That's Bantu Knots To YOU....

My hair journey over my life has been just that.. a JOURNEY! I've shared some of my experience in previous post, but this post it about a current hair trend that I wanted to address.  When I first decided to 'loc' my hair back in 2005 I had to do research and be re-introduced to my original hair texture. I read books, yeah a BOOKS because I wasn't on the internet like that back then. But I'm sure I watched a few YouTube videos as some point. 

 Keep in mind at that time not too many sisters was rocking natural hair styles, so no matter how I wore my hair it would be noticeable.  As my locs began to grow, I had to figure out ways to 'manage' this growth I had never had before. One method I learned was the Bantu Knots. After washing my hair, I was left with semi damp tresses, so I needed a way to make sure my hair 'set' until it dried. This would make my locs curly AND 'protected' so to speak.
 

 
*Fast-forward 2016~ NOW I see the' dominate culture' has been wearing this style and calling it something new.. NEW TO who? YOU? *Ahem excuse me, but like I said..
I found this style in a BOOK
not on a damn run way!! I just don't understand how you can jack a certain hair style and call it NEW.. without at LEAST doing some research first?  It's such a slap in the face to the originators of said creation.

I know you might say.. it's just a hair style. And I say.. yeah, I know, but it's just the principle, ya know? Even ancient goddesses knew what was up. I saw a picture of this one in a jewelry store once. I just so happen to had washed my hair the day before and had twisted into Bantu Knots. The owner looked at my hair and looked at the picture and said.. 'same hair style'... and I looked and say.. 'you know I think it is'. See... 'we BEEN doing this'!! Ase'!!!

Yeah, I Write Poetry Too...

Just something that came to mind and I managed to write it down. That's not always the case. I be sleeping on some good ideas... Anyway hope you like it.

BUT I WANTED TO

I never called
But I Wanted To
I never made that move
But I Wanted To
I never put it 'all out there'
But I Wanted To
I never held you in my arms
But I Wanted To
I never took the time
I never made you mine
But, I should have

The Story of 'Gert'

'Gert' ~ It's an unknown term of endearment, that I'm sure you've never heard before. It's one of those sayings that just evolved over time. One of my OHS classmates was NOTORIOUS for making up words and phrases and some have lasted the test of time. Gert is one of them.

Imagine a 'generic' name for one of your closest girl friends.. one that know most if not ALL your secrets.. that's what a Gert is. It's a name you call your friend while expressing some sort of excitement. 'Gert! you'll never guess who called me last night!'.. 'Gert, did you get your tickets yet!?'

For the last 20 years or so.. Gert had been put to bed, it was gone from my vocabulary. I hadn't used that term for a very long time.  It wasn't until I came into contact with one of my 'Gerts' from the past that I started using it again. I didn't realize how much I missed it. It's nice to have a 'Gert' again. 

Don't Let Your Grief Keep You From Living

We all must experience it. Death. It's apart of the souls cycle. But what do we do when a loved one passes away? Someone extremely close to you.  How do you deal with the emptiness inside?  Grief will take a person thru a full range of emotions that can be hard to navigate and the depths of them are different for us all. I in no way can begin to imagine what it must feel like to loose a child but it must be one of the most hardest things to ever have to survive. But what I hold true is that; what is NOT different is what happens when the soul transcends. 
If we can loose some of the ideology from the dominant society, we can understand that the soul is forever. IT never dies. So when a loved one passes, please believe that they are still with us in some way or another. If we can learn that these souls are on a different plane.. but still connected and doing 'work' from on the other side, I think the grieving process might be a little easier. Some people think of them as Angels, but in fact they are our Ancestors. 


I know for some, this will be of little or no comfort, and because of our internet connections, it is easy to see how many folks are suffering with grief. It has overtaken them so to speak. It breaks my heart to read posts where the person is obviously hurting and even tho some time has passed they still haven't made 'peace' with the fact that their loved one is gone.  All other cultures have rituals center around remembering and paying respect to the departed but most Blacks here in America don't know much about that. We've been lead to believe that is a form or voodoo or something silly like that. 
I for one truly believe that if we can reconnect to some of our original traditions and practices, we as WHOLE can be in a better place. Not only would it help with the grieving process, I think we would be amazed at the blessings and the protection that the Ancestors so want to give us. ~Peace and Rhythm

... it's been over 2yrs.. but I'm back!!!!

After over TWO YEARS I'm back on my blog tip. Oh where to start... I don't know. A blog about me blogging? Oh why not.

Where have I been? I been here.. soaking up the ambiance. Doing me. Listening to music. Baby sitting my grands. Who would have thought that I would be at home.. all day.. babysitting. Not EYE said the fly. I had no idea that this would be my life in my mid  (cough) late 40's. Not the plan I had in mind.
I mean.. I was just getting excited about my kids being grown and on their own.. time for me was right around the corner.. or so I thought. No, I had threw a monkey wrench in my own plans... I had to sit down.. for awhile. A long while. Dealing with chronic pain, anxiety and depression, life was on overload.
So of course it would make perfect sense for me to take care of my grands while while my daughters work. And instead of me starting life over (so to speak) I was right back where I had always been. With a baby on my hip. I swear one has been there all my life.

Hugs for Grandma on National Hug Day

Some days are rough. A 5 year old and a spunky 2 year old keeps me on my feet.
With my hands full most days, I kinda forgot about my blog. Feelings and thoughts run in and back out my mind each day but I just didn't find the time to put them all down. I must do better so from this day forward I'm gonna try to blog more often. Like a New Years resolution.. I'm gonna get this blog out cuz I sure ain't hitting the gym.

Lexy and Janiyah