What’s Meant to Be Will Be

On Tuesday April 18, Chicken Soup for the Soul will release its latest book in the series, Chicken Soup for the Soul: An Inspiration for Teachers. And I am one of the 101 contributors.

 I am a writer with dreams of being featured in publications with worldwide recognition, and now that dream has come to fruition. It began with an idea in my head, and I went for it. Even after rejection and missed deadlines over the years, I was still determined to get my work into a widely recognized publication. 

Years ago, I submitted a piece to Essence magazine, and an editor called me while I was at work. I called back on my lunch, but was unable to speak with her. Shortly, thereafter I received a nice rejection letter in the mail. Something went wrong. I knew that I hadn’t been called only to be rejected. That’s not how this works. For a long time, the incident haunted me. I had come close to being published in a magazine that I read faithfully from cover to cover every month. Periodically I’d think about submitting, but wouldn’t follow through.

I went on to get published in Black-Eyed Peas for the Soul—Tales to Strengthen the African American Spirit and Encourage the Heart—my first anthology! I thought I was on my way. A triathlon teammate sent an email that Chicken Soup for the Soul was doing a book for African Americans with Lisa Nichols as the editor. The woman who sent me the email knew Lisa personally. There was no guarantee that I’d be accepted, but at least I had a contact. What did I do? Missed the deadline! I kept thinking I had more time than I did. I could have kicked myself. Like the Essence incident, this too bothered me for a long time. 

I continued to write and get published in anthologies. From time to time I would check to see what was coming up in the Chicken Soup series. Even the ones that were of interest to me, I wouldn’t sit down and write. I didn’t know why. Was I afraid that my writing wasn’t good enough for Chicken Soup? I didn’t make it into Essence.

Then last summer, I saw that Chicken Soup was accepting admissions for Chicken Soup for the Curvy Soul and Chicken Soup for Teachers. I submitted to both. I received a letter saying that my piece for the Curvy Soul was being looked at for possible acceptance. I was ecstatic! Almost there. Surely, this would not be a repeat of making it to the finish line, but not crossing? It was. I got my nice rejection letter in the mail. Since I hadn’t heard from anyone regarding the Chicken Soup for Teachers piece, I figured I was out of the running. I was down, but now out. I kept checking to see what other titles in the series were on the horizon to try again.

Then I received another letter regarding my teacher piece. It was being considered. I was excited but scared. What if this one was rejected, too? Maybe my writing wasn’t good enough. Then lo and behold I got the letter saying my piece had been accepted. I was in such a hurry to give them permission to publish that I forgot to sign the contract! 

I never saw the email saying that I had not signed until 8 pm, and I don’t have a fax machine at home. I fired off a quick email, jumped in the car and went to the nearest Staples. I faxed the contract and sent an email to the editor. The following morning I called to make sure she received it; She did! And I have been walking in the clouds ever since. It’s such an honor to be featured in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book and especially one about teaching. It’s another way to help people—like Chicken Soup helps people. I love being a teacher!

In 1993, motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor started Chicken Soup for the Soul following requests for the stories that they shared.” As Jack and Mark traveled, people constantly asked if the stories they related had been published. So, Jack and Mark set out to do just that. 

According to the website, they began with a “simple idea that people could help each other by sharing stories about their lives. They compiled the top 101 stories and pitched them to the major publishing houses in New York. They were rejected. It was a small publisher in Florida who decided to give Jack and Mark a chance, and the rest they say is history.

The first book sold 11 million copies and a second helping of Chicken Soup was born. There are 250+ titles in the series with more than 500 million copies worldwide. The books have been translated into 43 languages and published in over 100 countries. Chicken Soup for the Soul is more than a series of books. It’s a brand. 

Jack and Mark sold Chicken Soup to William Rouhana and Amy Newark (husband and wife) and Robert Jacobs in 2008.  In addition to its best-selling titles, Chicken Soup also carries a line of wholesome foods--for people and their pets. They are currently working on a TV show and a major motion picture. There are aps. I couldn’t have asked for a better national platform to debut my work. In additional to inspirational stories, they donate to a number of worthy causes. Their socially consciousness matches my socially conscious advocacy. 

Just like Chicken Soup for the Soul is “changing the world one story at a time,” I am changing the world one student at a time. It's no accident that we are in this together.  This was definitely meant to be.

https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Soup-Soul-Inspiration-Difference/dp/1611599660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492482983&sr=8-1&keywords=chicken+soup+for+the+soul+an+inspiration+for+teachers

I Should Kill Myself Today

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

 I should kill myself today. Just take myself out the game. Do away with the pain and misery. I mean, what’s the point of living? I woke up to a story about adults calling a child ugly because her beauty is too big for the box they put it in. Hell let the world tell it, Black women are uglier than sin! Angry, mean, and ungrateful, too. 

We are bitches, hoes, gold diggers and Baby Mamas served up as Internet fodder for media consumption for the world to devour. People say if that ain't you, they ain't talking about you. But perception becomes realty right? Which means that we are a monolithic mess! Not allowed to be me--individually because we are always WE. 

Everybody wants somebody to love and appreciate them. But since it ain't no love for Black women and girls in the world why not give myself wings and take flight from the ugliness of this life? I think I should kill myself today. 

I'm single for real. Ain't got no man. No side dude, no playmate, No nothing. Did I mention that I ain't got no any kids? None. Nada. No man. No kids. I have no place. I mean I really should kill myself for taking up space. Tell me somebody, by society's standards, what's my worth?

I'm a teacher in a public school no less.  If a child does well, the parents did something right. If he fails, I did something wrong. Failure of students is my fault as teacher competency (or lack of) is the automatic default. No matter that I'm on the bottom rung of the education decision- making ladder, I should have some magic up my sleeve or a pull a miracle out of hat. But my mere mortal status doesn't allow me to do that. I should kill myself today.

But wait! Good news. We are highly educated women according to the stats, but oh, it's still not being translated into us getting paid. We make 64 cent to every dollar, the lowest wage for all women of color. We have a slew of health problems, too, so let’s just do away with the formalities of acting like we need to exist. I should kill myself today. 

You know what's the ugliest thing of all? People who look like me co signing on this foolishness. Ain't that some ish? A series of YouTube videos telling me how undesirable I am. I mean damn! I googled to see if such videos existed for other ethnicities. And guess what? There are none to see.

Treated like trash, some of us don’t know what to do with the anger and the pain, so we lash out at each other. Instead of coming together we clash, and then crash into anybody on our path. Yea, today is a good day to kill myself. 

But wait! Can we be in this world, but not of it? We have always moved through this world differently than the rest—marching to the beat of our own drum. And that never stopped us in from doing our best. We have to get back to the days of old. Bring the light back into our darkened souls. We need to look no further than those around us for inspiration and motivation.

My mother has lived longer than eight decades on this earth and rises every day to celebrate her birth. Her legacy lives through her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. As a branch of her family tree, I don’t have time to be blue because I know that I still have work to do.  I can live another day.

When I can go back and forth on Gates Girl Rock with six of the most intelligent, thoughtful funny, and fiercely loyal women I have the pleasure of sharing blood with, I’m reminded that I am blessed to experience such bliss. I can live another day. 

When young people remind me of my worth through listening ears or a comment on my blog that shows that I too have a legacy because a commenter "admires my strength and transparency because not everyone has that," I think I can live another day.

When I go interact daily with an amazing group of women who keep me grounded and remind me if the magic we do, I can live another day. I have a multitude of friends who are an essential part of my life. I can trace true friendship back to elementary school. I'd be a fool not to live another day. 

 I am a member of a group who has faced unspeakable horror and terrible hardship, who get up every day to do it all over again; I owe it to them to keep pressing forward. It's not easy being a Black woman in this world, but I've heard that anything worth having is worth fighting for.

So, today I fight for me, and for the other Black girls and women who are not feeling the love and are contemplating killing themselves. No, I won't kill myself today. I’ll look at all I've been through, and all that I'll have and know that my riches yield the highest stock.

I look at Black girls who Rock, and I swaddled myself in Black Girl Magic. I’ll remember to breathe and seize the moment because I know that THIS is a gift from above. And everything God makes comes from Love. So, I got this. And if you're reading this, you got this. WE got this. And today, I know I'll live another day. 

What makes life livable for you? What gets you through the bad days? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.