Author: Cassandra S.

Even when they don’t understand. Even when you don’t understand.

Keep loving folk.

Even when they don’t understand you. Even when you don’t understand them.

Keep reaching out.

Even when they don’t understand your try. Even when you don’t understand their lack of understanding.

Keep caring about folk.

Even when they don’t understand why you care “for no reason”. Even when you don’t understand why they don’t understand that you “just care”.

There are days, beloveds, when I want to leave the 🌎 to its own devices. Folk see ulterior motives in everything. Or, they think you think ill of them for no reason. Smh.

I was raised to take folk at face value. The advent of social media has raised a generation of folk who hide behind personas and being perceived as influencers and wellbeing gurus.😥😳

Whatever happened to folk just BEING. Just you. Just me. Just us. Flawed, yet lovable.

None of us are perfect. Since when did we all have to be? We don’t. I do one to two dumb things daily. It keeps me grounded.🥰🧓

Be encouraged, beloveds. Get off the hamster wheel and stop trying to drape yourself in whatever is currently trending on TikTok. You are wonderful as you are. Sometimes dumb and all.

I accept my dumb as well as my goodness. We are all many things at once. We work our own last nerves at times. That’s okay.

Even when they don’t understand. Even when you don’t understand…

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I am trying to convey something but my heart is just too sad for so many folk who have fallen for the lie they are not enough without adornment. 😥🌎

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Listen: Owning my crap.

Crap.

Sheeeeeeeeeeuuit!

Ewwww!

*Cassandra looks upon decades’ worth of hollering, not listening, not being WILLING to see the other side, and rushing them to the trash heap of history*

Geeeeeeez.😯

Lessons sure are hard to learn, eh? Especially when one realizes how much of a moron one has been, over the course of time. Jimmy Crickets!

I have kicketh my behindeth, here lately. Maybe, it’s from all the studying I have been doing. I’m trying to cram a lifetime into the past few months.

Be encouraged. Keep being willing to own your uh-ohs. No fun but needed. I think I shall reward myself with a honey bun.

Have a stupendous day.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Short piece. Ow, Cassandra. 😳😁🙏

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

You owe it to yourself. Part II.

Give this life your best shot.

You owe it to yourself.

Do your BEST!

You owe it to yourself.

Do all that you know to make things happen.

You owe it to yourself.

No one is going to give you anything. Get up and get after it.

You owe it to yourself.

You have spent enough time waiting for a hero. Be your own damned hero!

You owe it to yourself.

You owe it to your dreams.

What are you waiting for?

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: You owe it to yourself!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

I forgot to be afraid.

My dreams called me this morning.

I answered.

I forgot to be afraid.

I forgot to be old.

I forgot I was broke.

I forgot about discouragement.

I forgot to despair.

My dreams are calling me. I must hurry…

refusing to give up,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I gave myself a day to be sad. This morning, I made sad go get me some ☕ coffee. I have much too much to do.

Be encouraged.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

You owe it to yourself.

Love you.

You owe it to yourself.

Fight for you.

You owe it to yourself.

Let love in.

You owe it to yourself.

Cut yourself some slack.

You owe it to yourself.

Rest.

You owe it to yourself.

Keep the promises you have made.

You owe it to yourself.

Be willing to change your mind.

You owe it to yourself.

Be willing to be wrong.

You owe it to yourself.

Try something new.

You owe it to yourself.

Break out something old.

You owe it to yourself.

Rinse. Repeat.

You owe it to yourself.

Keep looking out for you, beloveds.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: You owe it to yourself.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Listen: Are you willing to listen to act right?

I have been working on listening.

This is not always easy. As it turns out, feels do NOT want to be told what to do!

Feels, more often than not, love to justify why they have ALWAYS felt the way they have felt. Feels rarely wish to take other things into account.

Worse, feels tend to feel THEIR feels are the most important. In addition, feels quite often feel the need to demand the fielty of family and friends. Without feeling the need to return the favor. Feels feeling are paramount.

I am making sure my feels don’t run me or speak for my life. Yes, I take my feels into account. They ARE important. Still, they can not be the only factor, the determining factor when interacting with others.

We must take each other’s thoughts, feelings, feedback into account and come out with an acceptable dish. We may not always like the dish but we ought have enjoyed the preparation, the camaraderie, the discourse had whilst coming up with the meal(conversation).

I wish my mom were around for a good mini argument. Kobe or Lebron? Mahomes or Allen? French Vanilla or Hazelnut.

I am in a yakking mood lately. Just looking to learn from as many cultures as I can get my hand on. I just so happened to come across a micro baker who is sharing about starting a micro bakery from home. Who knew?! I enjoy cooking…hhmmm.

Have an amazing day.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Be encouraged.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

I lay down with discouragement. We talked for a little while.

I lay down with discouragement. We talked for a little while.

I asked it why it was so damned discouraged?

Said it didn’t know. Said it “just wuz”.

After a while, I told discouragement it had to go. I had thangs to do. Discouragement understood. It went in search of folk easily swayed. I was not.

I just stopped by to encourage folk a bit. Starting with me.

Be encouraged. We CAN. We WILL. Eventually. I think.😳🤗😂🥰

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Things really WILL be alright. I have just been focusing on the tossing waves. 🌊 Time to focus on getting to the other side. Some kind of way. Be encouraged. Don’t give up. Not just yet.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Real talk: Sometimes, you just have to hang on during the storm(s).

These storms, the last four days, have been relentless.

They have, in fact, been historic. Awful flooding. Dodging 🌪 tornadoes. 14 or so, at last count.

Since Wednesday morning, I have done my all to keep folk encouraged whilst trying to hang onto my sanity.

I keep telling myself this is NOT last year’s tornado.  Doesn’t help much with 🚨 sirens going off every which way and vertigo losing its mind.😳🤯

I just stopped ’round to encourage somebody. It’s easy to want to throw in the towel when all hell is breaking out everywhere.

Hang on. Hang in there. The storms will and do pass. Hold tight, to your dreams, until they do.

I have not used these storms as permission to comfort eat, rage at storms doing what storms do, or berate myself for being tired of having to be positive whilst going through fifty million storms already!!!!

Beloveds, it’s perfectly okay to be tired of being about being about it when things are hard for a good length of time.

Be tired. Be human. Just don’t quit. We have too many thangs to do. Summer will be here soon. Keep moving FORWARD. Keep looking UP.

Hold fast to your peace. Keep standing ten toes down on FAITH. Be sure to laugh. Even if you can find nothing to laugh at save how dumb you look hollering at the storm…lol.

We got this. God has us all. Be encouraged. If you are feeling really low, it really will help to look out for someone else. It will also help take your mind off your own what the hell is this.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Be encouraged. Ah, God. Hurry. Just a smidge. Asking for many friends.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

I want not to care.

I want not to care.

I wish that I could give up on my dreams.

I told dreams to shut up and leave me alone.

My dreams asked about all the other folks who were close to giving up. My dreams asked what if we gave up?

I have no plans on finding out. I told apathy, despair, disappointment and discouragement to get out of my face. Told them I would be back tomorrow!

I faced down a 🌪 tornado. I can find a way. Somehow.

I hope…

Be encouraged, beloveds. Even when all seems hopelessly lost and the success of your dreams are remote.

Ah, God, this is not funny.

holding on just barely,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: When discouragement comes in like a flood, hold on tight to your dreams. Don’t you DARE give up. Not ever. Have a good cry/pout but keep it moving. The damned 🗻 mountain WILL move at some point.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Listen: Is it about the chef or the diner?

The chef.

The diner.

Each needs the other.

One to serve his/her/their interpretation of the meal.

One to partake of the meal.

What is MORE important:

The chef’s interpretation?

The diner’s satisfaction or lack thereof?

If the diner doesn’t like it, does it negate the chef’s effort?

Doesn’t the diner have the right to their opinion? They didn’t like it. It happens.

There are a million potential reasons why that may have nothing to do with the chef.

In addition, the chef needs to take in the palette, the dietary needs, the likes/dislikes of the diner and factor these things as he prepares.

The diner is responsible for understanding there may be a lack of ingredients that are out of season. He/she/they must also factor in the type of establishment they are eating in and what kind of dishes the chef is known for.

Living with one another is a dance. We all have to be WILLING to see the viewpoint of our counterpart.

There will be times, beloveds, where we will be the chef. There are other times we are the diner.

In ALL times, we need to consider others. We are all humans who are, hopefully, trying to serve the best meal we can!

Let’s give each other the space to do and be better, shall we? I have been doing my utmost to be a safe space in as many places as I can.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: This piece really has me thinking of what all I can do to be more understanding, more resourceful, more forgiving of us all.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!