So this week started with a five day weekend that I treated myself to so that I could fully appreciate the GOATs that are Martin Luther King Jr. and Aaliyah Haughton. I loved every minute of it. Things at work haven’t been too crazy, but after reaching a couple big deadlines and minimal time off over the holidays I was ready to kick back. So that I did. After paying my respects on social media like the tons of others I was able to sit back and see what quotes and images people decided to share. I also paid attention to those who chose to share nothing at all when it came to Martin. I was particularly happy with people choosing to share more of the radical quotes from Dr. King. I think that in the recent years with all that is going on many people try to use Martin Luther King Jr. as a prop to shame the people of today and the ways that they carry out their activism. It is silly and just wrong because I can guarantee everyone who praises Dr. King’s ways in comparison to the ways of today would have definitely hated his ways back then. So I was elated to see many of my people reclaiming our hero and peeling back the shiny “I have a dream” wrapping.

My holiday was all about self-care. Which for me included several episodes of living single, too many plays of “It’s Whatever” from Aaliyah’s self-titled album, and attempting to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions. Failed at the last one, but if anyone has any interesting subs they want to share with me please feel free to sound off in the comments. Anyways back to reclaiming my time. I had found myself using my go-to office clap back, “per my last e-mail” way too much wrapping up 2017. As I rounded out this work week I can proudly say that I haven’t used it once. A small victory that I am cashing in because hey we all need them. Beyond that, in my last post, I discussed just how indifferent I was feeling about people to start the year. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I take things way too personally. Or really I just put too much stock in things and people that don’t really matter much. So this week I decided I was done doing that and I was able to reclaim all that energy. People can act crazy, not show up, go ghost, and I will not care because it is no energy 2018 after all. I’ve also just been thinking a lot lately about social media and its effects on communication. Me personally I know that I’m pretty comfortable with never hearing from or reaching out to a person if I can actively see what is going on in their everyday lives on social media. Which is a wild mindset to have, but I mean I feel like if I saw your ten Instagram posts while you were in Prague then we were in Prague, TF? I’m trying to change this mindset of thinking and just talk to more of the people I want to talk to on a daily regardless if I see their lives unfolding online or not. This one will be tough because I’m just such a backer of the if you aren’t speaking I’m not speaking mentality. I think I laid the foundation this week though to get out of that so I’m looking forward to those results. Another thing I did this week is block numbers. Now I am no stranger to this, my block list long af. I had been catching myself allowing people to live rent-free in my head for what reason I don’t know, but I know from past experience that once someone feels you mentally forgetting them they get the urge to hit you up. I don’t need to be hit up in 2018 so I’ve just been throwing people on the block list ahead of time so that when they get that urge it will fall on deaf ears. *insert black boy shrug emoji* Oh wait I actually think I can just type that I forgot I’m in this Apple ecosystem.🤷🏾‍♂️

And that is pretty much it for me it’s the third week of the year and I’m finally awake now. I read the syllabus, I know what this year has in store for me, so now I’m just ready to put the tools in place to keep flourishing. Here’s to taking better care of ourselves, deading old habits, and loving our friends more. Oh and also Drake showed up last night with the warm-up tracks which are always on time for the timeline of my life so this all feels right on point.

I only love my bed and my momma and I’m not sorry.

Yours Truly,

Joe.