What The Future Holds

It's a new year and of course, millions of Americans have made various new year resolutions, declarations, and one sentence cliches. It sounds very good to us, you know.

• I'm going to do this year what I didn't do last year
• I'm leaving behind what's happened last year and stepping out brand new this year
• I decree and declare blessings over my life
• I will not deal with any negativity this year

And the list goes on.....

But this is where The Big O (me) comes in, to "drop some science" or in the words of Red Foxxx, say   some things to get you to "dig the k-nowledge" on what this life is really all about. Many of us, I've said before, think these four bullets listed above will make their lives impenetrable to the "witty unpredictable" winds of life. Many of us think that God's blessings don't come with some storms along the road of life. Many of us are thinking and saying all these "great expectations" about what 2015 should bring in "our eyesight" yet, we are not God. Therefore, we don't know how this year will go. We plan have "vision parties", watch night services, hell, wild skirmishes on Bourbon Street, thinking life will be a sweet gentle breeze this year. Well, let me remind you of what 2014 brought us. 

Cop killings. Innocents killed by cops. Republicans are back in control of the Senate. Gas prices are going down. More states approve gay marriage. Rick Perry's indicted. Two southern preachers got outed for spreading the AIDS virus to women in their congregations. ISIS (Al Qaeda) is back. Afghanistan drug trade (unbeknown to many Americans) is the number 1 reason why we're over there for the past 13 plus years. Obamacare is in full swing. The economy is getting a little bit better. Musical revolution is back in full swing. Sony gets hacked.

I named all of these to show us that life is very unpredictable and we humans don't like that. Many of us who are religious believe God is going to do that or this for us; praying (really commanding) the Creator to work for the created. Many of us who are negative think nothing good will come out of this year. Many of us who are optimists always see the greater and better. But I'm a part of a group called the realists, people who see the good and bad to keep a balanced view. So, what does the future hold for us in 2015? I don't know. I do know for myself, there are a few things I'd like to accomplish and things I want to say. Will I still deal with the b.s. this life will bring? Yes. I don't have any slogans. I don't have any cliches. All I have is faith within myself, my loved ones, and God that whatever happens, happens. Welcome to this thing called life. I hate to burst a lot of y'all's bubbles, but if I don't come with the truth then you'll keep on having your heads stuck in the clouds. Come on down to planet earth. Yes, enjoy the new year but know this, life is something else. I think God created life to show us that we don't have complete control over it, only He does. I've accepted that. I'm good. I do hope the future holds changes within some topics I will be addressing this year. 

I do know I'm not holding no more punches on my opinions. One friend calls me the Blog Thug. I like that....

Well, that's all I have for today. Happy safe and balanced new year......

Til next time, GTG Overton....

When People Write You Off...

Nobody likes to be written off by people like friends, family, and work relationships, but it happens to the best of us. This week, I've done a lot of "searching" and thinking within myself about my "relationship statuses" with people I know. Of course, my immediate family, which include my wife, brothers, sister-n-law, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins; they're not going away. Then I go to my friend zones and I see a huge shift that's happened. I know for sure my best friend column has dropped significantly, the same is with my associates column. I'll tell you why. I've been written off and that's been a hard pill to swallow. I'll admit, it hurts but now I'm beginning to see the benefits of being written off by certain folks. It's cool now. A new found mentor told me recently that in this phase (a transitional period) of my life, I was going to know who my real friends are. Man, he was right. I've learned that we as people use the word love too loosely. For years, I've heard the same people who've written me off say they love me but once I begin to follow/know the real truth about how life is and things in life are truly supposed to work, the pages of me in their life's book is torn out, thrown in the trash, and burned. My name and reputation is questioned (from what I hear through the grapevine "blasphemed"). My noted and displayed love for them through gossip and judgment has been tarnished. It's cool now, though. I'm enjoying the pill that I swallowed with a cold glass of milk. So the question is to those who're going through "relationship changes", what are you supposed to do when people write you off? It's a hard yet simple truth, 1. forgive them, 2. address them (if right opportunity presents itself), 3. move on, and 4. new friends will come your way. Some people result to revenge when people write them off (verbally or physically). Some people slump into a lifetime of depression (don't let people fool you, that emotion will come). Some people just move on without a care in the world. Yet I see that four step process works and is one that I'm going through now. At times, do I miss those that have written me off for absolutely no reason? Yep but the big sign in front of me reading "A Bright Future Is Ahead Of You" helps me kiss my past relationships goodbye. We can't help or control how people treat us, no matter how many good things you've done them. To be more personal, those that have written me off know in their heart of hearts that I've done no wrong to them. However, because of their pride, greed, manipulation, control, and selfishness, my "presence" was deemed to be despicable. Now, I'm not going to be self-righteous because I've done the same to many other folks (what goes around comes around). But now, I love my life been written off, it feels good now. Although this process sucks sometimes, I'm moving on and closing chapters in my life that no longer have value in my life. I know this blog is a bit random but my friends, dude has to share his heart. It is what it is.

Til next time, ThePotStirrer.....