guessing that this group consisted of women with healthy attitudes; why else would the eldest be eight-three years young? That’s what good living and a good sense of humor will do for you.