Lynn M. Dixon's Blog, page 8

Getting On With It!

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, reminded us to “Get on with it.” Sometimes we pause too long while looking back at what was or what almost was. We become like Eudora Welty’s Petrified Man and turn into a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife in the Bible. She could not let go of the past and walk into the beckoning future. She could not get on with it.

When we find ourselves staring at the closed doors, we must wake ourselves and snap out of it. We must take note of our clocks, peer at our watches and look at our calendars and see how much time has actually slipped by us. We must remember the old adage, “Time waits for no man.”

Whether we are lost in grief, reliving precious memories or simply frozen in time, we must stop ourselves from trying to function in the former chapters of our lives. We are no longer living, but wallowing and procrastinating in the sand. Quite like the hypnotist, we must clap our hands together to come out of the deep sleep or trance-like state.

When we are fully awake, we should ask ourselves how many moons have we missed? How many sunsets? How many sunrises have gone by unnoticed while our dark curtains were drawn to hide the light as we drowned in our sorrows?

The sky is always a great determining factor which reminds us that the earth is still spinning on its axis. Nothing has stopped, but us. Once we become fully conscious and our eyes are again open, we absolutely must get up and get moving.  As Les Brown said, “If you can look up, you can get up!”

When we are up and back outside, we may take that early morning jog or walk while the sun peeks over the horizon. We just might be met by a fellow companion traveling alongside us who says, “I’ve been waiting for you. Are you ready to get on with it?”

Lynn M.
March 15, 2024

March 2024

My dear friend, what is March to thee?
Women’s history? Lent? Both key.

Shamrock shuffles and wearing green,
The luck of the draw can be seen.

St. Patty’s Day, dancing galore!
Discards the humdrums as we soar.

Pots of gold, rainbows in the sky,
Warmer temps lifting spirits high!

Lynn M.
March 2, 2024

American Fiction: A Movie Review

Upon a recommendation from my sister, I went to see the movie, American Fiction. It is considered to be a satirical-comedy though it did not always make me laugh. College professor and writer Thelonious Monk (Jeffrey Wright) is given a leave of absence after he offended his students with too many truths about literature. They did not want him to delve that deep as an African American instructor.

So, as life would have it, he leaves his California teaching  position and returns home to Boston. His sister (Tracee Ellis Ross), a doctor, has an unexpected demise and he is forced to deal with his aging mother (Lesslie Uggams) in the throes of Alzhemier’s. His gay brother (Sterling K. Brown), though a plastic surgeon, is not helping with the crisis nor the ensuing costs of their mother’s care. She has become a danger to herself and to those around her and has to be placed into an assisted-living facility.

What will he do? His books are not selling and when he realizes that those in power to publish want him to ghettorize his writings, he is at first appalled. He sees another writer of color (Issa Rae) go all in with her writing as she stoops to their wants. Her books are jumping off the shelf!

So, he decides to go low. He creates the stereotypical characters who are angry, living street life, cursing and extremely violent. The publishers love it! He even pretends to be a fugitive author and he is offered large amounts of money to finish and publish the book. He went on with the charade, hoping that the industry would see it as a joke; however, the somewhat comedic part is that they are all so anxious to read and devour the book.

The movie is based on Percival Everett’s book called Erasure. It is powerful acting and Jeffery Wright is up for several nominations. Though the message is indeed great, reality did set in and he had to choose between his mother’s mounting debts over his personal principles. So, he caves in and sells the manuscript to a movie producer who simply sees it as divine. It explains why we see what we see when black life is portrayed through different forms of media, though it was nothing like the lives that either writer led. Hmmm.

Lynn M.
February 25, 2024

Bob Marley: One Love

I saw the new Bob Marley movie over the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend. It did not disappoint. It made me pull out my old Marley CD, burned for me by a former colleague, the music teacher at our school. So I am playing it as I write this piece and as I reflect on the movie, Bob Marley: One Love.

It was tastefully done and when I saw that Brad Pitt was one of  the executive producers, I thought, “That makes sense.” Some people can be depended on to do good work. Kingsley Ben-Adir played Bob Marley and he did a fine job as he embodied this prophet and man of the people. Lashana Lynch played his wife Rita Marley, who was also his childhood sweetheart and confidant. All these decades later, his music is still heard in our everyday lives like on television commercials. His lyrics have become coined phrases in our daily conversations.

In the song, Exodus, he mentioned the movement of the people and in No, Woman, No Cry, any man who has ever deeply loved a woman can understand the pain. The title alone speaks volumes. He knew how to touch any woman’s heartstrings with words like, “I wanna love you and treat you right. We can share the same room, (roof), every day and every night in I Wanna Love You.  What a promise!

In Stand Up for Your Rights, he empowered the people by giving them the courage to speak up for themselves. And we daily hear “Don’t Worry About a Thing,” on all aspects of media as he reassures us that everything is going to be alright. All of us need to hear these words of affirmation from time to time.

The song Jammin’ had me swaying as I drove, while Buffalo Soldier is more of a historic piece that makes any listener think. Marley found the lighter sides of life though he had his own private battles. He was not accepted by his father and he was forced to leave his beloved homeland of Jamaica for safety reasons. Yet, he continued to create while living in London and abroad.

I was blessed to spend a week in Jamaica back in 1971 when it was still very tropical. As a college gift from my parents, I was among 300 college students that took a chartered flight down from Chicago for a glorious time in Montego Bay, before the advent of the casinos. We were driven to Ocho Rios to see the Dunn’s River Falls with some wild and crazy drivers, but we survived. Jamaica will always hold a special place in my heart.

So when this movie finally came out, I did not hesitate to make it to the cinema. Bob Marley: One Love had the approval of Bob Marley’s family and his son, Ziggy spoke during the movie’s opening.  It downplayed his flaws and truly focused on his art and on what he was experiencing as he penned so many memorable songs. It was a win-win outing all the way around!

Lynn M.
February 20, 2024

Creating from Photographs!

Have you ever heard that a picture is worth a thousand words? Of course you have. Pictures and photographs tell stories. Black and white photographs truly reveal a lot because you are not distracted by a wide array of colors. You can really study the people’s expressions and look past the facades.

If you are ever in need of a story idea, the lyrics to a song or phrases to a poem, pull out the old family album and choose an old photograph. Or, go and view a primary source of a picture taken from a news event. Notice the people’s emotions in the picture. It may have been taken from an actual happening such as landmark celebration, a banquet dinner or from a sit-in or protest.

Keen observers can see how people are truly feeling. They can see the anticipation or anguish or rage or sneering hate or warm love. Though some photographs are planned and staged, you can still see those inner feelings boiling over though everyone is trying to look pleasant and amiable.

Some may be privately flustered from waiting for the photo sitting to acutally take place. Think about those family photos with all the personalities trying to blend together to appear to be one big, happy family. Sometimes it works and sometimes it simply does not.  That’s a story in itself.

Choose one person in the photograph or picture, and create his or her story. Look closely at the facial expressions and try to imagine what that person’s day was like before taking the photo. For example, suppose that he or she works at a laundry. Perhaps that person is trying to look joyful during the family photo session, but is really quite anxious to get back to the shop. It is a one-person operation, but  he or she had to be there in order to stay on good terms with the family.

Stretch your imagination. Assign a profession to someone after reading those hidden feelings and have a field day as your magic pen, strumming guitar or whatever tool you use to create takes flight. Have fun with it and make the story of the person of your choosing come to life!

Lynn M.
February 17, 2024

For the Lovers!

Oh, let me squeeze you really tight,
And hold you close with all my might.

Hush now. No spoken words will do,
Just heart to heartbeats will ensue.

Silence covers the atmosphere,
Expelling the hurt, pain and fear.

Quiet looks, gestures say it all,
Love speaks volumes. Answer the call.

Happy Valentine’s Day to All!

Lynn M.
February 1, 2024

Progress, Thus Far?

We are well into the first month of 2024. How are things going thus far? Are those self-imposed resolutions holding up?  While Mother Nature wreaks havoc around the globe and reminds us of who’s the boss, many of us are humbled as we scrape snow off of our cars and shovel our driveways. As we shiver from the frigid temperatures and respect the icy roads and conditions, we may vaguely remember some of the promises we’ve made to ourselves and to those close around us as the 2024 enters with a wintry blast.

Mother Nature has us begging for new mercies as she continually throws a fierce temper tantrum to the likes that we have not seen for a very long time. Neither money, nor time nor any personal possession can help us escape what is currently taking place with the weather. All we can say is, “I get it!  I am not in control”. Thus, the time spent indoors gives us a chance to reconnect with our new commitments to improve our lives.

As we hunker down and attempt to stay warm and safe, we can still take a little time to get back onto our imaginary lines and gently continue to row our boats down the stream. If we have already veered off course, we can do daily assessments and check to see if there are any old weeds of the past. Those weeds may include wrong thoughts, wrong actions or wrong people. If we note that we are falling back into the old patterns, we can continually discard the old ways of doing things and regularly work to cultivate our new gardens.

We are not perfect beings, but we can keep taking swipes at the oak until we hear the cry , “Timber!” As the past evaporates , we can sigh, “I may not be where I want to be, but  thank goodness, I am not where I used to be.”  Keep striving to get it right and as Eddie Kendricks sang in the 70’s, “”Keep on Trucking!”

Lynn M.
January 20, 2024

It’s 2024!

Oh, it is twenty twenty-four (2024)!
It’s time to break away and soar.

From that shell of complacency,
Start anew and let all things be.

Exemplify your very best,
Build and construct a stronger nest.

Though resolutions come and go,
A strong foundation helps you know.

How to steady the rocking ship,
Equalize. Balance and don’t slip!

Lynn M.
January 6, 2024

In Gear for the New Year!

It’s  the end of 2023. How did you do this year? Well, if you are reading this post, you must have done okay. You are alive!  As Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “Breathe!  You are alive!” Even if you did not achieve everything you planned or set out to do in 2023, there is still time to put those leftover items on your “To Do” list for 2024. 

As Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” So, take out your magical net and recapture those dreams and aspirations out of the air and write them onto your new list. Sometimes, when you tell the Universe what should happen, it doesn’t always work out the way we planned. 

It may be too early, too late or simply a plan that is not in alignment for a thing called “in your best interest.” There is a Higher Power operating as a Master Puppeteer that rules and makes you remember that you are not the center of the Universe nor in total control. You are merely a smaller entity which must cooperate with the bigger plan.

And as you prepare for the new year, you may find that you have to discard some things or even some ideas. You have to get rid of stuff that you no longer use or need and unfortunately, “Yes,” some people. You may find that you need to block, delete and discard some of your old contacts as you slowly realize that there is simply not enough room for them in your future.

Anything or anyone who is not bringing you peace, calm, joy and levels of contentment needs to be let go , if possible.  Or at least put them on a “to be assessed side list,” to see if they deserve any more of your precious time and attention. That may be the hardest part, but be reminded that if you want to travel far, you must travel light. Give up anything or anyone that is holding you back or weighing you down.

When you ring in 2024 and join in on the song, Auld Lang Syne, emphasize the lines, “Let auld (old) acquaintances be forgotten and never brought to mind.” Brush the dust of 2023 off of your shoes, tighten your belt, straighten your new brim and put yourself in gear for the new year!

Welcome 2024!

Lynn M.
December 30, 2023

Mute the Lips!

A woman I worked with while living in Atlanta, Georgia once said, “Ain’t nobody’s business, everybody’s business.” I never forgot if. She was lightly reprimanding me for carrying a non-scandalous story about her being a single parent. I was grateful that she gave it the light touch, but it was strong enough to stick and stay with me forever.

As we enjoy and visit those we know and do not know, it would behoove us to mute the lips and not spread what we think we saw like peanut butter on bread. People are graciously opening their homes and hearts to friends, family and even strangers. They may live in a humble abode or in a large mansion or they might extend themselves by sharing their thoughts and feelings. Whichever may be the case, they are still letting us into their sacred spaces.

With the overindulgence of gossip on social media, people’s lives are being upended minute by minute due to the insensitivity, busybodyiness and callousness of those who have little else to do with themselves. Gossip can be very injurious to the well-being of others. Mark Twain said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” I totally agree.

Regardless of what we see or think we see, mum’s the word because it can come back like karma and bite. There is nothing more shameful than having to walk around with egg dripping from your face because you were wrong about a discussed matter. And just sometimes, ‘sorry’ simply will not fix it.  Writer Ntozake Shange wrote,”One thing I don’t need is anymore apologies. I got sorry greeting me at my front door. You keep yours. I don’t know what to do with ‘em.’”

In closing, if someone is open and kind enough to let you into their worlds and private domains, I would say, “Mute the lips and do not be a whisperer.” It is the season for goodwill and peace. “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends” (Proverbs 16: 28)

Lynn M.
December 23, 2023