“I have a dream,” “I may not get there with you,” and “A journey of a thousand miles” are all precursors.

          Words that are indelibly written into history and the hearts and minds of the hopeful, the visionary. The preceding phrases to the conscientious mind know who said them, while the intent is subtly absorbed into the unconscious.    It has been a decade since I started my journey, journalizing my thoughts and feelings in the public domain. An activity I’ve done meticulously in private for even decades more.  Impugned by life’s daily challenges, watching my grandkids mature, uplifted by my daily reading accentuated the need to be a shining star in the eyes of those who may look up to me. Eventually, a habit that developed into an obsession became a … “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” scenario. A quagmire of moments doing a square dance of thoughts on “The seat of my Soul. Culminating in “Guidance Against the Odds.”

          Picasso and Alexander Graham Bell both had a vision, and for my worth, Muhammad Ali did the rope-a-dope. All of which required patience in their thinking; as we all know, patience is a virtue. My mindset was further intensified by the reading of Bishop TD Jakes’s books “Destiney” “Instincts,” and “Release your Anointing.” My faith and belief in myself have accumulated an innate moment with unknown intention, not realized for years as my parents had planted the seeds during adolescence. A dad whose work ethic was the pinnacle of determination. A mom who encouraged me to read anything I got my hands on. And a teacher, when prayer was still in school, who gave fertilizer to my mother’s wishes by giving me a lead part in a recital play of the Bible. It had been a subtle message in my evolution of learning and of my supplication unto this day. Philippians 4:6-7.

          In today’s cancel culture, I feel justified in sharing “Thoughts from the Seat of My Soul,” and I give homage to those who do likewise. My experience dealing with people as a classroom facilitator, a military leader, and a people manager in a supposedly civilized society validated in logical words. Further personified in context by the e-mails of Jon Gruden. (X coach of the Raiders) Over the last decade, I have sent e-mails, letters, created a web page, and wrote a book, all without the defecation of another human being.

          All our experiences in life are the seeds of wisdom or the manifestation of evil. When shared, it can become the bed stones of the Soul. “The idea is to write so that people hear it, and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.” Maya Angelou …..   

To be continued