You Are What You Eat

They say you are what you eat, rather you are you what you absorb; whether it be food, drink, music, people, your environment. At some point or another, we become the very things that are allowed to enter our bodies; good or bad. For example, you eat unhealthy foods and don't exercise, you become as unhealthy as your lifestyle. You do nothing but smoke and/or drink, or consume certain substances, "legal or illegal," it eventually takes a tole on your body. If you grew up or live in a negative environment, your morale eventually if not sooner, becomes just as negative as your situation. Say you hang around a group of people who are always up to no good, are always getting in trouble, and have no ambition to do anything profitable or productive, then what do you think will happen? Maybe you don't necessarily become exactly like those people, but it sort of becomes all you know after awhile. You might become as small minded as them. Maybe you don't do the things that they do, but sooner or later you're going to be affected by just being associated. You're going to end up in a situation you never wanted to be in in the first place. All that negative energy is going to affect you somehow, and to the point where you will start spewing out negativity on some level. Life isn't so much about what happens to you, as much as it is, how you choose to let it affect you. You can choose what you want in your body and you can choose to get out of a harmful situation or to separate yourself from people who only bring you down. Surrounding ourselves with positivity; food wise, people wise, environmentally wise, and even music wise, provides us with the keys for healthy, prosperous living. However, and especially in today's world, that is all easier said than done.
I'm not sure, but maybe it's the tragic death of MJ or the combination of things going on in my personal life that has lead me to touch on the subject. I grew up in a strict Jamaican household, where my parent (my mother) would not allow any kind of slackness. At times it was hard, and I felt it to be unfair that I couldn't do some of the things I saw other kids doing. For one thing, she was right when she would say that I would appreciate it one day. Standing where I am now, it makes a lot more sense. I am definitely grateful and blessed; blessed to have sense. Especially now, when my sister and I are grown, I believe my mother to be much more understanding and laid back when it comes to certain things. I know everyone will be talking about MJ (may he rest in peace). but I'll mention him again. For as long as I can remember, I have been n love with music. It still gets me through the day, while maintaining my sanity. As far as I remember, Michael's music is where this long love affair begins. In light of recent events, I find myself reminiscing, as I'm sure we all have, of trying to dance and sing like Mike as a kid. Everyone wanted to be like Mike right? Who doesn't have fond memories of sliding across the kitchen floor in their socks, trying to reenact the moon walk? Its one of those things my mom found adorable, and even encouraged. I think it was early grade school when I began getting into hip hop. For a period it was probably all I listened to. I lived and grew up on Hot 97 radio station. This became a bit of a concern to my late grandma and my mom. My mom, for one, could not stand rap music! She couldn't stand the music because all she could hear was the objectification of women and its use of crude and vulgar language. She would always say that what I put in my body will come out one way or another. So if i filled my ears with filth and garbage, that would be exactly what would come out of me. Of course I never really listened, nor understood what she meant. I always thought she was being over critical, and as the famous line goes, "Parents just don't understand." Only now does it make sense to me. Whatever you ingest definitely affects your mood, well being, and general outlook.
Have you ever sat and listened to one of the many songs of today, which lack real substance, or watched one of the many mind numbing reality TV shows that the networks keep pumping out? How do you really feel afterward? I think we all start to become a little dull and numbed down after a while. I'm going to go on a little bit of a tangent just say that in Michael's prime and even still, during the late 90s, the majority of entertainment we see today would have been unacceptable! Think about it. Maybe after honoring the life of a legend we'll remember what quality music and entertainment is all about. Getting back to my point, and the reason I started this post, the people in our lives especially have an influence in our personal health and growth. I'm still young, but in the past few years, and with the experience of college, I've gone through a lot of "friends." I've come to find those who are my real friends and those who only stood around for one reason or another, but mostly for heir own personal gain. I read somewhere, where it was simply put that "some people are just poison." These type of people are to be avoided like the plague. They are as poisonous as snake venom or close to the toxins in the processed foods and drugs we put into our bodies. Today, I probably have the least amount of "friends" I've ever had, but I'll take quality over quantity. I've been through the liars, fronters, and the flakes; all of them fake. I've been through my share of ill intentioned females as well, but that's another blog... Then there's those you've been friends with for years, who u feel indebted to. They've changed, not for the better, and leave you feeling stuck and uncomfortable. There are those who may be genuinely good people, but just can't stay out of trouble. Because you hang out with them, you sometimes get dragged into the drama as a well. I mean drama to the point where you could end up in the hospital or in hand cuffs. You become the mediator and you are always on edge. It all becomes very draining. Once that begins to happen, those people have become poison. How could you ever expect to grow and be prosperous when stuck in any of these positions. Sometimes I've had to learn the hard way that i needed to let these people go in order to move forward, even if that meant walking alone. My main goal for this year has been to take better care of myself, and lately I've probably have never been more uncertain of which path to take. Whatever may happen, I'm just trying my best to surround myself with the right people and feed myself with the right foods. Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Spirit.

Blessings