Beyond the request

June 7th 2018~
On this day we remember one of the greatest in music history. Happy Birthday Prince and forever and always we are thankful for the gifts he left us.  I’m even MORE grateful that my favorite DJ decided to pay homage to him as only he can. DJ Jaycee is known for his legendary tribute mixes and today was no exception. He blessed us with almost THREE hours of purple music goodness including never before heard practice audio of ‘Screams of Passion . You just never know what he will play. That my friends is half the fun.

There was a time when I would just have to hope he will play one of my favorites. Whenever he’s doing a tribute you know he’s gonna play the tried and true but you secretly hope one of your b side favorites makes the cut. At one point in time I used to tweet him and ask if he was taking requests.  If he was in a good mood he’d say yes. If my luck was REALLY good I’d get my song played. Man! I can’t even express how exciting that used be. Over the years our friendship began to grow. We’ve gone from tweeting and DMs to the heart stopping text message; ‘what you feel like hearing?’
We’ve come a long way.
Nowadays when Jaycee is mixing I hardly ever make a special request. I really don’t have to. Over time he’s learned what I like and has a steel trap memory. Or could it be some kind of mental telepathy? All I know is the first 5 songs were for me. “I Wanna Be Your Lover” which I was just thinking about the other day, was first up. “Head” was somewhere in there hell, I was good with just those two!! I really enjoy listening and watching him play around with his music because you never know where it’s gonna take him. All spontaneous ‘off the dome’ as he would say. Between the beat juggling and the blends he found a few new scratch patterns and threw in a curve ball or two. I just hope I can get a copy of that first hour. Maybe I’ll request it, or maybe he’ll read my mind. 

Pride over Pain

 Over the past 10 years I’ve been dealing with chronic back pain.  And oh what a ride it has been.  One thing that I’ve learned from this is that it definitely depends on your mindset.  While it can be rather infuriating to have doctors insinuate that your pain is all in your head, the way you handle the pain greatly depends on a healthy mindset.  I’ve had multiple opportunities to test this theory. 

 One particular topic or issue is putting your pride aside to deal with the pain.  Most recently I was standing in line trying desperately to shift my weight  from foot to foot in order to distribute the weight between the two legs and try to accommodate for the pain that was forth coming. I saw a lady standing with the cane, and I thought to myself why is that.? Why is it that I never think to use my cane when the answer came to me. Because of my pride.  There is a certain spirit in me that didn’t want to rely on a cane for assistance.  The reality is, sometimes in life we have to put our pride to the side and take whatever help that is there for us.  It’s OK to take help, it is not a sign of weakness.  My spirit is the same regardless of my outer shell.  And for that I give thanks. 

~ peace and rhythm 🙏🏽

 Oh my god what can I say?  I’ve been away so long and I’ve learned so many new things about myself that I don’t know where to start . Since I am excited to be back I guess I’ll start off slow and I’m bum barred you all with this wealth of information. 2018 definitely was the start of an exciting year for me.  Turning 50 has definitely been a milestone . My spiritual awakening has definitely increased and my self identity is clear. Since I’m back, I’ll give more information in future blogs. It’s a time of enlightenment and I’m so excited!!! Stay tuned
~Peace and Rhythm 🦅🦅

The Force.. it's got a lot of Power

How strong is your force?

See, Mike was trying to tell us. We all have a force inside of us, but some have a stronger force than others. Some folks have a force so strong that it invokes a spark in others. That spark might be inspirational, motivational,or it may invoke love or hate. Depending on where you are, the force has a different affect. The force that someone else might possess can make a positive change in your life for the better. That force might spark a business idea. That force might motivate you to pursue YOUR passion and thus ramping your inner own force.

But some people can't handle the force. The force is a threat to them. They resonate on the hate side. It really won't matter what the 'force' is doing; 'hate' can find away to have it's voice. To be honest, I really had no idea that people spent so much of their time hating. For example, do you realize that their are people who go live or make a video and post it on YouTube just talking SHIT about a person they don't even know? Someone who don't know them, ain't never did a THING to them, and yet that person is sitting to the side just HATING!! For no good reason, but that force is sparking them to do something.  That force is so powerful and trust and believe that if you HATE on the 'force' you won't ever find peace within. Because what they hate so much on is a part of them that they can't reach. They can't harness the force inside to do anything good. No, they can't contain the force. But like Mike said.. 'the force won't stop'.

About.... 'My Jump Rope'

So, in case you missed it, I write poetry (spoken word). I haven't shared too many on this blog, but I've done a few. This one is from 2005 and it was wrote on the 'fly'. I was new to the 'open mic' scene, but I jumped right in.. pulling from my memory and combined my new found name (El Boogie), I was compelled to enlighten folks. 'My Jump Rope' is the product of that. I didn't want to format this poem until I found the right photo.. cuz you know.. folk's like 'receipts'.

MY JUMP ROPE

My first mic was a jump rope. It all started when I was two years old. 

‘Call Me’ by Aretha Franklin. Rumor has it; I sang this song from start to finish. When relatives from out of town would see me years later, they may not remember me until I told them my name and who my mother was and then they’d reply.. ‘Oh, you're the one who would sing with your jump rope mic!

To this day that song has a special affect on me. I know it’s probably because my mom played the song constantly, so I had no choice to learn it, but to memorize all the words? At that age?

Almost any song by Aretha has some kind of affect on me; from ‘Chain of Fools’ to ‘Ain’t No Way’ to ‘Till You Come Back to Me’ and ‘Say A Little Prayer’ and how can anyone forget ‘Dr Feelgood’? AnyTIME I hear a song by her and I am transformed to another time. When life was easy and my only worry was where did I leave my jump rope?

As I got older my love for music continued, and I began to define my own taste. There are lists of songs that continue to grow that I wish I had a jump rope for, the magic jump rope that makes everyone a singer. Songs that make me throw my hands up and stop and groove….

'Grapevine' AYEEE!!

Or songs that make you feel like the words were wrote just for you: 

‘Weak’-SWV

‘My Life’-Mary J. Blige

'Have You Ever’- Brandy

And the list just grows.  Now I’ve come full circle. My love for the mic has been rekindled.

But I need your help, does anyone know? Where did my jump rope go?

I only sing from time to time, but if it’s okay with you, I will bust a rhyme.

To let you know that my love for the mic is not new, my quest for the spot light never dwindled.

I just had to find my jump rope.

 

FOR MY SISTERS

They didn't cherish and protect her

Damn, they nearly neglected her

No one to uphold and respect her

For unknown reasons 

they rejected her

That lost daughter that no one claimed. 

Nope she's not filled with pain.

And she won't carry your shame. 

Cuz she knows why she came.

To teach you about YOU. 

Did you catch it?

Too Much To Focus

It's been awhile since I've posted anything so I decided to put some word to paper. So many things have happened since the last time, I truly don't know where to start. From world issues to personal problems and health related issues, I've not been able to really focus on one topic. It's just a daily mission to not spiral down to a low energy level. With my already fragile mental state, it's a wonder I've been able to hold things together. I lost two important tools I used everyday to keep me motivated. My dog and my Eargasms.  I find it ironic that I had folks talking SHIT behind my back regarding both, and now they're gone. I hope 'those people' are happy now.  I'm not, but I will be. I know it takes time. I can't really grieve like I need to because I don't want to upset my girls, most of the time I have to hide my tears.
I'm trying really hard to process things as they come. 

I have more things on my heart, but I'll save them for now. My goal is too be more disciplined in my writing, but since it comes from my heart, I don't like to push anything.. I like to just feel it.  I've had to shut off my feelings.. kinda numb, but I'm tired of holding on to my hurt feelings. Time to expose some thangs.  New month, new goals, new opportunities to find my joy again.