I watch GMA just about every morning and I was quite surprised when I turned on the TV in the beginning of the year and noticed your hair “appeared” straight. I hoped to myself “I hope she’s just trying something new”. Two weeks into the year, I see that it’s not a trial hairstyle, Robin has gone back to the world of the relaxed. So a girl like me can’t help but wonder aloud… Robin, what made you decide to go back to a life of relaxed hair? Did you not enjoy the carefree life of the wash and go, allowing you to be instantly ready, straight out the shower? Wasn’t it nice to not have to run when a storm cloud threatened rain? Aren’t you going to miss the extra time you had to yourself now that you have to spend it in a salon every 3-4 weeks to keep such a short cut laying perfectly flat?
I know you are not your hair, none of us are. But I can say without a shadow of a doubt that so many ladies who wear their hair natural have been absolutely overjoyed to have a daytime, public figure who so openly wears her hair in its beautiful natural state, regardless of the circumstances.
My love for you hasn’t changed, Robin. I still find your battle and conquering of breast cancer to be inspiring and courageous. I still find your personality warm, funny, and endearing. I still love your style and image. I just miss being able to crack an extra smile when I turn on my tv and see a power black woman unconsciously making a statement to an audience of younger black women that you can be successful without having the image we’re “expected” to have.
*singing* “It’s Friday, its Friday, it’s the end of the week and the last day!” There’s more to the song and my Ryan Cameron fans can sing the rest for us LOL! Man, its good to see Friday again. It’s been an amazing week, I have to admit. If you look back through the archives this month you will see that I missed not one but two PYAF postings. I simply hadn’t done anything for myself, nor did I have anything projected to do for myself. This week however I’ve worked HARD and I’m playing HARD; hard enough to make up for the times this month that I didn’t do anything for myself
Last night I attended the first night of the women conference “Women at the Feet of Jesus” at my church First Metropolitan Church here in Houston. As a woman who was not raised in the church and has had the pleasure of learning because I want to and not because I was forced to as a child, this is my first religious conference and it has already turned out to be so much more than I anticipated it would be. I have to ask you all to please take a look into psalmist Dr. Karen D. Taylor and Rev. Dr. Jasmin Scurlark because these are women who will turn you upside down and then place you right side up with a fresh breath of air with the word they deliver. I’ll be attending the conference again on Saturday to wrap up the final day of my ‘Work hard, play hard’ PYAF moment.
Tomorrow night I’ll be unable to attend the conference because of a prior engagement. There’s a concert of a few of my favorite artists: Mos Def, Ledisi, Bilal, and Stokely of Mint Condition that I’d already purchased tickets for. I was so excited when I heard about this show that I bought the absolute best seats I could find because I am an avid music lover. They say music soothes the savage beast. Well after the monstrous schedule I’ve kept this week, I am in serious need of soothing. Talk about right on time!
So this will put me back in the black on picking my afro for the month. Are you current with your afro picking? Have you been putting off doing something for yourself? “Too busy”, “can’t afford it”, “but they need me” are phases that are not allowed. Doing something uplifting for yourself doesn’t have to cost your entire paycheck; it doesn’t have to cost a dime. Read your favorite book; spend some time outside enjoying the spring weather, pick up take yourself out for a cup of coffee, your favorite dessert. The options are endless. So…tell us how you’ve Picked Your Afro this week!
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
In the song ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately’, Janet Jackson goes into a tirade about what her man is and isn’t doing for her, and why she needs to give him the boot. However, before giving him the blues about not showering her with love and diamonds and glitz, you have to wonder ‘Had she been doing anything for herself? Or did she just expect him to do all the work for her?’
Pleasing yourself
Earlier this week I received my weekly UNnewsletter from Charlon Bobo at editcopyproof; she posed the question to her readers “What did you do for yourself today?”. I loved the question because it was a topic that had been swirling around my life for the past few weeks. I’d posed a similar question to a good friend of mine who does so much for the people in her life and was finally hitting a wall. Just days before that, I’d given similar advice to another very close friend who simply needed to do some introspective thinking.
Friday is ‘my day’. It’s ‘my day’ to do something for myself. Just a tiny something that doesn’t cost me a dime; just a few minutes out of my day. I wear my naturally curly hair picked out into an afro. I wear it rather conservatively Monday through Thursday when I am in the office; however, Friday’s are most often work from home days and I love to see my hair picked out into a glowing afro. Sometimes I adorn it with a colorful headband; sometimes I just let it have a mind of its own. This one tiny gesture of love to myself bolsters me emotionally and contributes to my ability to love, encourage, and appreciate those around me.
My Afro Idol - Jill Scott
Introducing…
Starting today, Fridays will be now be Pick Your Afro Friday. This is the day for you to show us what you do that makes you happy. Is it wearing your favorite pair of jeans to the office? Is it having a ‘splurge’ meal that you worked hard for all week? Is it taking your doing something special with someone you love?
When was the last time you can remember something that was purely for your enjoyment? Something that put a little pep in your step. Something made you smile inside and out. What did you do and how often do you do it? Share your ‘Afro’ with us.
My love for you hasn’t changed, Robin. I still find your battle and conquering of breast cancer to be inspiring and courageous. I still find your personality warm, funny, and endearing. I still love your style and image. I just miss being able to crack an extra smile when I turn on my tv and see a power black woman unconsciously making a statement to an audience of younger black women that you can be successful without having the image we’re “expected” to have.
