Good Friday #595: Your BEST Life (Friday, May 25)

Are you living your BEST life? If not, what's preventing you from doing so, and what are you going do about it?

#TestimonyTime I was at a speaking gig & someone asked, how do I keep it all together & look so effortless. I laughed & teared up, telling this young lady how hard these months have been. I’m just resurfacing & trying to find myself. No, I wasn’t in Bora Bora suntanning on a yacht! Life was kicking my butt. ⏩ There are situations in your life, that shakes things up & stops you in your tracks. Wishing they are positive but can take you to the darkest days. I felt completely depleted, unworthy, empty, etc 😔. I struggled to get out of bed, talk to anyone, or do anything. So I unplugged completely (sidebar, you don’t need a dramatic situation to unplug & refocus. It’s so necessary). As I wondered what I would say when I started engaging again - wanting to remain my authentic self but finding balance between authenticity, transparency & privacy. Still trying to figure that out, but I didn't want to start posting all these highlights without acknowledging my recent struggles. ⏩ For months, I woke up wondering what my purpose was? Why am I still here? Why me? Why now? How much more pain & disappointment can I take? Sheesh got real. Depression sinks in - wondering how can EYE not have it together. Mad at myself for not being appreciative of all that I had, have accomplished & able to do. I honestly didn't know what to do. If you spoke or saw me on my rare outings awhile ago (social anxiety kicked in), you would've sensed something was "off". But by His Grace! God's Grace, leaning on my unwavering support system - they refused to let me drown❤️, my therapist & my affirmations. ⏩ Even as I write this, I still don't have the answers & make an effort, daily, to push through & find joy, purpose, & grace. Just know - it’s ok to not know. It’s ok to not understand. It’s ok to unplug. It’s ok to cry. It’s ok to go to therapy. It’s ok to do whatever you need to do to make YOU better. Pastor Steven Furtick (Watch his sermons! He has been a blessing during this journey) said it best, sometimes its better not to understand. God wants to set you free of expectations & understanding. Obedience is your job, outcome is God’s; let the source do His job! 🗣 AMEN! 💫 *big hugs*

A post shared by Ezinne 🇳🇬 (@iamezi) on May 23, 2018 at 8:45am PDT

Good Friday #594: Busy People (Friday, May 18)

"There used to be a man that lived in a district not too far away. He would never really go out to anything they were having in the district. Always too busy. When people died, he would send them some money to help with the funeral arrangements. But he never showed up.

Then his wife died. He was beside himself with grief. And one by one, the envelopes started showing up - money from the people he had helped over the years. But no one came. They sent the money, but no one came."

Do not be too busy for the things that matter.

Good Friday #593: Do Not Lose Yourself (Friday, May 11)

What others think of me is none of my business.

Some experiences (and opinions) can break you. Make you question your very existence and purpose. This article, infused with some of the writer's own experiences, did not change who she was or alter her course. 

Do not lose yourself.

https://nyti.ms/2G4FLu3

Good Friday #592: Don't Call It A Comeback...(Friday, May 4)

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"

The skepticism my heart held entering the rehearsal room of Spongebob Squarepants last September, is probably very similar to what a populous of persons ask about the show itself: Why this? Why now? I'd been healing from spinal surgery thru 2016 and '17 and watched chasms crack and widen politically, socially and racially, while being confined from performance.

I wanted desperately to return to work that not only healed my body, heart and mind...but also served as a space of healing for others. I just was not sure Spongebob Squarepants was it...

Then our director/brave leader/guru gave the allowance to ask any question related to the show. I seized that opportunity to ask "As a Black woman...why Spongebob...?" The answer would come as I was thrust into the imagination and inventiveness of @TinaLandau , (now Tony-nominated!) director of Spongebob Squarepants the Musical. Through her incredible intelligence and empathy, her superlative casting with the incomparable @EthanSlater at the helm, and a production team that buttressed her vivid vision, the answer to my question became clear like a shallow sea on a beautiful day. She has fostered representation on so many fronts: gender, race, body type, height, gender fluidity, sexuality, variance of background and upbringing. Through the writing of @KyleJarrow there are mappings of nationalism, xenophobia, women in science, issue with government, media incitement, riot and protest, and optimism in the face of loss and death. (!!) All painted and weaved craftily and intelligently while still being the colorful, weird, wacky, wonderful world of Spongebob Squarepants. So...why Spongebob? It allows me to represent possibility. It affords me joy and healing on all levels. It gives me a voice to speak to community divide and prejudice, esp to young people. It highlights bravery and courage - a way to push past fear. Tina Landau and the entire production - my insane, hilarious cast, my mentor and choreographer, Christopher Gattelli, musicians, Susan Vargo, producers, ALL - have been the most unlikely non-linear manifestation. Now, we are nominated for 12 Tony awards. Us, go! #Spongebobbway

A post shared by Rachel Oneika Phillips (@dragonpassionfruit) on May 3, 2018 at 1:03pm PDT