Author: elsims

Last week I attended a 4-Day Book Writing Challenge presented by Hay House, hosted by Reid Tracy and Kelly Notaras. This was my third time attending this challenge. I feel like I learn something new every time I attend. The challenge gives you daily assignments and prompts to get you on the path to writing a book or push you to complete a book that you may be working on. I am not really ready to write the kind of book I want to write, but it doesn’t hurt to have some pointers before I start. I actually do have a book that is about 75% to 80% completed. The book is for my nephew and it should have been done. Unfortunately, I have stalled out 🤦🏾‍♀️. I would like to finish this book before I start on another one.

The challenge provided guidance on how to write a hook, genre categories for the books that people normally write and other pertinent information. Honestly I need to go back and figure out what genre this book falls under. Or maybe not. I know that the hosts said if it is non-fiction to include examples and stories to get your point across. Now, here I was thinking that I will make a copy specifically for my nephew and then go back and edit out all the stories I included. Yet, based on the information I received from the challenge, not only do I need to leave the stories in, I may need to add more stories. Now the book is probably only about 60% completed. There is a strong chance that most of the participants and I are just overthinking this whole book writing thing. Actually, I know we are.

An 8 year old boy by the name of Dillon Helbig, wrote and illustrated an 81 page book over the course of a few days. He then proceeded to take said book to his local library and put it on the shelf in the children’s book section. The book was in a hard covered journal and he labeled it with the title, “The Adventures of Dillion Helbig’s Crismis.” Dillon told his parents about his accomplishment. The parents worried the librarians would find it and dispose of his book, contacted the library. Well, the librarians decided not only will they not throw away his book, but they would put a sticker on it and allow people to check it out. Dillon’s one-of-a-kind story now has a wait list of 56 people. And if I lived in Idaho, I would be the 57th person. I am so intrigued as to what he wrote in his book.

Dillon, after the success of his first novel, is now busy at work on his second novel, “The Jacket Eating Closet.” Ummm…is this not a lesson or what? Here I am in the fifth year of writing my blog with less than 100 people reading it regularly because I don’t want to put myself out there. I have actually just started to tell more people about my blog within the last year and a half. This young man has written a book and has 56 people at the time of the news report, I am sure there is more now, waiting on a hold list to read his book. It really isn’t that hard now is it?

Many of us have lost our childlike enthusiasm, creativity and confidence. We have experienced some shit that has shut us down. We do not see the world through the eyes of an 8 year old and that is totally understandable. Life gets complicated as we get older. Our childhood dreams are forgotten. Or believed to be unachievable, are dismissed. But, what if we picked one thing we wanted to accomplish and approached it like a child? What if we didn’t allow any self-doubt to cloud our minds?  What if we just did the thing? What if we kept it a secret like Dillion until it was completed? What if? Oh, the places we will go.

I am sure if I was to draw any pictures, they will look like an 8 year old did it 😆. But I have to say, Dillion is inspiring me to not care about the minor details. I want to be like Dillion when I grow up. I want to pursue my dreams in life with childlike abandon. I want my book on library shelves, whether I have to sneak it in there or it is there legitimately. The Hay House 4-Day Book Writing Challenge was informational and inspiring. But I have to say, Dillion Helbig has inspired me a great deal more. I set my goal for the completion of my book for the end of February. If Dillion can write and illustrate a book in 4 days, why can’t I finish a 60% completed book by the end of the month? No reason why.

Looking for inspiration, look to a child. They are everything we want to be as adults. Find your motivation in their imagination. See the possibilities through their eyes. The world is their oyster and it is yours as well. This year I am going to be pushing you and calling you out in these posts because I want you to finally do the thing, whatever it is. I want you to stop making excuses, procrastinating and being overwhelmed with self-doubt. I want for you what you want for you. And I am also talking to myself with each and every post. I am not out here crushing it. I am not checking goals off my list every week. I, too am suffering from indecision, lack of clarity and lack of confidence. After reading that article, I have a new mantra for when I know I am not doing my best. Be Like Dillion! And also be well and whole. Much Love

Here is a link to read one of the many articles written about Dillion Helbig.

https://www.upworthy.com/8-year-old-handwritten-book-waiting-list?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

 

I recently visited my cousin who lives in Winter Park, Florida. She drove me around and showed me the area, lakes, houses, parks and historical sites. We rode through the town of Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville, incorporated in 1887, is considered to be one of the first black American towns. Being as I had never heard of it before visiting my cousin, I was definitely interested in this town’s story. I was able to get a couple snapshots, but nothing substantial. My cousin, however, attended a historic walking tour in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Zora Neale Hurston in Eatonville, where she was able to get some good pictures, which I will be sharing in this post.

In my research of looking up little known black facts, I discovered that there is a few different towns claiming to be the “first” black incorporated town. I appreciate how Eatonville’s website says it is one of instead of the first. There is a town called Allensworth located in California that was labeled as the first Black town in an article I read. I can only assume the person who wrote the article did not do their research. Allensworth, founded in 1908, was the first Black California town. I, of course, felt the need to dig deeper and put in the search, “What was the first black town?” Eatonville was the first town to pop up. Cute, but we all know to not use the first thing that pops up in Google. As I scrolled down, Brooklyn, Illinois came up next. Brooklyn is labeled as the “first” as well and they may actually be able to claim that title. Brooklyn, Illinois was started in the 1820s and incorporated in 1873, fifteen years before Eatonville and thirty-five years before Allensworth.

Here is a link for continued reading on Allensworth, California,

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/allensworth-california-state-archives/mQLiVfAd-6y4JA?hl=en

Here is a link if you are interested in reading more about Brooklyn, Illinois,

http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/Brooklyn/index2.html

Now, I still didn’t want to overlook any other towns, so I continued to scroll. Yep, another one popped up. Now, to give this town some credit, they did not say they were the first incorporated town, just the first town. This is starting to become a mess. Mose, located in Florida, was stated as the first legally sanctioned black town established in 1738 for runaway slaves. Now, if we are skipping the incorporated part, I believe that Mose, Florida is the winner as the first black town. Here is a link to read more about Mose,

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/histarch/research/st-augustine/fort-mose/

Back to Eatonville. Eatonville was a town founded by newly freed slaves from Georgia, Alabama and some other northern states in 1880. The cornerstones of early Eatonville were church, school and family. St. Lawrence African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first Black church in the area.

Eatonville was the birthplace of novelist Zora Neale Hurston.

Here is the link to the town’s website. You can read about the town’s history and current events on this site,

http://www.townofeatonville.org/about/

At this point, I don’t know who the clear “first” was and I am sure if I keep looking, I will find more. What I do know is, Black people were fighters. They were resilient in the face of adversity and had a strong desire to make the best of a horrible (and this is an understatement) situation. You can find Black History in every state of this country, if you look. Stories that don’t just involve slavery. Black history is so much more than that and always has been. During this Black History Month, let’s learn a little history and do some of our own research. Stay well and whole. Much Love 🧡💚

I know this is not Mental Health Awareness Month, but my heart is heavy and my mind is overactive. News came on Sunday of Cheslie Kryst, 2019 Miss USA, passing away due to suicide. Why was Cheslie depressed? She won the Miss USA pageant. She was a host on Extra, meeting famous people and attending glamorous events. She had accomplished so much in her young age. A lawyer with an MBA. She was always smiling and laughing. Most people would be confused as to why a beautiful young lady, who looked like she had a great life, would want to leave this world? Back in the day, so would I. Now, I have a better understanding.

I will not say I have any inkling of what Cheslie was going through before her death. Do I know what it’s like to be a woman in this world? A black woman in a world that is still racist? A woman that is aging and feeling like she has not done enough and that she may never do enough? I know all of that. I know of the pressures of this world. I know it takes strength that only God can give to continue to stay positive, to not give in to negative self talk and to not let the opinion of others weigh me down. I know that I have to constantly find gratitude through my limitations and adjust every time one of my current abilities are altered. I know that I am not far from experiencing depression myself. And that any day, if I slack up just a little, I may find myself there.

So when it is all said and done, let’s not judge. Let’s seek to understand. Let’s find compassion and empathy. Let’s be kind. I don’t know what you are dealing with and you don’t know what I am dealing with. We don’t know who is suffering from depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts. We don’t walk around with our burdens on display. We hide them. We cover them up with smiles, make up, nice clothes, big houses, fancy cars. We bombard people with pictures of our fun times and happy moments. We are scared of letting people truly see us. We think that people won’t understand. The truth is, they will, more than we know.

After my friend shared the news in our group chat, I became angry. I was mad at my friends, as if they had done something. But on the other side of anger is hurt. I would be devastated if one of my friends was hurting and hiding it from me. I would be mad that they thought I wouldn’t drop everything and help in whatever way they needed. I told them that in the chat with so much feeling behind my words. My heart breaking at the mere thought. And realizing the most selfish part of me would be hurt that now I have to spend the rest of my life without one of them.

Mental health awareness and treatment has come a long way since back in the day when they would cut out portions of your brain, as if that was an answer. Mental health is starting to lose its stigma. It is starting to get the attention it should have been gotten. The pandemic has helped to highlight its importance. But it still has a ways to go. If you are suffering, please get help. Don’t think that you will just wake up one day and be better. It doesn’t work that way. There are resources available, medication, counseling, group therapy.  You just need to find the one that works for you. I am telling you, the world is a better place with you in it. Make being well and whole a priority. Much Love 🧡 💚 with an extra dose of Love ❤️.