Another season has come and gone. And, spring started with a flurry of snowflakes that gifted me a snow day from work. It was an opportunity to get ahead of work deadlines. Instead, I slept in late, made a late breakfast and an early dinner was served. Against a bright snowy day, during an early evening hour, I sat down to work pass sunset. The snow continued to fall as if winter decided to catch up from the lack of snow days in New York City this year. The second day of spring was a warm winter-type of day, in which purple crocuses bravely grew in patches of snow as fresh grass with daffodil and tulips leaves continue to grow from bulbs planted two seasons ago.
Author: Sanura
Believe the Doctors
Happy Black History Month 2018. I’m using this opportunity of celebration as an opportunity to promote self care by reminding visitors about the importance of seeking professional medical assistance. Here’s my story:
One sunny summer day, I walked into my dentist office to complain about the pain of my shifting teeth and to make sure there wasn’t an underlying problem. I walked out with an autumnal schedule for a root canal and an appointment with a gum specialist who would later require surgery to be done in two phases. The dentist said I was a few months away from having one tooth swell with excruciating pain. It may sound like horrific news, but if I reframe my experience, I’m relieved to have caught these problems early, and lucky to have pretty good dental insurance to help pay for the work (I’m still broke).
#SmoothieNumbers 32: Green Ginger
Last year, I had the unfortunate experience of getting rid of a lingering cold that wasn’t quite uncomfortable, but it left behind a coughing fit that took weeks to go away. The coughing prevented a good night’s sleep, which made me irritable during the day. Eventually, I hacked cough my throat into a raspy sound. Not even my Ginger Lemon Tea couldn’t erase the cough away. Finally, a visit to a doctor confirmed my cough to be a viral infection, and as she recommended the proper medication to buy, she simply told me to be patient. The cough will eventually go away. Meanwhile, a co-worker sympathized with me and made a gingery juice that cut thru the mucus causing coughs like a sharp knife. Between, the gingery drinks and the medication, the coughing slowing went away. And, I finally returned to getting a proper night’s sleep.
Refresh. It’s 2018.
My rose tinted glasses are tinted with reality considering the political, environmental and lifestyle chaos of 2016 into 2017. Imani is a challenge. But, for the sake of love, we have to believe that good change is going to come. It’s difficult to believe, since people’s true feelings have showed within the last two to three years. We didn’t like what we saw or heard. But, the hatred — that we knew was always there — is now in the open. And, that’s a good start.
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Words escape my mind in an attempt to write a follow-up to last year’s story, Vanilla isn’t White. Instead, breaking news headlines are a cacophony of words. But, long-live visual artists who have the courage to inspire us into action and remind us that today’s politics aren’t normal. This past summer, The Brooklyn Museum had an inspiring exhibit, We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85. Last week, I visited the Whitney Museum’s exhibit, An Incomplete History of Protest: Selections from the Whitney’s Collection, 1940–2017. It was at the Whitney Museum, I read a poem by W. H. Auden: September 1, 1939. It’s an inspirational poem written on the onset of World War II. Sadly, Auden’s words continue to be applicable today.