Attack Of Obesity

People crack jokes about individuals who are overweight; but, in all reality, many of people in the U.S. are overweight and just don’t realize it.

Unfortunately, a majority of us face obesity because we aren’t active and we eat over our daily portions.

As an American citizen myself, I believe it’s safe to say that many Americans shift their attention on so much other worldly issues that we have the tendency of forgetting about the importance of our health.

Society doesn’t seem to help this issue. Instead, many communities should be at fault for the increasing number of obesity victims each year.

In my community alone, there are 5 fast food restaurants that are within less of a 5 - mile radius from each other.

I have noticed that this is only the case in inner city neighborhoods.

The fact that many fast food restaurants are placed within inner city communities should raise questions about what statements are being made.

What demographic of people and what social classes are fast food chain restaurants targeting?

Are a majority of the fast food restaurants placed in the inner city because inner city residents don’t manage their money well when it comes to fast food?

Are fast food restaurants placed in the inner city communities because people in the inner city are attracted to and love fat and greasy foods?

Whatever the case may be, we can’t be blind to the fact that obesity is a growing epidemic.

We have to think about the amount of calories we are consuming on a day - to - day basis when we visit McDonald’s and Burger King frequently.

We have to hold ourselves accountable for having appropriate diets to maintain our bodies’ health.

Sadly, we are killing ourselves and we don’t even realize it.

We can’t sit on our front porches and let the days pass us by without some type of physical activity.

God gave us our bodies as gifts and we should take care of them.

One for the week - Psalm 16:9: Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.

Crop The Image

Millions of people take photos everyday and decide upon which ones are worth placing in photo albums.

There are reasons for some photos making the cut of being in albums and reasons that some photos do not.

Some photos might not make the cut because they have a glare in them.

Some photos are not placed in an album because they are duplicates.

There may be thousands of reasons that some photos are chosen and some aren’t.

I understand that not everyone is familiar with computer software that alters photos; but most people should become familiar with the phrase, “crop the image.”

Our actions are what others remember vividly, and our actions are among the photos that do make the cut for the photo album.

Others are like to remember the drinking and the careless actions that came with it.

Some people will remember your dancing and exposing your body to collect money from men and women.

While other people will remember the blunt in your mouth and the gun in your hand.

Or they might remember the time you raised your hand to inflict pain on a Or what about the time you couldn’t count on one hand, the number of sex partners you have been with.

People don’t have to remember anything we all just have to learn how to crop the image; we all have to learn how to change.

We don’t wan tour kids to open our photo albums and see our before images.

We want then and others to see our cropped images; we want to showcase the progress of our change.

We can’t keep allowing young folks to see us as un-cropped images; because if we do, they will think that it’s acceptable to place the same images in their photo albums.

One for the week: “Respect yourself and others in return will respect you.”

Trick Of All Trades

A mind is a terrible thing to waste according to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This statement that was once made by the great leader is one that is brought to life through many people today.

Yes, there are many people who take education for granted, but there are also many people who appreciate the right of having an education and go above and beyond.

There are individuals who spend large portions of their lives achieving their goals of attaining many academic degrees.

There are people who devote hours and hours to receiving an education in order to secure a certain status within society.

Different people strive for higher levels of an education for various reasons; but will higher levels of education always ensure people the stable incomes they need to survive and provide for their families?

Sadly, in the recession of our economy, stable incomes aren’t really promised to anyone and because of this people have to learn what the trick of all trades is.

The trick of all trades is what most people identify as a hustle.

I’m not referring to the practice of illegal hustles such as drug dealing and prostitution.

When I talk about the trick of all trades, I am referring to people having the ability to use the gifts that God has equipped them with to provide more income.

None of us should be afraid to showcase our talents, especially when they are blessings from God.

If God has blessed you with the ability to take words and create unbelievable rhyme schemes, then don’t hesitate to share poetry or lyrics with others.

If God has blessed you with the talent to dance, don’t be afraid to audition for shows or compete in dance competitions.

If God has blessed you with the talent to create remarkable art ,don’t be afraid to place a price tag on your hard work.

The time of getting by with one job is slowly coming to an end.

We all should learn about the trick of all trades and find out what are hustles are.

The point is that with all the talents that God has blessed us all with we all have no reason to fail even when there is a recession.

Just as Martin Luther King Jr. stated that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, I want to state that the talents that God blessed us all with are also terrible things to waste.

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. Job 8:13