Da'shon Is. : FINDING ALIGNMENT

Peace Family!

We had snow in the A and now it's 70 degrees! What the hell?! All we can do is celebrate the now and get it in while we can.

True,
da'shon is.

"That just happened!"

SKF
This week I hung out with a young lady who took heed to my advice. She coped a copy of the Sexual Kung Fu book. She says she could only find the American version for women. I assured her that it will do the trick and is probably easier to follow than Cultivating Female Sexual Energy. Although she’s still trying to wrap her head around the intro to Ovarian Kung Fu, she wasn’t shook by what she’s read. Most women I’ve introduced to this practice cower when they understand what’s involved. Men react the same way, but more of them are down to try it since the reward is to be a better lover. -Big up to the brave hearts who go for it! I promise sex will never be the lame… I mean the same again.

SLUMMIN’
I just saw Slumdog Millionaire. Yeah, I know I’m dumb late! I’m usually the first one at the theater for new hot releases. But I was saving the experience; I promised someone I’d wait. Because I love movies, I don’t like to save them. But my friend is cool people, and I wanted an excuse to hang out with her. Anyway, of course, the movie was dope! Reminiscent of City of God in that it articulated some realism into how people are really living. It reminded me to appreciate the abundance I’m blessed with. I also remembered why I love travel so much! There’s so much to see and do on this planet. Plus I’m a sucker for a good love story. -It’s one of the ones. If you’re the only one left who hasn’t seen it, you’re sleepin’.

LOVE
I was geeked to check out Spreadlove, DJ Kemit’s monthly dance therapy. It was the Chicago tribute, so you know it was bananas! But the kid got shut down at the door. Kemit and his wife are fam, so they always show me love on the guest list. So although I was having problems with my bank that day, I wasn’t trippin’ because I knew I was straight at the door. I didn’t trip on paying for parking, “here’s $10 Bro, have a good night”. But the gatekeepers were two women I’d never met. They informed me that the list was shut down. No worries, “can I leave you my ID and go find someone?” Instead, one of the ladies walked around the corner, apparently to “find someone for me to talk to”. When she came back by herself, I knew what was up. I worked as a doorman for years, so I’m not inclined to give people a hard time. I’ve been a promoter too, and if you wanna make money, put someone at the door that can hold it down. These women were on their job. I was frustrated because Kemit was throwing down! My ego was bruised because I didn’t have the $10-20 they were asking. So rather than making it a big deal, I bounced. By the time I left the parking lot (they kept my money too : ) I was good. I’ve had the pleasure of many free parties and good times thanks to Master Kemit and Aishah. If the party was on Saturday night when my money was right I would have spread some love in eternal thanks!

THE DJ
Speaking of Djs, I saw something interesting at http://unique74mag.com . It was Puffy talking about what a real DJ is. Real talk, I’m not his biggest fan. But every once in a blue, he says something I can get with. -I believe that “DJ” is a title that should be earned. Being relatively new to the craft, and knowing some phenomenal disc jocks, I have a strong opinion about this. There are too many so-called Djs sullying the craft with their brand of party-rockin’. Let me say this, if you can’t smoothly blend two songs together, for example, you should not be trying to rock a party! -To see what Puffy has to say, hit that link above.

Something I wanna address…

WATERMELON MAN
I never got a chance to meet my grandfathers. I think it’s important for kids to know their grandparents. They are the holders of the key. These elders remind us of our familial and cultural heritage. They tell us of the troubles and triumphs that help us grow. It’s important for sons to know their grandfathers.

The summer I decided to try and meet a grandfather, something unexpected happened. On the last day of a business trip, I was invited to hang out with Melvin Van Peebles. Some friends of mine were working on a project with him. They said I should come through his apartment and chill out. See, I waited until my last day in New York to shop for kicks. But alas, there are no coincidences. I was being offered a chance to build with an elder. Little did I know it would be just what I needed!

Yesterday I was watching his bio-pic: How To Eat Your Watermelon In White Company And Enjoy It. To my non-Black family, it’s not as militant as it sounds… well… Anywho, it’s about Melvin’s unique journey. As I was watching scenes shot at his crib, I was reminded of that day. He asked me about my life. He asked me for my opinion. He told me about his life. He told me I am dope. I had a paradigm shift.

This grandfather’s life story was somehow familiar to me. He was in the military. But as a creator, he was called to find different mediums to tell stories. His journey took many unexpected turns that, in the end, lead to his great contributions to art. But one thing he left me with set me straight. He explained that most of his accomplishments came from trying new things. He simply created what he wanted to see in the world. In so doing, he accidentally broke records. Creating the movie soundtrack, and giving birth to a new movie genre were by-products of him pursuing a dream.

My grandfather past away before I got a chance to meet him. I wonder what advice he would have given me. I wonder if he would have said, “Da’shon, you can do, have, and be whatever you want”. When I was a little man I’d wished somebody said that kinda stuff to me. It’s the kind of important stuff that grandfathers share with their grandsons. Melvin bestowed blessings that day.

Corny, politically incorrect, or just silly-ass jokes!

“The most I can show you is Love”.

BREAK NORTH
A young talent I know has their sights set on New York. This person is a great writer and an overall dynamo. The issue is, being close to family, is bogged down with the need to be of service to them. I think the bigger issue is the voices in this person’s head. You know the ones. The ones that say you can’t, you’re not good enough, it’s hard, etc. We gotta turn the volume down on those.

The problem is in believing the voices that float around in our heads are our own thoughts. Upon further investigation, we realize that these voices belong to family, friends, and society. They are often so loud most of us can’t hear our own voices. It’s hard to hear that one voice when there are so many others. Most of us don’t consider the distinction The Voice and the ideologies that have been implanted in our minds since conception.

The first thing to know is that we are not our minds. It’s been said that the mind is a great servant but a terrible master. So the mind and its contents should be looked at as tools to help us along our paths. Thoughts are not things to be blindly followed, they are things to be controlled by the master, you. Further, since we do have total control of our thoughts, we should use our infinite imaginations to attain what we REALLY want. I pointed out that this person was imposing limits on their situation based on the wrong voices. “I gotta take care of my siblings, Mom and Dad need me, and if I can just make $1500 I’ll be ok”. I knew these thoughts were wrong because of this person’s reactions to them. I said that if New York is where you want to be, then KNOW that it’s true. And avoid small thinking based on what people tell you is your truth. “What do YOU want? Write it down, walk in it, and every time a contrary thought arises, have a positive replacement thought. If New York is where you wanna be, then decide to break north!” When we understand our power, paradigms shift. And things tend to come faster when we take charge!

I believe that if the voice of God doesn’t sound like your voice, then you’re listening to the wrong voice. It’s my wish that everyone discover this truth for themselves.