It’s just something we say, right?
We say it after dinners with friends, after long phone calls that stretch into the night, after first dates that leave us somewhere between hopeful and hesitant.
“Let me know you got home safe”
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I don’t enjoy conversations about love. “It’s not because it’s an emotion… an abstraction that is hard to quantify and define.” It’s not because I tend to have more of a logical locus of control than an emotional one. It's because social media has profoundly influenced how men and women perceive and engage with each other, shifting the narrative from emotional connection to transactional expectations. Instead of love as mutual understanding and growth, we now often see a narrow focus on what men can materially provide and what women refuse to compromise on—
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“Peeling away, yet I’m compelled to stay, cherishing you from a place between drawing blood & the gentlest touch.” - Hangnail
Hanging on by a thread…
I've been active on Threads and I'm enjoying it so far. However, I haven't fully figured out how the algorithm works. It shows me a lot of content from local users in Charlotte, with many threads about food, traffic, dating, fitness, and life in Uptown.
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What Else Are Women For?
“The world still wants to ask that a woman primarily be pretty and if she is not, the mob pouts and asks querulously, 'What else are women for?”
― W.E.B. Du Bois
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In November 2020, I wrote a post titled “Love, Undeserving Of” It was a moment of reflection, prompted by someone telling me they didn’t feel good enough for me. I was confused, not because I thought I was above anyone, but because I’ve always held a deep sense of my own worthiness, my capability, and my right to be loved. As always, I went somewhere and 'sat down' to search for clarity and understanding regarding the root of this feeling, not just in others, but within myself.
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"A good relationship is more than just chemistry - it also has a lot to do with HISTORY, ANATOMY, PHYSICS and ACCOUNTING"
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I like things in their place, I'm not a neat freak per se but I do like things neat, organized, and in good order – Fastidious.
The word fastidious traces to the Latin noun fastidium, meaning "aversion" or "disgust." Fastidium itself is probably a combination of the Latin words fastus, meaning "arrogance," and taedium, meaning "irksomeness" or "disgust." Shout out to my HS Latin teacher Shirley Wingo.
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They say that a four-letter word beginning with L and ending in E is a journey of twists, turns, joy, and heartbreak. For some of us, there is someone from our past who has left an indelible placeholder on our heart. The Wo/Man who slipped through our fingers and away from our lovesick soul, leaving behind cherished memories and valuable life lessons…
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We can’t take care of others of we don’t take care of ourselves; in a relationship, a family or a friendship — A supreme challenge of life is reconciling the longing to fulfill ourselves in union, in partnership, and in love. Writing helps me reconcile that longing. I open my space to others to express themselves, to carve out a little time to say their ‘peace’
AS Esq.,
Last time I submitted a piece; I was counting down to 39! Oh how my days have changed! …
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In the flow of conversation with a good friend, I assertively talked about my awareness and understanding of the dynamics of aging. In context, the discussion was specific to me as a single unknown black male. The subtext, was specific to me being alone (not lonely) as I age.
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I took the week off from work without plans and tried to force myself to get up, get out and get something when all I needed was rest and introspection…
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I’m having déjà vu and amnesia at the same time— I think I’ve written this before. Maybe it was a conversation with one of the two of you who read my blog?
The other night I celebrated with a friend on her birthday, there were three of us— It was small and intimate. A week prior I got F.R.E.S.H. with a full haircut to celebrate another friend on her birthday. Due to timing and a need to ‘stay ready,’ I got a ‘fresh up (hair and beard line up) for the weeks’ end activities.
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Recently I wrote about meeting people where they are.
MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE
Young, Middle Age, and Older Adults
Over the past ten years, I have connected with truly remarkable people. Our lives go better connecting with those who help us evolve into our higher selves. Life has taught me to see the best in people, and it’s driven me mental when people see the worst in me. Life should say show them the best in themselves because they forget that. Self-improvement is a two-way street.
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I received a lot of private feedback on this sentence from my post,
"I could be a great boyfriend, partner, or husband except… I do NOT want to do the work."
Mostly you need to heal, you're hurt, and you need time feedback.
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“Love is the one game you lose by refusing to play.”
I heard that quote a very long time ago, I think on Ally McBeal… is my age showing? I think that we can replace the word “love” with the word “life.” I’ve realized if you don’t live in the dash, you lose.
It’s a simple rule, 19xx - 20xx, the dash between birth and expiration.
That dash is your life.
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Hey younger Cleo,
This is you from 2022. You don’t know this yet, but you are in for an emotional rollercoaster. There will be times when you question yourself, God, life, family, and your career but you will make it through a tougher cookie. The road will not be easy and the scars will take years to heal. In the end, you will know that all good and bad things will come to an end. When you are my age, you will understand. When you turn 20, you will meet someone who will be by your side through all this fuck shit. I will not give much away regarding the relationship.
Just be patient.
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“Falling in love” implies a descension, also a bit of risk, too. When we fall it is generally associated with something negative happening to us. I tripped and fell inside of a woman I just met and now she is carrying my baby. Bad meaning bad, not bad meaning good. In the curious case of falling in love however, we tend to glamorize and adore the fall.
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I had a signal reaction to hearing (for a third time) someone say that they believed they were not good enough for me.
There was a central theme in September for all five relationship categories; love, marriage, friendship, family, work.
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We do not exist in
Any other instant
Here in this dimension
You and I are meant to be
I have waited lifetimes to find you
Now that you're here
I can remind you
Of the things you've been dreamin'
Times two
I promise you
If you just give me 24
Man, all I need is 24 hours
