Time is one of the most precious gifts we have—and yet, it’s often the one we take for granted. We get caught up in the grind: working endlessly, chasing material things, and letting days slip by without truly connecting with the people who matter most.
What Really Matters
Life isn’t about possessions. It’s about presence. It’s about being intentional with our friends, our loved ones, and ourselves. The truth is, tomorrow isn’t promised. And when someone is gone, you can’t go back and fix what was broken. That’s why healing, forgiveness, and meaningful connection are so vital.
Boundaries vs. Bitterness
This isn’t about tolerating disrespect or putting yourself in harm’s way. Boundaries are sacred. But sometimes, the walls we build are made of ego, miscommunication, and pain we’ve held onto for too long. We remember how we felt, but not why. And that pain? It limits us. It steals joy from the moments we could be living fully.
Choose Healing
Take the time to heal. Let go of grudges that no longer serve you. Choose peace over pettiness. Choose love over pride. And choose a daily “diet” that feeds your soul—one free of negativity, pessimism, and drama. Nourish your mind, body, and spirit with things that uplift and inspire.
In the end, God isn’t counting your degrees or your designer labels. He’s looking at your heart. So live with intention. Love deeply. And honor the time you’ve been given.~micaiah
I speak from the perspective of a woman, for that is who I am.
As women, we sometimes accept preconceived notions and convince ourselves that these notions serve us well. For instance, when faced with men who habitually cheat—there is a stark difference between a man who deceives and betrays, and one who honestly expresses his desire not to be monogamous. The truth may hurt, but it remains the truth.
Some women accept the deceitful behavior of a cheating partner as evidence that all men cheat, resigning themselves to being treated as less deserving. They endure lies and disrespect, believing it’s better to stick with the familiar than to risk the unknown. They fail to realize that a lack of boundaries fosters a lack of respect.
You cannot accept someone’s garbage and then wonder why they treat you like trash. This is akin to Stockholm Syndrome—loving and empathizing with your abuser. Placing yourself in a situation where you are degraded through lies and treachery is emotional and mental abuse, leading to feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem.
What you allow is what will continue. You must command respect, and if those demands are not met, love yourself enough to walk away from any situation where you are treated as less than the treasure you are.
Women, do not view being alone as being lonely. Use that time to define and refine yourself. Treat yourself to all the things you deserve. Discover the beauty and peace in self-love and self-respect, and experience the soul-fulfilling joy of peace of mind.
Never allow someone else to become so important that you lose yourself and your dignity. Forgive yourself for lapses in judgment and poor decisions. As you learn better, be determined to do better. You cannot move forward safely if you are stuck looking backward.
A Queen does not cease to be royalty simply because there is no King by her side. Clothe yourself in love, crown yourself in self-worth, and never allow anyone to treat you as less than the regal woman you are.
Everyone has played the fool for love at some point; the key is not becoming comfortable in that role.~micaiah
In 2022 and beyond, what we’re not going to do is waste time explaining the things that should be apparent. Like being mature after a certain age, treating people how you want to be treated and common courtesy even in the midst of differing opinions.
If you are grown, let’s spend more time acting grown, than we do announcing it. Let’s perfect the art of minding our own business versus mindless gossip. I don’t know about the next person, but between tending to my child, work and elderly loved ones I could care less what the next person is doing. And since I waited so late in life to have a child, forget keeping up with the Jones’s I need to keep up with her. Let’s just say, that’s no small feat with these bad knees, lol.
Why can’t we, as grown adults, find real joy in the happiness and victories of others versus feeling jealous and insecure in our own short comings. People need to understand that timing is everything and what looks like an easy win, may have come on the tail end of hardship, sacrifice and struggles. And that just because someone else’s success manifested itself first, doesn’t mean yours isn’t still coming. Don’t block your blessings harboring negative feelings.
Being grown isn’t just an age range it’s a state of mind and being. It should be a time full of introspection and peace. Time to realize or finalize plans and dreams. We should be well beyond petty disagreements and the inability to communicate respectfully. We should be well versed in agreeing to disagree without falling out and playing the victim.
I refuse to waste time and energy on people that refuse to act their age. I’m not explaining things to people that are far beyond the age and have the mental capacity to understand. I will not carry the burden of other people’s immaturity and selfishness. If they love drama and chaos leave them in a cage or on the stage, because life is short and grown ups have better things to do with their time and energy, or at least they should.
I also fully understand that some people often grow old, but never grow up, but they need to take that Peter Pan mentality and stay far away from those of us that have relinquished our lives as caterpillars and are flying on the wings of our lives as butterflies. If you can’t fly with us, do us the favor and move out our way.
Let’s spend our time investing in ourselves and in those that invest in you. Live your best life and encourage those around you to do the same. Lifting up others is a sure fire way to elevate yourself. You won’t have to announce you’re grown if your actions speak for you. So, protect your peace, sage your life of negativity and float into your best years.
When I was younger I had so many different dreams and aspirations of what I’d be in life. For a while I dreamed of having a law firm with two of my other friends we would be Baker, Bean and Reid Associates at Law.
Funny, only one of us actually went into law; but another one did throw her hat in a political/policy influencing arena and sits on Oakland’s City Council.
I, on the other hand, had no long standing law affiliated aspirations. I decided pretty early I’d go into the medical field, early enough that I decided to take Latin to help me later with all the medical terminology I’d learn, and boy it truly came in handy. While others struggled I seemed to breeze right through medical terminology, so much so, I tutored and assisted the instructor during Pharmacology classes for my Licensed Practical Nurse program.
I started as a Home Health Aide then became certified as a State Tested Nursing Assistant. Let me just say nursing assistants are the backbone of health care especially long term care and they don’t get enough attention and appreciation.
It’s hard, sometimes back breaking work, yes they have way more tools and lifting equipment now than they had back in 1993 when I started out, but still it’s laborious work, if you truly care and give your residents the care they deserve.
I didn’t get into the medical field for the money, I got into it for the care and service to the people. I truly have a heart to help others be their best selves. Lots of people chose a career in nursing because it’s an honest and noble living and because they too wanted to help and serve others and it showed in the quality and type of care given to the residents and patients.
In recent years, it seems more are turning to nursing as an easier way to make decent money with a short amount of schooling required to start.
You can definitely tell the difference in the quality of the nurses that are being turned out now versus in the past.
Too many people don’t do it for the passion, they do it to floss and flex for the masses and in the end it’s our sick and vulnerable populations that suffer. This lack of true caring and consideration is what burns out the nurses that truly have a heart for the people and care.
It’s not the patients that really wear you out it’s the policies and politicking. It’s the cuts and poor management and out of touch Administration. It’s coworkers that don’t give as good as they get. It’s work being piled onto your good and dependable worker and no recompense for the bad apples on the team.
Somehow, nursing has to turn back into the passion filled career it once was and not just the lucrative field it’s turning into. The nation is capitalistic and I know this more than anyone, but we also have a world of people that are living longer but chronically sicker, so we have to get back into the act of honestly caring for their well-being.
I had some excellent role models for nurses.
We need more older nurses willing to invest in and mentor these younger nurses. We need nurses that don’t eat and alienate their young. We need advanced practice nurses that humble themselves and realize that initials and titles don’t automatically equate to great nurses, it goes beyond that to mindset, common sense and skill set.
Honestly, I know lots of LPNs that I would allow to care for me before some RN’s. We can’t forget the struggle just because we make it beyond it. We have to remember the humanity in nursing and our why behind becoming one.
Nursing has to get back to the art of care and compassion we were known for.
So, as we embark upon another Nursing Week, I implore you to do your part in keeping nursing a compassionate and honorable profession.
If not for the sick and infirm there would be no need for the nurse.
And as you care for others always remember it could be you or someone close to you on the other end of needing care.
MYD Dreams 