This I Believe........


Today marks our nations celebration of Martin Luther King Jr's birthday.

What a brave and wise man he was. There is a part of me that feels a certain disconnect to the present time. My soul always had a soft spot for the 1950's and 60's. Everything about that era appealed to me, the culture , its vibrance and verve- and especially the music, in particular Jazz and Gospel .

With that said the 50's and 60's also marked a very dark time in our culture as Wallace was spreading his rhetoric about segregation and racism. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have been Black back then. The White Only signs, the overall inequality.
Lee Friedlander and Robert Frank have some very poignant photographs that I have studied up close that are very haunting in the way they captured the American South in those times, and for Dr. King to have been one of only a handful of African Americans to stand up for what was right and proper back then is so very very important to honor and remember.


While others dealt in violence, Dr. King fought with prose and passion, his speeches were simply brilliant and eloquent. Whenever I hear him utter " Free at last, Free at last, God Almighty Free at last " ! I get the chills. We need more Americans like Dr. King, now more than ever.

Had he lived he would have been 78 yrs old, thats only 7 years older than my mother who is still in great health. One can only imagine the good he could do in these troubled times.

As I swam today my guilt switch kicked in.

Not quite sure why actually.......maybe its because I spend too much time problem solving in a micro-environment, in other words, just around my family and inner circle. Sure I put in some time helping out within my community, but thats it really. I've never taken a leap into bigger things , selfless acts so to speak. We all have certain protocols to how we operate on a day to day, but I have always been in a default mode, meaning my rituals primarily concern me...and I have come to realize that its not good enough. Especially when I know I am fully capable of doing more, making a REAL difference ! Life is to short to just stay in one corner

Furthermore, something like this can't be treated or approached like a New Years resolution as one's actions will result in consequences whether good or bad. So before I decide on the first step , an evaluation of my time frame for the rest of the year needs to get tighter and once thats established I want to commit to the first step in being part of the bigger picture.

Maybe its for the best then that this day involved severe weather and lots of time indoors . The time for self- reflection and looking into the mirror is upon me. I hope I find the strength and courage to turn my thoughts and feelings into actions and not just words.

Be Well and take the time to let someone know you care.