T.L. Davis's Blog, page 3
October 3, 2012
NEGATIVE NED AND NANCY
Last night, I wrote the following paragraph on my Facebook wall:
Some people really can be negative and put a damper on something for which you have worked hard and believe in with all of your heart. I suppose when things are not going as planned in one's own life, it is difficult to keep a positive point of view when commenting on the next person's success. But I will take it. Thank you for the motivation. Still all smiles.
I received encouraging words from some wonderful people regarding the above post. So I felt the need to expand on the topic.
To everyone who is working toward their dream, understand that there will be nay sayers who will try to deter you from pushing forward. And as my cousin Cassandra Winston stated, there will even be those who cheer you on and send out a prayer (not up), while quietly wishing that you fail. When the dream comes true, there are persons who will still cast negativity your way, but not as boldly, because they also want to be a part of your success.
In knowing all of these things, hold on to who you are and keep your dream near and dear to your heart. Bask in the love and support from those who are excited for you and celebrate with you. And thank God for them all.
Some people really can be negative and put a damper on something for which you have worked hard and believe in with all of your heart. I suppose when things are not going as planned in one's own life, it is difficult to keep a positive point of view when commenting on the next person's success. But I will take it. Thank you for the motivation. Still all smiles.
I received encouraging words from some wonderful people regarding the above post. So I felt the need to expand on the topic.
To everyone who is working toward their dream, understand that there will be nay sayers who will try to deter you from pushing forward. And as my cousin Cassandra Winston stated, there will even be those who cheer you on and send out a prayer (not up), while quietly wishing that you fail. When the dream comes true, there are persons who will still cast negativity your way, but not as boldly, because they also want to be a part of your success.
In knowing all of these things, hold on to who you are and keep your dream near and dear to your heart. Bask in the love and support from those who are excited for you and celebrate with you. And thank God for them all.
October 2, 2012
That Doggone Devil...
It has been a few days since my last blog post. Honestly, my mind has been out of order. However, I did have an interesting conversation about spirituality. It made me ponder why people use the phrases, "That aint nothing but the devil" or "The devil stay busy", when something goes wrong in their lives. I have said these phrases myself. I have my theory. What is yours?
September 28, 2012
Expanded Distribution
So when I was determining the sales channels to select for my first book, I decided that the expanded distribution option was a necessity. It enables your work to be sold on competitor websites and in stores if the powers that be elect to add your book to their shelves. The downside? IT TAKES SO LONG TO RECEIVE THE ROYALTIES! It is now the end of September and I have just received notification that copies of SHED were sold in August. I suppose it will be nearly Thanksgiving by the time I receive the sales report for September. Ok. Maybe that is exagerrating a bit, but you have to admit that the turnaround time is a bit ridiculous. There has to be a more efficient way of tracking my expanded distribution sales. If anyone has any ideas, please share. Thanks.
September 27, 2012
Something to Talk About...
It has been a day of heavy thoughts and a heavy mind. Last night, I received that one call that I wish no one ever had to receive. My Aunt Saigon Britton passed away in the 1am hour of 9/27/12 (she lived in Louisiana and therefore, time is 2 hours ahead). Unfortunately, today is also her daughter's birthday. Tragic. That's the only way to describe it. Welp...at least The Death Committee finally has the truth to spread instead of the lies previously told...
September 26, 2012
The FB Giveaway
Well, I have posted my book giveaway for Facebook. Hopefully, it goes well. I did wonder if the two winners, somehow end up being people who are close friends of mine, will people feel that it was rigged? Hmmmmm. Hope not. But I have no control over such things. So here are the two poems and questions that I posted. I wondered if I should have posed more difficult questions. What do you think? What would you have asked?
1.
Root of All Evil
I often hear people say
That money is the root of all evil
But how can this be?
Money has no intent
It is simply paper without purpose
That is
Until its spirit is created
Then disturbed
By the hand of man
Unsuspecting in the beginning
Becoming euphorically stimulated
Pupils dilated
Affixed on all that could be
Held in his world
Which now sits
In the palms of his hands
Greed takes center stage
As envy waits behind closed curtains
And is as green as the ink that entices
One’s soul to gravitate to its spirit
Making a seemingly harmless piece of paper
A powerful being
A god of sorts
Held in high esteem
Upon a golden throne
To be given worship and praise
For all that it has adorned
Upon man’s ego-driven faith
If only he could see beyond
This god of worldly pacification
Perhaps clarity would fill his mind
And consummation between his heart and soul
Would culminate in the bosom of enlightenment
Leaving him to stand in the light of truth
If one adores materials of monetary value
And the worth of the almighty dollar
He surely cannot unequivocally love and serve
The Creator
For the LOVE of money
Is the true root of all evil
Question: Which lines reveal what gives money its power? Hint: There are four lines.
2.
A Working Man’s Peace
Each day I awake
To the noise of 2 alarms
So that I am not late
Not always the case
Because they do not motivate
Me
Mentally
Only physically
To get up
Hit the shower and the road
Which often yields rage
Against fellow disturbed beings
So I blast the Jay-Z and 50
To prevent me from seeing
Red
Upside their heads
I want to go
No
Not really
Survived the jam of traffic
Punch the clock
Empty “good mornings” ring in my ear
Feels more like a gong
Why am I here?
Another day another dollar
That’s what poor folks always holler
Working for the man
And his family
Increasing his annual profit
While working on his bottom line
Operating on a budget
Bologna sandwich
For lunch
Water, no sweet tea
Overtime to work
But still behind
Bills stay on my mind
Punch the clock again
Up out this mental prison
I am free
But not really
Just off the grind
And back behind
This wheel of frustration
Praying that I make it
Home
To be alone
Showered fresh
Reclined back
In my chair
With a beer
In one hand
Bills in another
Damn
At least I’m not at that dungeon
Question: At what point does this working man achieve his peace?
1.
Root of All Evil
I often hear people say
That money is the root of all evil
But how can this be?
Money has no intent
It is simply paper without purpose
That is
Until its spirit is created
Then disturbed
By the hand of man
Unsuspecting in the beginning
Becoming euphorically stimulated
Pupils dilated
Affixed on all that could be
Held in his world
Which now sits
In the palms of his hands
Greed takes center stage
As envy waits behind closed curtains
And is as green as the ink that entices
One’s soul to gravitate to its spirit
Making a seemingly harmless piece of paper
A powerful being
A god of sorts
Held in high esteem
Upon a golden throne
To be given worship and praise
For all that it has adorned
Upon man’s ego-driven faith
If only he could see beyond
This god of worldly pacification
Perhaps clarity would fill his mind
And consummation between his heart and soul
Would culminate in the bosom of enlightenment
Leaving him to stand in the light of truth
If one adores materials of monetary value
And the worth of the almighty dollar
He surely cannot unequivocally love and serve
The Creator
For the LOVE of money
Is the true root of all evil
Question: Which lines reveal what gives money its power? Hint: There are four lines.
2.
A Working Man’s Peace
Each day I awake
To the noise of 2 alarms
So that I am not late
Not always the case
Because they do not motivate
Me
Mentally
Only physically
To get up
Hit the shower and the road
Which often yields rage
Against fellow disturbed beings
So I blast the Jay-Z and 50
To prevent me from seeing
Red
Upside their heads
I want to go
No
Not really
Survived the jam of traffic
Punch the clock
Empty “good mornings” ring in my ear
Feels more like a gong
Why am I here?
Another day another dollar
That’s what poor folks always holler
Working for the man
And his family
Increasing his annual profit
While working on his bottom line
Operating on a budget
Bologna sandwich
For lunch
Water, no sweet tea
Overtime to work
But still behind
Bills stay on my mind
Punch the clock again
Up out this mental prison
I am free
But not really
Just off the grind
And back behind
This wheel of frustration
Praying that I make it
Home
To be alone
Showered fresh
Reclined back
In my chair
With a beer
In one hand
Bills in another
Damn
At least I’m not at that dungeon
Question: At what point does this working man achieve his peace?
September 25, 2012
The Giveaway...
The Autographed Book Giveaway is going better than I expected. 99 people from all over the U.S., and even Canada, have entered the contest thus far. It has only been a week since it begun. However, with there being so many entrants, it made me realize that the chances of my Facebook connections winning are slim to none. Therefore, I am going to hold a book giveaway strictly for the Facebookers! You can never say that T.L. Davis is not fair. Contest details will be posted on my fb page T.L. Davis some time today. Contest will begin tomorrow. It will only be held for 24 hours. So get ready!
September 24, 2012
Deed For The Day
Today, I visited Chili's Bar & Grill for lunch. If you are reading before your local Chili's closes on 9/24/12, please stop in for lunch or dinner. 100% of profits from all of the restaurant's nationwide locations will be donated to St. Jude's!!! Please eat and donate.
As I was exiting the restaurant, I thought to myself, "That's my one good deed for the day". In all honesty, I do not place limits upon or count my good deeds each day. Yet, this saying entered my mind. So it got me to thinking. Where did that line come from and who made it popular? Surely, there was not a man or woman who kept count of each kind, generous action that they performed on a daily basis. Or did they?
I searched "my one good deed for the day" on the web and there was no history provided about the phrase (although I was too lazy to go beyond the second results page). All that I saw were web pages encouraging others to perform one good deed a day and sites on which people posted their good deeds. But why only one? I am perplexed by this notion that "if you just perform one good deed a day, you can help to make the world a better place". Why limit ourselves? Why not live each day with the goal of being kind and generous to our highest capacity? Just a thought.
If anyone finds the origin of the phrase, "My one good deed for the day", please share by posting a comment on this blog. Thanks.
As I was exiting the restaurant, I thought to myself, "That's my one good deed for the day". In all honesty, I do not place limits upon or count my good deeds each day. Yet, this saying entered my mind. So it got me to thinking. Where did that line come from and who made it popular? Surely, there was not a man or woman who kept count of each kind, generous action that they performed on a daily basis. Or did they?
I searched "my one good deed for the day" on the web and there was no history provided about the phrase (although I was too lazy to go beyond the second results page). All that I saw were web pages encouraging others to perform one good deed a day and sites on which people posted their good deeds. But why only one? I am perplexed by this notion that "if you just perform one good deed a day, you can help to make the world a better place". Why limit ourselves? Why not live each day with the goal of being kind and generous to our highest capacity? Just a thought.
If anyone finds the origin of the phrase, "My one good deed for the day", please share by posting a comment on this blog. Thanks.
September 23, 2012
God Gave Me A Dream....
Have you ever dreamed of doing something but put it on the shelf for another day or time of your life? Or maybe you crumbled it up and threw it in the garbage. Either way, you gave up on it. I was guilty of this very act in regards to writing and reminded of it today as my spirit was fed.
The Message: God Gave You A Dream That Will Not Die. You see, no matter how long we cast our dreams aside, God never gives up on them or us. He is waiting for us to set aside our fears and stand in faith, believing that He is awesome and we are worthy to accomplish great things. I encourage everyone to revisit that shelf and dust off that dream! Dig into that trash and pull out you treasure! Be faithful and steadfast! Know that YOUR DREAM IS NOT DEAD! GOD GAVE YOU A DREAM THAT WILL NOT DIE!
The Message: God Gave You A Dream That Will Not Die. You see, no matter how long we cast our dreams aside, God never gives up on them or us. He is waiting for us to set aside our fears and stand in faith, believing that He is awesome and we are worthy to accomplish great things. I encourage everyone to revisit that shelf and dust off that dream! Dig into that trash and pull out you treasure! Be faithful and steadfast! Know that YOUR DREAM IS NOT DEAD! GOD GAVE YOU A DREAM THAT WILL NOT DIE!
September 22, 2012
Fresh Eyes...
I attended the birthday party of a 1 year old today. It was the best kid party that I had ever been to--candy and pastry buffets, roasted corn, snowcones, photo booths, cartoonist, and far more. But as much as I enjoyed it, the birthday girl behaved as if it were just another day with more people surrounding her. How crazy is that?
But then I wondered at what point did I lose that ability to not be phased by the hoopla? There are times throughout my life in which undesireable reactions have been triggered, placing me and those who are accustomed to my calmness in a state of shock. Its like an out of body experience. I find myself thinking of those darn MONKEYS--HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL, SAY NO EVIL. Of course, I never visit that place of evil but you get my point.
So for Christmas I would like a fresh pair of eyes so the world around me doesn't distract me with its razzle dazzle and bamboozling ways. And throw in a refreshed mind while I am making requests!
But then I wondered at what point did I lose that ability to not be phased by the hoopla? There are times throughout my life in which undesireable reactions have been triggered, placing me and those who are accustomed to my calmness in a state of shock. Its like an out of body experience. I find myself thinking of those darn MONKEYS--HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL, SAY NO EVIL. Of course, I never visit that place of evil but you get my point.
So for Christmas I would like a fresh pair of eyes so the world around me doesn't distract me with its razzle dazzle and bamboozling ways. And throw in a refreshed mind while I am making requests!
September 21, 2012
The Death Committee
One of these days, I am going to write a book about small town social dynamics. They never cease to amaze me.
I have an aunt who has been hospitalized for about 2 months now and as of yesterday, she has been reported as dead twice. Why? Because those who are not in the know, make up scenarios to what they believe are plausible truths.
But their truths are lies. My cousin calls these lovely people the death committee. They do not hesitate to kill people off when they have no idea of how they are recuperating. As sad as it is, I think that it would make for a funny short story--or even a novel. There's another idea for the think tank. Would you read it?
I have an aunt who has been hospitalized for about 2 months now and as of yesterday, she has been reported as dead twice. Why? Because those who are not in the know, make up scenarios to what they believe are plausible truths.
But their truths are lies. My cousin calls these lovely people the death committee. They do not hesitate to kill people off when they have no idea of how they are recuperating. As sad as it is, I think that it would make for a funny short story--or even a novel. There's another idea for the think tank. Would you read it?
