Close Proximity

#ItsNothingLike living close to where you work, shop, play, eat, etc. You save on commuting (travel time and gas).👌

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 6, 2014

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a big fan of convenience. There's nothing like having what you want & need in close proximity. You won't have to go far because what you need and want is right there. For example, if you have a job then it would make sense to live close to where you work. I'll never understand folks who live on one side of town, and work on the other; that's crazy because your weekly commute time can easily exceed 45 minutes to an hour, especially in major cities and peak traffic. I cannot see living far from where I work because that means daily commutes which will eat up gas to and from work. Taking into consideration that after work, you want to go to Happy Hour at your local club, and unless your club of choice is nearby, that's an extra 15-20 minutes depending on traffic. It's something about working close to where you shop, bank, eat, live, etc that does it for me.

There's a show on HDTV that chronicles young professionals looking for residences close to their jobs. Looking at the prices, I assume these young professionals have good paying jobs because anyone familiar with the real estate market can tell you that the closer you live to shopping, work, nightlife, gym, restaurants, and other attractions, you're going to fork out some coins for convenience. You're getting what you pay for, so if you want convenience, you'll pay top dollar for it. By close proximity, I mean living no more than 5 minutes from your job, bank, restaurants, nightlife, gym, church, recreation and attractions/Points Of Interest. You can live 10 minutes from those things, but the ideal for living in close proximity is 5 minutes. The larger the city, the more opportunities abound for living in close proximity to employment and attractions based on that city's infrastructure.

Happy King=Flourishing Kingdom

When the KING is happy, the Kingdom flourishes.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 7, 2014

 A lot of folks like to say Happy Wife=Happy Life, or If Mama Isn't Happy, Nobody's Happy. Let me flip the script by saying When The KING is happy, the kingdom flourishes. The man is the head of the house, and as the head he's responsible for directing his family. At times, he must make tough decisions the family won't agree with, and that's ok. As long as his decisions benefit the family, they'll come around eventually. People need to understand the man has a major responsibility as the CEO of the family. He can't think about himself, he has to think about his wife and children before he makes every decision. A responsible leader will solicit input from their subordinates, weigh all options and then move forward. A king has to do what's best for the kingdom, and be strong enough to stand firm even if his subordinates won't agree with his decision. Not all the time are people going to agree with the king, but that's the price a king must be ready to pay. For everybody who co-signs the adage of Happy Wife, Happy Life, If Mom Isn't Happy, Nobody's Happy or any other statement, remember one thing: The King sets the tone for the entire kingdom, and unless he has a capable queen, the kingdom will not flourish like it should. If the kingdom isn't flourishing, what does that signal for the inhabitants? It can't be anything good, I can tell you that right now. Strong kings make kingdoms flourish.

No Filter

Having no filter is nothing to be proud of. Some stuff you shouldn't say because you end up looking stupid.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 6, 2014

I can't stand this stupid term. Everybody and their mama is saying "No Filter". Having No Filter is nothing to be proud of because some stuff you say can cause you to look stupid, so maybe people should consider having a filter. When people say No Filter, they have no discretion about what comes out of their mouth or what they do. They don't care what others think or feel, they'll lay it out there with no hesitation. Those people are attention seekers because they're trying to get notoriety by their statements. I'm going to be real, and I don't care who's slighted, I will judge any & everyone who uses this term. I'm shaking my head at them in my mind because if they only knew how dumb they sound, they would probably consider having a "filter". That's the issue with society as a whole, people have gotten comfortable with letting their mouth shoot off like a rocket. It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt. I know the First Amendment guarantees free speech, but in a way there's no such thing as free speech, because anything you say can and will be used against you. There's a thing called libel and slander; you can be sued for both offenses and rightfully so. You can't just say whatever you want and not expect repercussions. You tell me, is having no filter something to be proud of? I'll wait.

I Want To Be Like You

Doing what others do does not make you look cool. Just be what you are.
— Life Diary (@diariezolife) December 2, 2014

Today's message is about trying to be like someone else. From an early age, most of us are taught socialization skills. Socialization skills are taught so kids can learn how to relate to others, which I can agree with to an extent, but I have a problem with trying to fit in to the point where you become a cookie-cutter version of someone else. If someone has a Maserati, you go out and get one without realizing the other person probably can afford one. If you see someone dressed to impress, you upgrade your wardrobe to compete with them, and so on. Honestly, it's a bunch of nonsense trying to do what someone else does to make yourself look cool. I would expect this from children & teens because they don't know any better for the most part. Peer acceptance is critical for children & teens because they want to be liked to the point where they end up doing detrimental things.

If a child sees his friends looking crazy, that child tries to emulate their friends because they don't want to be an outcast. If (s)he doesn't go along with their friends, (s)he risks being outed from the group, and their name is dragged through the mud. What do they do? They go along because they value peer acceptance over individuality. There are some children & teens who value their individuality to where they enjoy standing out. They could care less about peer acceptance because those same people they're trying to be like, could care less about them. It's nothing for some people to stand out because in their mind, they're staying true to themselves. Those are the people I respect because they don't need acceptance from the masses. As long as their loved ones value them, that's all the acceptance they need. For me, I'm not trying to be like anyone else. I may be inspired by others, but I'm not going out of my way to emulate them because I wouldn't feel right.

In conclusion, stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.

God's In Control: On My Terms

Many people say God's in control, but what they really mean is God's in control as long as it's in a way that they approve.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) November 30, 2014

The general consensus among the Christian community is that God's in control, regardless of the circumstances. When things work in our favor, God's in control. When things don't work our way, God's in control, but he has his own reasons for things not working out in your favor. All you can do is keep your faith and prayer life strong, and trust God. That's the hardest thing for anyone to do is trust God, even if we think we can figure things out.You know what: People believe God's in control, as long as God did what they asked him to. The minute God does something higher than us, we want to blame God or try and fix it ourselves. Many Christians don't know how to say "You know what Lord, I give this to you. I can't fix this situation, and I'm not going to try. Your ways are higher than mine." It baffles me that people want God to be in control on their terms.

Why do folks want God to be in control on their terms? Because people want to control God. They want to be able to dictate how God plans their life. If God has them go one way, and (s)he goes the other, they want God to co-sign. If God co-signs, then it means that God is in control. If God was in control on people's terms, God would be nothing more than a puppet; you pull its strings and it moves however you desire. What people fail to realize is that God Is Sovereign, meaning that his ways and thoughts are higher than ours. It's easy to say God's In Control, as long as God's answering every prayer. Are these same people going to believe that God's in control based on rampant injustice in this country? Believe it or not, God's in control even if we may not understad what, why, when, or how.

Read vs. "Read"

The same people claiming to "read" folks are also being "read" themselves. No one is above being read.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 2, 2014

 There is a difference between Read and "Read". Reading is studying material from a textbook or other source in order to obtain knowledge and understanding. "Reading" is an attack on one's credibility, and it also means to tell someone about themselves. My problem with this "reading" phenomenon is that everybody claims to be an expert at "reading" folks. It seems like everyone is quick to tell someone about themselves, but they forget one thing: The same people claiming to "read" folks are also being read themselves. No one is above being read. It's almost like pointing fingers: There's always 3 fingers pointing right back at you, so why do it? There will be times where you need to tell people about themselves, but make sure you're clear before you try to read someone. There's nothing worse than reading someone with your own skeletons. For example, the Atlanta Housewives. You have a group of outspoken, strong black women who are quick to "read" someone. Being that Nene, Phaedra, Cynthia, Kenya and Kandi have been around each other for a while, they know each other very well. They've gotten into it with each other, and each cast member has told things in confidence that were later used against them. That's why you can't tell people your business because as the adage goes in criminal justice: Anything you say, can & will be used against you. Here's an idea: While people are so busy trying to read others, perhaps they should READ themselves. The world will be a better place for it.

Low Key

Living low key keeps you out of so much drama because no one can tie your name to any mess. "Richard knows what happened, he was there." Unless it involves my loved ones, I live as low key as possible because not only does it benefit me, but my loved ones as well. My loved ones do not partake in my issue(s) unless I request their assistance, but even then I can take care of most things on my own. I've been following the drama on Atlanta Housewives for a while, and the term "low key" comes to mind. The ladies fake & front like they're so close, when we all know that's a lie. For a group of women to be so close, they're constantly at each other's throats. Then again, it's said that many women can't get along with each other, so I'm not surprised. If a person's low key, they don't have to worry about this nonsense because they can sit back and observe. If someone's about drama,  swerve on them! There's one problem with being low-key, some people will mistake that as being stuck-up, when that's not the case. I like to think most people have a low tolerance for drama, and act accordingly. If you don't like something, why place yourself in that environment? Makes no sense at all. If living low key makes one seem arrogant, that's fine. Wear that with pride because that means you're doing something right. It's better to live low key and drama free, than be social and get jammed up.