Good Afternoon, Everyone:

May all of you have a most blessed week. 

I attended an Anita Baker concert last night.  I’ve seen her live several times in the past and last night was not her best performance.  Ms. Baker even admitted that last night was her last concert of the season until May and that she felt that she may be “getting too old for this”.  However, her very lovely contralto voice is still very much intact and she poured her “heart and soul” out to the audience.  She told the audience that she’ll be turning 52 in January and expressed how important it is “to release anger as opposed to hanging on to it”.  I absolutely love her music and will continue to buy it.  I wish her continued success in the future.

Recently, I read a derogatory comment someone made on the Internet concerning the appearance of an actor which stated that, “the outside is finally catching up with the inside”.  Granted, this person does look somewhat older than his actual chronological age of 53, however; he’s been fighting his share of “personal demons” for quite some time which seems to be taking a toll on his appearance.  The reason this comment stuck in my mind is because it rings true for all of us. 

None of us are going to be what we once were twenty, ten or even five years ago.  Life simply does not work that way.  Everyone will go through different phases in life and how we fare depends upon our individual genetics and how well we take care of ourselves.  I’m in my late forties, and I happen to completely agree with Ms. Baker’s assessment concerning anger.  Don’t get me wrong, it has its’ place but hanging on to it for an extended period of time only poisons your soul.  As a motivational impetus, it can be quite useful in the short-term; however, something much more fulfilling must become the foundation of your long term objectives, otherwise; you may find yourself engaging in counter-productive activities that will unnecessarily complicate your life.

Currently, American society is very “youth conscious” and for some, their looks have become an “unhealthy obsession”.  As the saying goes, “beauty is only skin deep” and what will you have left once your looks are gone?  If you have failed to cultivate other qualitative aspects of your character, woe be unto you!  There are many people who erroneously believe that wealth excuses all sins.  Wealth can’t buy a good character, integrity or sincere admiration.  Sure, people will pay “lip service” to you but the minute the tide of good fortune turns against you, they will devour you like a “pack of wolves”.  In such trying times, how well you recover depends upon how well you’ve treated others in the past which will either make or break you.  As the saying goes, “the same people you meet going up in the world, you will see coming down” and people have very long memories especially when they’ve been angered or mistreated.

Usually, people who age well, have conquered their “personal demons” by no longer allowing their insecurities to get the best of them.  They have learned “to live and let live” and just allow others to be who they are whether they agree with them or not.  They have learned that people are simply people who fundamentally want the same things from life regardless of their racial or ethnic background.  These are people who know no strangers because they feel comfortable enough in their own skin to accept others and not be challenged by their apparent differences.  Such people will usually radiate a sincere, heartfelt warmth that’s tempered with a healthy sense of humor because they have lived through adversity by not allowing it to master them.  These are truly beautiful people because their souls are unencumbered by the traps that so many of us fall into and they have developed the wisdom to avoid them.  I know plenty of them, do you?

May Peace Be with All of You,