The Honeybee's Lifestyle

Tag: Encouragement

  • Bored In The House

    Bored In The House

    Hello Honeybees,
    Are you bored in the house, cause you’re in the house bored? I know you’ve heard the song and if you are like me you are tired of hearing it, even though it may be absolutely true.
    I asked my sons, one 20 & the other 18 how they were handling the whole shelter in place. My oldest was furloughed from his restaurant job and my youngest had to return home from his freshman year of college. I asked them both the same questions and here is what they shared with me:
    How do you feel about not working/leaving school?
    20 yo: A little worried wondering when/if they will reopen and relieved because I needed a break but since I don’t have vacation time I couldn’t justify taking the time off.
    18 yo: Not happy about having to leave school and NOLA. I miss the end of year plans that I made with my friends. We stay connected thru our group chat and Snapchat
     What do you miss the most?
    20 yo: Working & being outside without worry but relieved that there’s not a lot of people around our building
    18 yo: Being around my friends. Studying with friends, hanging out with friends.

     How do you spend your day?
    20 yo: Playing video games, reading, Netflix, YouTube, writing
    18 yo: Class, laptop, Twitter and video games
    What’s the first thing that you want to do when outside opens up?
    20 yo: Driving lessons (yes he’s an extremely late bloomer)
    18 yo: Go back to school. Hopefully find a summer job if possible
    How are you feeling emotionally?
    20 yo: Doing pretty good, not stressed especially after my unemployment kicked in
    18 yo: Fine. Okay.
    How are you staying mentally grounded?
    20 yo: Playing video games and writing whenever the creative
    mood hits
    18 yo: Talking to people on the internet.

    How has this changed your day to day life?
    20 yo: It hasn’t except for work.
    18 yo: Educational wise I hate online classes because being in class I am very engaged and focused. I get easily distracted at home.
      How has this changed your outlook on your future?
    20 yo: It hasn’t
    18 yo: I’m not surprised by this outcome because of who is the president. Politically & economically nothing will change unless we change the whole governmental system. What we have is not working. I predict a new system for my grandchildren.
    Me:
    As a mother I am watching, talking and asking questions. I hope to guide them through this time with as much ease as I possibly can, all while keeping my sanity in the process. It’s not always easy because they don’t want to always open up. I was very surprised that they even sat down to answer these questions. It’s a good step in the right direction, I’ll take it.

     

    How are your young people doing?

    Beewisdom-“The glory of youth is youthful strength.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

  • Two Weeks

    Hello Honeybees,

     

    Life comes at you fast, sometimes a little too fast.
    Two weeks ago I was in Chicago with my god daughter doing a college tour. I was enjoying the unexpectedly beautiful weather, strolling down Michigan Ave popping into stores looking at things that are definitely not in my budget. I was being cautious with the extra hand washing, using hand sanitizer & wiping down surfaces. This was not new as it is a habit especially when traveling. But oh how things took a turn.

     

    Two weeks!! Who knew that in two weeks life as I & many others know it would be turned upside down.

     

    Getting back into Memphis on a Sunday, resting on Monday, getting back in the work grove on Tuesday, preparing for a big work event scheduled for Thursday and ready for the local school district to go on Spring Break (work would slow down a little). Colleges would start to extend Spring Break. My son who attends Xavier University Of Louisiana had Spring Break a long side Mardi Gras so they were already back in the swing of college life. The school decided to go to online learning but students could stay on campus. He wanted to stay & I wanted him to stay.
    Thursday we had to postpone a big work event and SCS Spring Break was extended for an extra week. Friday we were told to work from home the next week.

     

    By Sunday I was on the road to NOLA to bring my baby home. Monday evening the school decided to close the dorms but we were home safe.

     

     

    Wednesday my oldest son was laid off from his restaurant job.

     

    Thursday the city was officially on lock down.

     

    Two weeks!! In two weeks I went from enjoying the normal things in life to social distancing. No hanging out, no browsing in stores, no nothing. I go to the store for essentials only and back home. The comfort of being able to go downstairs in my building to grab coffee or just to hang out and people watch is on hold. Most places have been forced to temporarily close so there are no people to watch.

     

     

    Unexpected life changes like Covid-19 can really catch us off guard. But it’s how we react to it that matters most. I am optimistic that we will all come out of this as better people. We will learn to be grateful for the people who REALLY keep our world moving. We will be happy to say hello to strangers. We will welcome that hug from a loved one. Hanging out with our family and friends will have a new and deeper meaning.

     

    I think that we have a few more weeks of social distancing before we can start to ease back into “normal” life and I am ready for it.

     

    Hang in there y’all we can do this!! BYE!
    Beewisdom-People change, things go wrong, shit happens, but life goes on- Unknown

  • Forgive Yourself

    Hello Honeybees,

    We are all a work in progress. No one has it all together no matter what their Instagram feed or Facebook page says. I know that I am definitely a serious work in progress. I’m working on me! One of the major things that I am working on is forgiving myself.

    The weird thing is that I will forgive, not necessarily forget, a person that has done me wrong. But when it comes to me forgiving me that’s where I have a block. I hold myself to a much higher standard than I do other people because I can only control me & my actions.

    I’ve made some huge mistakes in my past that I am still trying to forgive myself for. I have asked God for forgiveness & I believe that He has forgiven me, so why am I still holding on? The holding on is keeping me from moving forward. I need to leave all of that baggage in the past where it belongs. Y’all that stuff is heavy, too heavy for me to keep carrying. It takes up to much mental & emotional space. I need that space to enjoy my NOW.

    So as you are reading this know that I am one gigantic step closer to forgiving myself, to letting the past go and moving forward. From this day forward I will no longer entertain what I use to do. I will only entertain what I do now and in the future. I’m leaving the past where it belongs….in the past. I forgive ME!

    What past mistake are you holding on to? What’s stopping you from letting them go?

    Beewisdom-“Never forget that to forgive yourself is to release trapped energy that could be doing good work in the world.” -D. Patrick Miller

     

    Photos: Desiree @mocha_divas