Nothing will "keep" him

You cook, you clean, you sew and you give bj's without having to be asked! In your mind you are "the shit". In most cases you're probably right. You season chicken with the greatest that Kyle demands !...! You keep it tight and yet one day he ups and leaves you.
What did you do wrong? What didn't you do?

Ladies, have you ever really thought about it? Nothing will "keep" him.

Regardless of the cookie cut version of what he expressed many moons ago that you portray or have become for what you thought would be his undying love and devotion sweety Kyle still left.

You heard bitter women, happy women, confused women preach that you gotta live for you but you never heeded the advice they gave. The grain of salt you should have used to cipher through the bullshit, you used to cook ol boy's food, and where has that gotten you? Alone! That's where. Too many of these relationships and you'll soon be a bag lady.

Learn to live for you, when your life completely revolves around your significant other you're bound to be let down. Disappointments come, yes this is true but the human spirit is such a powerful and steadfast that it can bounce back; recover from what one would consider to be devastating experience to soar to heights previously thought to be unreachable. You're likely to be less devastated if you have/had other interests in short, a life!

Who cares if his favorite color is green! That doesn't mean every piece of panty and clothing you have should be green! This is where ol boy realizes you have the tendencies of a stalker and starts to distance himself.

Get your hair done when you want and how you want it because YOU LIKE IT!

Paint your nails colors you like because you like em! *sidenote: you shouldn't necessarily be with a man that pays THAT MUCH attention to the color of your nails to begin with.*

On occasion its more than appropriate to do things for your man, or things you know he likes but balance will be the savior of many-a-relationship and many-a-sanity.

People grow, people change (or at-least I hope they do) and their so does their temperament along with many other things. Your taste in clothes, music, food etc has evolved or changed completely from the time you were eating Gerber's baby food to now. I say that to say it's not always a change that we are aware of but it happens regardless.

As a woman you have to choose whether you're going to embrace those changes by trying to adjust accordingly (considering you'd want the same from your mate) or you're going to move on. Becoming clingy and changing who you are just to fit someones ideals should never be an option, because if no matter which route you choose, nothing will "keep" him.

I've seen women in the Bahamian society marry a man knowing his habits, his flaws, and his short comings and expect a miracle of a turn around the moment that man says I do. If this is what you're thinking you need to stop right there. When you marry someone, marry them knowing their flaws (or the ones they allow you to see) with the expectation that more trials, tribulations and good times are still to come and with the hope and belief that both of you have the faith and the strength to overcome whatever obstacles may present themselves to both of you.

If you do you and keep it 100 and dude still leaves then you should be more than assured that something better awaits.

Be prepared, be aware and be yourself because nothing will "keep" him.

Try

I believe in Jehovah Jireh

I believe in heaven, I believe in war

I believe a woman's temple

Gives her the right to choose but baby don't abort

I believe that marriage isn't

Between a man and woman but between love and love

And I believe you when you say you've lost all faith

But you most believe in something, something, something

You gotta believe in something, something, something

Lemme firstly say that I am far from a Frank Ocean fan, but when this cover was played for me it stirred me; made me want to listen and I as I listened the lyrics stood out. 

The song talks about beliefs and disbeliefs and most importantly trying.

I gather that he doesn't outright believe that humans are outright wicked, evil but that there is good in all of us and we have to try in order to allow the good to prevail.

That is easier said than done.

Someone pisses you off, isn't just easier to tell them off?

You found out this one chick talked mad trash about you, rather than confront her you do her the same service.

Your boy 'effed' that chick while you two were dating so you repay the favour.

Does any of those things display maturity, a level head or any type of understanding? No they don't.

We've all at one point or another become disillusioned. Remember having the greatest hopes or optimism for life?

Remember in church when the pastor made you believe God would smite you if you didn't pray before each meal. Or when you swore mom and dad would be together forever. Those were your beliefs.

Your faith was unshakeable, only Jesus himself could have told you otherwise, then as you grew you met this thing called reality and it set in. Your optimism faded and you became jaded. 

Its time to wipe the fish scales from your eyes, walk down that yellow brick road and restore your faith in humankind.

No one is perfect and we can all attest to that. We as humans fall short, we are fallible.

We however should try: 

Try to be better, do better, if the negativity comes so easily take a deep breath; a step back or just bite your tongue. Not every battle is worth going to war.

Don't be a floor mat for anybody but aim to be slow to anger, practice makes perfect.

I could sit here and preach all day but I surely do not live a perfect life, no one does.

All I'm suggesting is that we all try, make some sort of effort. 

What goes around comes around and if Richie Spice was right and the world is a circle then pay it forward and #playitforward and the world will be a much better place.

In the City: Get used to it

I couldn't sing to save my life, but I appreciate good music. I live on an island just bursting with talent and can appreciate when said talent is recognized. Now I couldn't tell you how to harmonize, make a beat, etc but I know I when like something after hearing, seeing or tasting it.

From the politically charged  

to the lyrics laced with the reality of today  

I appreciate the many forms that my Bahamian music can come in.

Whether the music came from a "Gorilla in Tims" 

or a soulful bird that would cause reflection and ultimately the calming of one's being for a period of time,

I love listening to them all. With all that said, how many of us can actually say we support our own? We buy the itunes songs or download the free mixtapes or go to the launch and send off parties that these talented individuals put together?

Being musically gifted in an island where music is a long way from the fore-front of the governments agenda is a blessing and a curse.These individuals will have to pave the way, cause clearly there is none, light up the darkness and shed light on  a collective group of islands that is clearly worth more than our sun sand and sea and offshore banking initiatives.

Whether they just wanna be  (popular) or they are in it for the long haul and for the love of it, they are talented.

To be able to be as versatile as some of these artists are in the land of rake and scrape is nothing short of amazing. No disrespect to those that express themselves through that avenue but in our technologically advanced era, this generation of singers, song writers, rappers, engineers, producers and beat makers have proven that they can indeed roll with the punches and evolve as the industry does.

So before you crank that soulja boy why not stunt on em hard swag and leave 

They say a prophet is never respected in his hometown well times are changing and so should our views of the gifted people we are blessed to come in contact with. 

Whether it be musically, visual art, sculpture etc. Like the old rake and scrape song says "Get involved, get involved" and play it forward so the next generations appreciation of our ever-evolving culture can be greater than ours!

Too precious to throw away

Rubbing your eyes in disbelief (like a real lifetime movie)

Some things are that hard to believe!

When you’ve been through so much, endured and had to constantly adjust letting your guard down is no easy task.

The past has taught you many lessons; most of which seem to have left a bitter after-taste in your mouth.

We have all been down this road but life is too short to let past experiences have a lasting negative effect on what can be a promising future.

You’d never really know unless you put yourself out there and try.

Never let a past relationship to cause you to miss out on future happiness.

We so often stand in our own way, never knowing the joys we may have experienced had we taken the chance; the risk that was set before us.

They joys of life are more felt when one remembers the pain endured.

A friend in L.A. was looking out there window and saw a white middle aged man walking along the side walk, seconds later this same guy walked into on-coming traffic in attempt to commit suicide. He obviously could no longer deal with the stresses of life.

As sickingly funny as it seemed to me at the time, I couldn’t comprehend what could be so bad that would make you want to take your own life. Luckily on-coming traffic avoided him and he only sustained injuries to his hand. Hopefully he gets the treatment he needs and can look forward to brighter tomorrows.

Take time and smell the roses, don’t hold the future accountable for the past.

 

When life gives you lemons, squeeze em and ciroc, stir and enjoy.

We’d never appreciate the sunshine if we didn’t experience the rainy days.

Like the weather, life constantly changes. Roll with the punches, allow the wounds to heal and enjoy every moment that you’re given. As long as there is breathe in your body there will be opportunity.

The stresses of life: bills, relationships, etc are fleeting and continuous. Plan but don’t stress over things you have no control over. You are but one being, one separate entity and although change starts with you moving a mountain is easier with someone else’s help.

Sometimes help is easier to receive than it seems but you’ll never know until you ask.

Take a chance, a gamble; because life in itself is a gamble, but never gamble more than you’re willing to lose...