Life…. Life is not a snapshot of a single period. It’s a collection of the ups, downs and in between periods. It has been a while since I posted on the site and as I sit back and enter “blog mode,” I feel disappointed that I didn’t keep up my fervent attempts to connect with people. I quickly say a prayer asking God to help me snap out of this funk, and here I am, writing so effortlessly and expressing my thoughts once again. My mind wants to recap my 1^st quarter of 2017, so join along as I reflect and thank you for visiting my blog!

1^st Quarter 2017

Executive Summary

As April 2017 kicks off, I wanted to take a moment and think of how my Q1 went regarding Christ, Family, Money and Love. In finance, companies always disclose their quarterly updates internally/externally and are exposed to criticism, so why don’t we as individuals do the same? Q1 was very productive but not without its low points. I could fall into the “new year new me” category as I blazed into 2017 and slowly dimmed my light by picking up some bad habits.

Christ

This sets the tone for all other categories. Without Christ, I would be a walking zombie. In Q1 of 2017, I can honestly say that my relationship with God has improved tremendously. I started out strong with a daily scripture and devotions at least once a week. I also humbled myself and dismissed doubt; wherever God put me, I believed He intentionally placed me there. That concludes the good news. The bad news is that I became complacent; I looked at my journey with Christ and thought to myself “Hey, I’m pretty impressive.” The walk with Christ is not a finite journey! I must learn to always stay in the word. I am going to re-dedicate myself to Christ and work on getting back on track. In March, I stopped reading the Bible on a nightly basis and indulged in some selfish wants.

La Familia! Oh, how I love my people……. Don’t we all love to say that? It’s quite ubiquitous to hear people say they love their families when they don’t talk to them often. In Q1 of 2017, I tackled this subject by putting time on my calendar to visit all my family. I started off taking a road trip with my little sister and my nephew to go see my older brother and his family, then I had my older sister visit me and treated her to brunch after visiting the basilica in Philadelphia. I also visited my mother quite often during Q1. I missed out on opportunities to bond with my grandmother, and older sister Aisha, but I have gotten better with picking up the phone to call. My phone skills can always get better in this department; I sometimes have the “light-skin chick with 10k followers” syndrome and don’t answer the phone as often. In Q2, I won’t have as much free time, but I need to pick up that phone and give my loved one’s my attention. Life isn’t slowing down and any moment could be our last, so I encourage anyone reading this to do the same.

My little sister and Papa Jireh. My older sister is also pictured to the right.

Reasons i can’t be your lover lol

They say we look alike. I don’t see it lol

Money

In Q1, money was great! My expenses however were not. I found additional sources of income by filing a couple friend’s income taxes, selling clothes and shoes on my website/eBay, and taking advantage of promotions/bonuses. The expenses…… I don’t want to talk about them, but I must take the good with the bad. I SPENT WAY TOO MUCH MONEY ON LEISURE. Looking at my spending, I had a lot of unplanned expenses due to catching up with an old friend or two. The happiness from seeing an old friend is great, but I have to stop feeling like I need to see them in person; sometimes a good facetime or phone call will do. In Q2, the hustle doesn’t stop, I am going to keep on looking for opportunities to make additional income, while trying to stay disciplined with expenses. My birthday is coming up and I know I’ll be blowing “a bag” lol (as the kids say).

Spent money supporting a friend’s clothing brand. Not too bad of a random expense

Always going to 5 Sisters Restaurant with Jason and Chris. Bad, but im getting fed knowledge so its cool

Spending money with a friend at a hookah bar. I think im so cool smh. Stupid expense lol

Love

I’m still single lol. Went on a couple of dates with 1 person, but it turns out we are only good friends. I’m not in a rush to find love; I still have faith that God knows what he is doing. Sometimes, I do feel lonely but I never make the mistake of talking to someone simply because of this urge. My love life could change soon, I’ll keep you all updated lol.

Probably calling me out on some outrageous joke I made lol

Mehhh, although i’m single, I’m a happy man