I'm fully aware that I might get a lot of heat for this post, but I do believe that I may as well touch upon some relevant issues that are filtering through society. I do insert a disclaimer at this moment: Keep an open mind. Set aside your biases and presuppositions when reading this text because emotions can fuel the most negative of responses. So. I challenge you to simply read what I'm going to say, let it marinate, and if needed you may so choose to respond. I will promise you that I will not respond to responses that are nothing short of impulsively emotional bigotry. 

You know, there has been a longstanding debate about this issue of Gay Marriage vs Religion. So I just want to take the time to share a few thoughts about what I think about this whole thing.

Fundamentally and biblically speaking, from the beginning of time, it is made clear that marriage was an institution set in place by God when he joined male and female together. Here is what we can assert from the original institution of marriage:

1) The parties were of opposite sexes: Male and female (Genesis 2:22).
2) The original marital covenant and "ceremony" (not a literal marriage ceremony, but I mean more so in terms of the unification of two parties) was presented at the inception of creation by God, who created this concept of unity amongst the two parties (Genesis 2:22-24).
3) I believe that when God created man and woman, He created them in His own image (Genesis 1:26, 27), reflecting the same elements of submission as seen in the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit as One). Though man and woman are two distinct elements, they are "joined together as one", which allows us to better understand how man and woman, two different flesh, can be joined together in unison, and how that also reflects how the 3 elements of the Godhead can be joined as one- Father, Son and Holy Spirit as One.
4) Therefore, we can already see that this original marital covenant was a) established by God and b) since it was established by God, He was the one who set the parameters on this concept of "marriage".
5) If God created marriage, and He set the parameters on what marriage is, then He is the ultimate defining factor of what is meant by "marriage" between two parties.

So what are these parameters?

6) Well, for one, we see that in the beginning of time, man and woman (opposite sexes) are the model conceptual frameworks for this notion of marriage. So what does that mean for us in todays society?

Well:
a) Since we have now established the marital covenant as one instituted by God, we can assert that He is the one who has already set the parameters as to what marriage is, and because He is God and has the final word, these parameters remain unchanged, and for those who believe in Christ and the Word of God, then these are the brackets in which we abide.

For example.

Let's say, for illustrational purposes sake, that I create a paper shredder, right. So I invent this shredder that shreds whatever size of paper that your little heart so desires to shred. The purpose of  this shredder was to shred paper. Now. If you so decide one day to shred, let's say, a transparency sheet (the kind they use for overhead projectors), and you say, oh my, this shreds transparency sheets too! Does that change the initial purposes of my invention? Because clearly I invented a paper shredder to shred paper- and not plastic.

Now why would I invent a shredder that can have dual uses? Now let's explore the implications of such a concept.

a) I, the inventor, created a paper shredder to shred paper.
b) You, the purchaser of my invention, decide to use the shredder for purposes that are outside the initial intent of use of my invention.

Little do you realize- I created the paper shredder to shred paper and not plastic, because the system through which the paper is fed into and shredded generates an increasing heat flow with the repeated use of the device. So. Continue to shred plastic, and you'll see that 1) the paper shredder will no longer be able to shred paper anymore 2) Plastic will begin to melt, stick and dry within the device, not allowing you to continue to shred more plastic transparency films even if you so chose to stick to that method of shredding.

Now let's drive the point home. If God instituted marriage, He set it in place with specific parameters in which we are to abide by. Therefore, marriage is God's "invention", and we are simply disobedient to the initial purpose of what was already instituted in one way. Whatever we therefore produce as a result, is simply a counterfeit replica with a dysfunctional purpose.

What I'm saying is, to sit here and try to redefine a concept built into the very fold of Christian living is to not only assert that what God has instituted is not "good enough", but to give it a meaning that is apart from its own. 

What does this mean for us?

I believe that if homosexual "marriage" wants to be deemed as such, it should be set apart from God's original intent, which is directly oppositional to the idea of homosexual marriage. Therefore, in order to not blend God's initial inventions and not disregard the "Instructors manual", let's not create a fine line between what God's will is and what our will is. Let us not attempt to alter the word of God from its original meaning because- who can alter the lasting Word of the God who created the entire existence of life as we know it? Who is more qualified to alter the documents than God himself?

And this brings me to a note that I want to stick in here before I close out. To say that not acknowledging homosexual marriage as a marital covenant by Religious leaders/people of faith is discriminatory, is a completely invalid argument, considering the fact that marriage was originally set in place by God, and God's moral law are the scaffolds of which our country was built upon. So let us ditch that argument. If homosexuals want to get married, and society is in support of such a concept, then it must be understood that the unity between those two parties must not be forced upon religious leaders and deemed discriminatory if they do not consent, but should be recognized as another form of union, not a "marriage" per se, because marriage was created by God for the purposes of two people. 

God is not in support of homosexual marriage- that is clear throughout the bible. And if you want to completely disregard Christianity because it does not fit into your particular lifestyle, then your beliefs are simply built upon what is accommodating for you. But God doesn't only speak against homosexuality- he speaks about idolatry, lustful desires, murder, witchcraft/sorcery, stealing, abuse of our bodies etc. etc. Sin is sin, period. We must understand that God loves us, but He does not love sin. God takes us as we are, but does not leave us as we are. Therefore, in Christ, we are made into new beings through the belief and faith in Him. The gospel makes us uncomfortable. But that is its purpose. We are immoral beings, and are always subjected to the devices of Satan, so we must really be careful. And through faith and acceptance of Christ, we can stand victorious over any sin that makes us feel good or feel comfortable. 

*By the way, I can only speak for myself here- just because you're a homosexual, does not mean that you are being discriminated against when this topic of Religion vs Homosexuality is brought into the frame. Homosexuality is what is not accepted- not you. So yes, as a Christian, do I approve of your lifestyle? No. Do I love you? Yes. Does God love you, unconditionally? Yes. End of story.*

And faith in God? That's another topic. This whole post centers upon and finds validity within the parameters of faith in God, which is not understood by many, and therefore rejected by most. I encourage you all to study the scriptures for yourselves, and if you sincerely have doubts about the existence of God or don't really understand the point, ask Him to reveal Himself. And I assure you, He will.

But also remember- God will never eliminate doubt from our minds. These are which we find the grounds for belief in Him. Regardless of your current standing, know that whatever you seek you will find. If you seek God, you will find HIm. If you search for evidence against Him, you shall. But such is the same with gossip- just because someone says something about you and others feel like they have sufficient grounds to believe the claim, doesn't mean that is is necessarily true.

Seek God. Prepare to be convicted.

Stay Groovy, Keep Kickin'.

-Alda

I've been having some pretty unsettling thoughts as of lately. But in the midst of these thoughts, I took the time to reflect on my short lived life and draw some conclusions about myself.

I decided to keep it real.

I'm studying in the field of education, so, naturally, you'd expect that I would like to pursue a career as a teacher, or something of the sort. But when I ponder this decision, I realize that my zest for life and this potential career option do not line up. Maybe they do, but for now, all I can say is- I probably wouldn't like to be a teacher. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching, I do. But I believe that teaching and education stretch far beyond four classroom walls. I know I've been called to teach, but in what capacity, I do not know... yet.

But this realization came from a couple of things. I believe that we should always be honest with ourselves, and call things out for what they are. Our outward productions of character should never mirror other people's expectations of us, regarding the determination of our career choices.

Long story short, I've been living for other people. I've been reading the blueprint of my life through a conformist's societal lens. When I think about where this career path may lead me, for some reason, I feel as if I'm following the course of a lifestyle that is rather monotonous and laden with the shoe prints of those who've taken the same route.

I want to 'travel the road less travelled by'. I want to be the first to enter into a dense, wild and heavily populated land laden with pristine vegetation and undefiled sources of hydration.

I do not want to step comfortably in line with the masses. I do not want to adhere to external expectations based off of the guidelines established by someone who lived eons before I did. 

I want to live a life of creativity. Of travel. Of seeking pleasure in the spectacular mysteries of life. Of living simply. Of touching the minds, hearts and souls of those around me. I want to be the one that pursues active change, rather than being the kind of person who simply says things because they sound good. I do not want to be bound by the shackles of someone else.

 I do not want to live for other people. I want to live for other people.


I don't want to serve other people, I want to serve other people.

Sounds crazy, huh. What I'm saying is this. I never want to live my life feeling as though I have to abide by someone else's measuring stick. I refuse to accept the impossible task of incorporating what every else feels like I should be doing into my every day life. I should be able to wake up and have the freedom to creatively decide how I am going to be of service to other people, and not worry about how I will be able to please everyone else. I don't want to fear rejection by anyone simply because of the choices that I have decided to make regarding what I, Aldavina Dos Santos, will be doing for the rest of my life. 

I don't want to live for other people. I want my life to reflect a life lived for the purposes of assisting others in areas of their greatest need, and there is a major difference. Living under the jurisdiction of other people can be crippling to our character and potential, and that isn't something I'm too fond of experiencing.

My passion is in the service of other people- not trying to perform required duties like a voice commanded robot.

In conclusion, the only Boss I ever want to have is the only One who actually created every fiber of my being, and who knows me better than I could ever know myself . One who's life I can pattern mine after in order to understand what a life lived in the service of others actually entails. I have chosen Him as my standard, and I know that I will be able to achieve exponentially beyond any plan I could ever conjure up in my teensy weensy mind. I'll let Christ be my Boss, and I shall progress from here. But until then, I guess I'll finish up my current course of study, because that's what society tells me to do.

Stay groovy, Keep Kickin'

-Alda.

The natural progression of most of my conversations: 

Small Talk. 
Jack Foolery. 
Abstract Subliminals. 
Meat. 
Adopted Knowledge.
Acquired Wisdom.

Small Talk: 
I vaguely remember a discussion I once had that began somewhere along the lines of the viewing of a vine, a couple of exchanges about children's prayers during children's story at church, and finally the topic of "friend zones". 

Jack Foolery: 
As the natural progression of most of my conversations would have it, this spiraled into another conversation where I vaguely remember typing in the lyrics to an old school rap song "stop.. drop.. shut em down open up shop"... and something about ninjas. 

Abstract Subliminals: 
The conversation somehow moved into the topic of not properly understanding that person (whom I was in dialogue with) due to insufficient amounts of proper communication and exchanges about the details of that person's life. I was then accused of attributing complex qualities to a rather simple persona, and that I probably overanalyzed the entire character of the one who I was in conversation with.

Meat: 
The discourse then led into a full length discussion where I began  attempting to explain my premise of not trying to "figure people out". I adopted this mentality from previous experiences accumulated over time. "Figuring" people out in the worldview of Madame Alda is congruent to a mentality infused with the idea of reading people as we would a mathematical equation- with the purposes of seeking a solution to a problem. Unbeknownst to me, this inevitably propelled me into "compulsive fixer/savior/mini-chick-with-a-cape mode. Upon explaining this sort of abstract reality in my mind, I then set forth another ideal that I live by-instead of trying to "figure" people out like I used to do, I simply (or not so simply) seek to "understand" people, for I believe that understanding breeds acceptance.

To which a thought provoking rebuttal was made that would refine my initial belief about interactions with other people.

"Acceptance breeds understanding".

I immediately went into refutation mode, but instead of seeking to disprove the claim, I thought about the possibility of that being a valid argument..

To make a lengthy conversation shorter, common ground was found at one point, but by no means through easily transported vesicles of agreement. Understanding of both claims needed to be acquired, and the facilitation of knowledge acquisition slowly began to reshape the initial premise.

To give you a better understanding of the context of this conversation, it was dealt with in terms of interpersonal relationships (along with other initial foundational contexts, but for the sake of not having a lengthy blog post, let's speak in relation to interpersonal relationships). 

Two claims were up for debate:


"It is better to accept someone before you fully understand them"
"It is better to understand someone before you fully accept them [as an intimate partner]".

I was seeking to validate the latter claim. I believed, in terms of accepting someone wholeheartedly into one's life, that it is important to understand various elements that a person possessed before making the decision to accept them into your life.

For example, if you know, beforehand, that a specific person has had a history of cheating, I would hope that it would raise some sort of red flag for you to know that it would probably not be a good idea to get into a relationship with them.

On the other hand, in support of the former claim, it was stated that if we can first accept a person into our lives, our focus would shift from faults and perceptions, and move towards eliminating barriers that would prevent us from understanding them.

Adopted Knowledge: 
By the end of the conversation, we decided that it would be possible to merge the two claims into one presumption:

You can accept someone before understanding them (into friendship) then during friendship, you inadvertently or unintentionally obtain a specific body of an understanding of that person. Once equipped with that level of understanding, a novel, or a second level of acceptance is then presented (which would be an acceptance into your personal life), allowing such a relationship to establish soul ties between two parties.

Acquired Wisdom:
 In summary, it is essentially a three step process:
1) Acceptance [Into friendship]
2) Understanding
3) Informed/intentional acceptance [Into an intimate relationship]. 

Note that the last step must be preceded by an acquired level of understanding.
... 

And then somehow we ended up talking about spiders. And that was the end of that.



Stay Groovy, Keep Kickin'

-Alda.

A disturbance in one's soul can be easily detected through lackluster efforts in daily activity.

Guilty.

As of lately, I’ve been seeking the solution to why I’ve been lacking motivation, determination, ambition, and most importantly, vision. But as I reflected on events that took place today, I think I can safely come to an understanding of why that could possibly be. 

I've unknowingly placed myself in a complex, irrationally disproportionate "reality". I've literally created a distorted world for myself, where I view everything through the lenses of external individualized standards. Now, what's that supposed to mean?

Well. It means that I've chosen to take a most precarious route whilst here on this sphere of habitation.

Essentially what I've managed to do is live each day according to the standards that I think others want me to live by. Whether we know it or not, every interaction we have with those around us can either positively or negatively affect the decisions we make. So somehow, I've decided to magically come up with the brightest and most unprecedented plan of all time. I've eliminated my own sense of input filter processing, and left the decision-making hemisphere of my mind in what I like to call "connective handicap". 

Symptoms : Not being able to make decisions without the input of others. Fickleness. Distorted, irrational reality. Easily swayed. Unsure of personal standards. Unsure of belief system. Living for the approval of others. Caring about what the world has to say about you. Questioning God's plan in your life just because someone else told you it didn't make sense. Abandoning spiritual duties because you think it's a good idea to compare your calling with someone else's. 

And the list could continue for eons and eons. 

But I'm only 20. Good thing I caught it now rather than at the moment I find myself in a white Grecian styled wedding dress, walking down the isle to marry a man who everyone else thinks I should marry... but who I've never loved...

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is guilty of allowing the gradual pervasive nature of society’s unrealistic expectations to infiltrate its way into the functionalities of daily living.

Stop living for other people. Take what people say with two grains of salt and a dash of ground up jalapeños. This doesn't mean that you run on ahead and bask in ignorance- it just means that you've gotta wake up and realize that God gave you a mind of your own. At the beginning of the night, you have a personal relationship with a God who takes a unique interest in you. And quite frankly, your salvation does NOT lie in fulfilling the desires of others.

Stop being afraid to speak up. Stop changing what you say or believe in because someone else may not necessarily agree with it. Live for God, not for the imposing foolishness and unrealistic expectations projected by the mouths of people who can't even facilitate their own doggone lives. 

You know, that's a very interesting point. People have a hard time living their life by their own standards, but then think it is okay to judge other people by these individual, invisible and unreachable standards.

So yeah. I kind of got myself in a bit of a rut. But thank God for the clarity of mind to be able to realize this sooner rather than when I'm old, useless and sitting in a one legged rocking chair trying to figure out why the events of my life led me to live in a shack with 20 ugly cats, all of which I'm allergic to.

In conclusion? Adopt a selectively permeable membrane. God in. Counterfeits out.

Stay groovy, Keep Kickin'.

-Alda.

Ahh. Oh Senior year, how you hope to trip me up.

I am currently facing the most difficult time in my academic experience. I feel as if I have been on "go mode" ever since the beginning of the last academic year: Swept through two semesters of classes and work, mixed with extracurricular demands and a teaching gig in Brasil, sprinkled with holding myself together and trying not to be too much of a burden on those who are closest to me. It's been a tid much.

Something about little ol' me: I'm a bit of a hard headed person when it comes to my health. I guess I'm just like a lot of people in their twenties who think their bungee cord is laced with a guarantee of invincibility. Even so, my young and restless days are coming to a close, and my health is definitely catching up to me, faster than I can say "inflamed rotator cuff" or "ulnar nerve entrapment". Life is getting real.

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate... and assignments that I would once breeze through are taking me ridiculous amounts of time to complete. Not to mention this blog that I've neglected in the last couple of months.

But the show must go on! (A timely cliche). 

The point is: I'm drained. I actually have scores of negative amounts of motivation scraping themselves across the forsaken desert of my desolate veins, whilst the battered nerve endings in my brain curl themselves into the fetal position, refusing to pay any mind to the idea of work. They whisper, assignments? what assignments?


I could go on a one man stampede, spewing forth all kinds of foolishness bouncing around the cluttered walls of my mind. But I won't.

In one of my earlier blogs, I wrote about how sometimes happiness is as simple as choosing to adopt that specific state of mind. But in times like these, ehh, maybe it's not so easy. So instead of moping around, clawing my way through a depression filled life, I'm going to try to "look at the bright side" because "it could be worse".

So I guess I'll start by thinking about the people in my circle. 

I have amazing friends. I'll choose one of them to write about today. I find myself thinking about what my life could possibly be like without her presence illuminating my dreary days. 

How many friends can you honestly say will go out of their way to give you hot coal massages, complete with aromatherapy and classical tunes that are sure to take you out of the most abysmal state of minds that you could ever find yourself in? How many of your Bio major friends would actually take the time out of their hectic schedules to volunteer to type up your papers, and simultaneously double as your academic cheerleader? Or how many friends can you count on all your fingers and toes that would find you in whatever crevasse you may be hiding in, just to present you with a vegan burrito that would make Chipotle's cheeks burn with envy? 

All I can say is: I know I am truly loved. And when I think about the immense about of love God had for me when He saw it a priority to choose my best friend Esther to imbue with His character, that I may see Him through her well appreciated acts of love... man... it does something to my baby koala heart. If you're reading this Esther, please know: you have my heart. Not because of what you do, but because of who you are. And because you have allowed God's light to shine freely through you, you have positioned yourself to be a source of motivation for me to continue in my studies. Thank you for never giving up on our friendship, and I thank your beautiful parents for placing you here on this earth to season the world... I love you.

I encourage you to think about the people God has chosen to place in your life. We don't give enough credit to the people who help hold our chins up when the pressures of the world weigh in at seven tons and three quarters. 

Pray for well deserved blessings to rain upon them. Pray for their happiness... pray for the continuous spreading of their beautiful love... and pray for their everlasting friendship.


Stay Groovy, Keep Kickin'

-Alda.

“Defeat I shall not know. It shall not touch me. I will meet it with true thinking. Resisting it will be my strengthening. But if, perchance, the day will give to me the bitter cup, it will sweeten in the drinking.”  


Preceding this philosophy came this statement: “Defeat is a condition which one must accept in order to give it reality. I refuse to give it reality by accepting it”- Walter Russell.

Countless amounts of precious moments are misspent dwelling on disheartening defeats. The optimum faculties of the mind disintegrate from the ample amounts of acidic thoughts that abide in the darkened cloud of catastrophic simulations within the subconscious mind…

The prolonged participation of the willful dabbling into the pot of negative thoughts only serve the purpose of attempting to arrest the light that so desires to flow freely within the confines of our souls.

Defeat is not defeat unless we fully accept and acknowledge it as such. Your life is not homologous to the dead end of a New York alleyway, but is as interwoven, interconnected and reliant upon prior experiences and decisions, as your organs are reliant upon one another for functionality. By the institution of this concept in your life, you’ll quickly realize that your “defeats” are nothing more than stepping-stones and scaffolds that are set in place in order to facilitate the gaining of understanding and wisdom, and ultimately propel you to new spiritual enlightenment.

Aha. Spiritual Enlightenment.

What one must realize is that simply put, a man/woman that takes the time to finely tune the station of auditory perception to the Author of life, places themselves in a position where the static interference of life is no longer as frequent as the change of value in stocks on Wall Street.

You have more control over the agendas of your mind than you think…

Fill your mind with all that is edifying. Fill your mind with all that is beautiful… with all that symbolizes the magnificence of a life lived in peace…

Somewhere in the deep confines of a small crevice amongst unused neurons in your mind lies a small bottle of Windex, awaiting its valiant moment of valor when it shall be faced with the daunting task of clearing up the musty windows of the soul. It awaits the moment when it will penetrate through the grime and grit of fear, discouragement, defeat and pity, and make way for the germ killing capabilities of the brilliant Sunlight that so desperately desires to sparkle, illuminate, and activate a chest of overpowering inner strength that has laid dormant for some time….


And thus shall occur- The Enlightenment of the Master of one's Mind.




Stay Groovy. Keep Kickin’.

-Alda




Opening Sources: The Man Who Tapped The Secrets of The Universe, page 30. Philosophies of Walter Russell.

I got tired of the feeling of discomfort. I grew weary of the pain associated with disappointment. I hated the tedious process of having to rebuild and reincorporate positivity into every fiber of my being only to have it expectorated, as one would experience when hawking a loogie onto a desolate slice of concrete in an alleyway. But above all, I hated the idea of having to accept things the way they were. 

I refused to live a life of perpetual disconsolation. 

Beginning last year, I decided to designate a theme that I would actively strive to put into full effect each and every day of that year. Last year, I selected the theme "Embracing Adversity". Little did I know, this would become a motif that I would develop to the extent that the concept behind such a radical idea would begin replacing every bygone sinew that I possessed back when I wasn't truly converted in mind, spirit and physique. Everything I once knew about myself was, over time, thrust into full panoramic view at the most difficult, and often inconvenient, of times. 

But- because I kept my mind stayed upon the opulent blessings that would inevitably make their way into forming a new and improved version of who Aldavina Dos Santos was to become- I fully invested in this new feat.

Embracing adversity. 

Hmm. Many of you are probably thinking about what this theme actually entails. Well. The idea of embracing adversity is essentially the idea of taking that piece of you that reacts to discomfort, disappointment, unhappiness, depressiveness, betrayal, dissatisfaction (and practically any other negative emotion you can think of) - crumbling it up into a ball of negative energy, and allowing it to dissipate into the atmosphere. 

You'd find, in its place, a tranquil, unfamiliar, but quite secure sense of... vacancy.

So, what do you fill this vacancy with?

That's just it.. YOU don't fill up this vacancy. There is only One who can. This empty space is slowly filled with the complete opposite of every emotion listed above, but not by you, of course.

After my year of "Embracing Adversity" I learned a couple of things. The primary lesson being this: In this little thing called life, there are always going to be these things called problems, that will some way or another ALWAYS find their way into our lives. That is a given. And since this is a guarantee, why not find a way to ward off any negative emotions that will contribute to the degradation of our quality of living? I say this all the time and I'm going to reinforce it here. I have CHOSEN to live a life of unadulterated happiness. There is no one, or no THING that will pose as an obstacle in my life that I will allow to have any kind of control over me. So because I know that these bits and pieces of disparate adversities will find some kind of crevasse in order to infiltrate my life, through embracing these adversities, I am able to consciously stop for the moment and evaluate the situation. Before I let my emotions run rampant, I seek one thing out of every unfortunate circumstance, and that is simply by asking myself 3 questions: 

1) Why  and how is this particular circumstance inconveniencing me?
- Often, we tend to make miniscule setbacks into lifetime hindrances. Some things are  really not that serious. Simply put? We need to stop worrying about nonfactor things, because these nonfactors WILL find a way to become a factor in causing a profound sense of perpetual unhappiness. If I still feel a bit worried about the situation, I then ask myself the following questions:

2) What are some ways that my character can be improved? 
-This step is all about analyzing kinks and unbalances in character. What are some of the things that need to be refined in your temperament?

3) What could God possibly want for me to learn from this situation?
-This step allows you to handle the situation cautiously, with Christ. It also allows you to place yourself in the most ideal location in order to be able to be propelled to heightened Spiritual Maturation. 

Once you've asked yourself these questions, immediately strap up- and embrace all that will be coming your way. Because at the conclusion of it all, you will have your first foundational filler in your vacancy...

I've learned a score of things through incorporating this concept into my life. Though it's still a work in progress, it has become easier to catch myself before slipping back into a mindset that I previously possessed, but no longer want to return to.

I challenge you to test it out. You'll be amazed to find out that this is actually one of the hidden keys to securing front row seats to a private viewing of an amazing motion picture entitled: Euphoria.


So. A new school year is about to begin, and I think I've already selected my new theme.

*drumroll* 

• "Building solid, lasting networks."
  

Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out what that one's all about... after I figure out the true essence of what it means underneath its seemingly self explanatory facade...



Stay groovy.

-Alda.

This week I caught myself thinking about all the things that I don't have.

 A Nice car (and gas money).

The opportunity to get my nails done every week.

                                 A big house. 

                                 Money. . . 

But then I had to stop counting the things I didn't have, and focus on the things that I did  have...
I do actually have A car. I've taught myself to do my own pedicures (which saves me a whole lot of money). I live in A house, and I'm still managing an apartment along with my roommate back in Alabama (with help, of course). But after all these things, I still didn't have... money. 

But have I ever gone hungry? Have I ever missed a rent payment?  Have I never been able to financially clear for school? Have I ever been homeless? Has this ever been a factor in stifling my lifelong passion of traveling? Absolutely not. 

I then reminisced about all of the opportunities I've had during the course of my short life. I've had the privilege of going to Kenya and India, I've also visited my homeland of Cape Verde as well, and I'll be on my way to Brazil in about a week or so. So no, I don't have money, but somehow these amazing opportunities always seem to present themselves. 

I try not to spend a lot of time worrying about money, because I know my Father is able to support me, in more ways than simply financially, seeing as how He is a pre-tty important guy. Let's just say that not only is He the world's finest Doctor, but He is also the head of the world Justice system as well. He's skilled in pretty much every trade you can possibly think of, though He preferred art, and carpentry above all- I know this because that's what He spent a lot of His time doing the last time He was here. He's also pretty good with my friends as well. He considers each and every one of them one of His own. He's a great Counselor and Comforter as well. He's my Rock, I don't know what I'd do, or where I'd be without Him. He's actually a King, I probably should have mentioned that as well, you should see the amount of livestock He has. It's probably enough to fill over one thousand Mount Everest sized Hills. But ok- let me stop bragging about my Father, I'm sure you've read enough...

One thing my Father taught me was in regards to living simply. You know, it's not always about having money. Because even the richest people tend to live unhappily and unfulfilled in life. So if it's not all about chasin' paper (because, at the beginning of the night, that's all that it is), then what is life all about?

And here's where the challenge comes in. I, Aldavina Dos Santos, challenge you- Blog reader, to implement this outlook into your life- *drumroll*


                                                                                                                 .  .  . Live, Needingly .  .  .

Well, Aldavina, what does this mean? - I'm glad you asked.

To live "needingly" means to do just that- Live in regards to obtaining the things that you need,  and not necessarily the things that you want. Now don't get me wrong, this is not to say that obtaining something that you want  is inherently bad- it just means that you are reevaluating your priorities in life, and really seeking meaning behind the reasons why you so desire the things that you want. Who knows... you might be a lot more selfish than you think.

For example. I used to be a huge sneaker head. When I was in high school, if my shoes didn't have a 23 or a check mark on em, I didn't wear em. I cooled down a bit my first year of college, but then when I entered into my latter college years, I caught myself indulging in those "fleshly desires" as we like to call them. One day, I found myself buying two pairs of Jordan's in one day, and another pair on the following day.. only to have to face my tuition statement the next week. I Thought that just because I had the money to spend, meant that I could spend it in any way that I wanted to. Not only was I blind sighted by this mentality, but I also became extremely superficial during that stage of my life. And when I look back, it really wasn't worth it at all. I mean, what is the point of having those things, when you really think about it..

Now, wherever I go I always ask myself this question: Is this something that I need,  or is this something that I want?  


If it turns out to be something that I need, I go right ahead and pay for it. But if it's something that I want, well, then I know it's something I can live without, and I know I won't feel bad after not having to pay for something that I'm not guaranteed to put to use after I buy it. 

So the next time some new J's come out, or whenever Rihanna decides to show off another one of her sweatpant-heel combo's that you just HAVE to have (-_-) - please ask yourself- Will I be better off without these things? 

Trust me. Living simpler just makes life a whole lot more... interesting. And fulfilling. Because, after all, you spend less time worrying about what you'll be wearing tomorrow, and more time enjoying the beautiful sunrise. And maybe you'll finally notice those spectacular mountains way out in the distance... 


Simple Pleasures.
-Alda.

             You know, it behooves me to witness the fact that Intraracial discrimination/racism still occurs within our society today. I am appalled at the level of ignorance that flows freely within the black community. One thing that I really do not understand is - Why are we even focusing on the color of our skin? Why does the pigmentation of our skin even matter at this point, after advancing so far from the bondage of slavery?