PSA... ♥

So I've come to learn that this blog challenge stuff isn't for me... lol
1) I don't have the attention span for this ish... There's a million other things running through my mind on any given day, and sometimes my blog, as much as I adore it, is NOT one of them lol.
2) I'm a free spirit... I wanna blog when I wanna blog... and if I don't feel like blogging, then I don't lol.
3) Umm this is my last semester of undergrad... it's exam week. #Shrug.
4) My name is GiGi... and I am a #TwitterJunkie. I mean, who wants to sit and type paragraphs of stuff when some random rich ass white person guy gave us a place to spill our guts all day everyday, in 140 characters or less?? #ImJustSayin... 
5) Some of these topics are like repeats, because I feel like my letters are to the same people lol... Y'all know I don't like anybody hahaha!
x0x0♥

Day 26--Letter to the Last Person I Made a Pinky Promise To.♥

Ummm.... I don't make Pinky Promises... lol. #Ghey. 

Day 25--Letter to the Person Going Through the Worst of Times.♥

Dear Brother/Sister,

It's only temporary. 

I say this to loved ones whenever they're going through something, and it's not something that was force-fed to me in church or anything like that. I truly believe it. The trials and tribulations we endure, no matter how major or minor, are only temporary. That's the reason we go "through" things...so that we can come out on the other side, hopefully in a better place than we were in before. I know it's not easy to be positive sometimes, especially when nothing seems to be going right...but hopefully you don't quit. So, to you...whoever, wherever you are, whatever situation you're in the midst of... keep keepin' on. Life is much more than the sum of negative events. 

Sincerely Yours,

The Current {not Eternal} Optimist.♥

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh...

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

--Author Unknown.♥

Day 24--Letter to the Person Who Gave Me My Favorite Memory.♥

Dear Admissions Office,
Good lookin' on that 4-year full ride. I remember the first day I got your letter in the mail. I was wearing a pink shirt and shorts, and my hair was relaxed, with a burgundy-red rinse. I had these glasses, and the color of my hair kinda complemented them. Anyway, that day my mom was sooooo happy and proud. That made me happy and proud. Even though I can't stand your long lines and ridiculously rude employees, without you I'd probably be broke back in Cleveland somewhere with all the others who weren't as awesome as me in high school, and didn't earn a scholarship. hehehe.
It's Been Real.
Deuces in December.♥

Day 23--Letter to the Person I Last Kissed.♥

Note: I know some may say it's cheating to use song lyrics as my letter...but f**k that, this is my blog! I promise, this is eXACTLY how I'm feeling right now...
To My Chocolate,
It's not so easy 
Lovin' me....
It gets so ComPlicated....
All the things you've gotta be.
Everything's changing....
But you're the truth.
I'm amazed by all your PaTienCe...
Everything I put you through.
And when I'm about to fall 
Somehow you're always waiting with your open arms to catch me.
You're gonna Save Me from Myself....
My love is tainted...
By your touch. 
'cause some guys have shown me aces,
But you've got that RoyaL fLusH.
I know it's crazy....
Everyday.
Well tomorrow may be shaky...
But you never turn away...
Don't ask me why I'm crying,
'cause when I start to crumble...
You know how to keep me smilin'...
You always Save Me from Myself.


Love, 
Your Peanut Butter.
(via Christina Aguilera: "Save Me from Myself": Back to Basics)♥

Day 22--Letter to Someone I Want to Give a Second Chance.♥

Dear Old Friend,
I'd love to talk to you again. 
I'd love to get back to that place...
When we could call one another anytime.
When it was all love.
When you understood, even when no one else did.
I'd love to say that things were cool,
That we were BFFs.
That I loved you like a sister.
That anyone who had a problem with you, had a problem with me.
That I'd snatch a bitch for you.
I wish we were able to break down the wall of animosity that had been constructed.
Just talk.
Like old times.
There's only one problem:
We tried that.
Then you and your psychological construction crew built the wall back up...
And this time,
I'm not volunteering to be on the demolition crew that breaks it down.
Good Riddance.♥

Day 21--Letter to Someone I Judged By Their First Impression.♥

Dear Disappointment,
When I first saw you, that little voice in the back of my mind told me that you were no good...at least not for me. I should have listened. 
Behind the cuteness, what did you have to offer? Why were you in that place, at that time? Didn't you have anywhere else to be? 
All these questions gave me the impression that you wouldn't be around for too long...and that your presence wouldn't be essential to my life. Again, I should've listened. Still, I chose to let you into my space. Into my face. Into my place...#ALessonLearned.
You're not a bad person...you didn't hurt me too badly...nothing like that. You were just...disappointing. Had I gone by my interpretation of you in the first place, I could have saved myself the time and energy. Because you definitely proved me right. But it's cool. 
If nothing else, you taught me one thing: Always listen to that "little voice"....it's usually not at "little" as we try to make it seem...and it's usually right. 
Yours Truly,
The One Who Got Away (Thank God) ♥

Day 20--Letter to the One that Broke My Heart the Hardest.♥

To He Whose Name We Don't Speak, 
Hmm....I used to think that you'd always be the person who'd broken my heart, but now that I write this letter, I realize that you didn't break my heart. You crushed my ego, maybe...but my heart? I'm not really sure it was ever in your possession for you to break. See, for me...high school was this cozy little box full of routine. Even in the middle of the hoodest of 'hoods, high school felt like this little box of protection. To put it plain and simple, you were all I knew. I mean, I loved you. I won't deny that. But I don't think I was in love with you. Maybe after 2 years, I thought I was supposed to be in love with you...I mean, it was high school. Two years was like damn-near married lol. But what I have now....what I've had these last 4 years...feels completely different. Completely better. Completely real. So it makes me question everything I thought I had with you all those years ago.... either way, I felt some kinda way when you left...but there are no hard feelings. You taught me a lot...about how I should/shouldn't be treated. About what I should/shouldn't accept. I can appreciate that. The heartbreak I felt back then is completely covered up now (notice I said covered, not healed)...because I haven't seen spoken to you in years. If I was face-to-face with you right now, I don't have any idea what I'd say or how I'd feel. I do know this much: What we had was good at the time. We shared a time and space that no one else can appreciate as we do. When you left, things were hard for me. I felt rejected, stupid, duped, discarded, played, and a plethora of other things that took awhile to move past. But now, I'm a different me. An older me. A wiser me. A 'me' that survived heartbreak at the hands of a 'you'... and I'm grateful.
Sincerely,
Me.♥

Natural Hair isn't for Everyone. ♥

So this morning, as soon as I wake UP, I'm seeing foolishness....
I check my Twitter (you know, just like all the other twitter junkies do upon opening their eyes in the morning) and I see retweets from a woman (WITH natural hair) that originated from some guy. The tweets said something to the effect of "#NaturalHair ain't for everybody...some people don't need to try it".....*blank stare*
Now, my first reaction was WTF...so I went back and read the tweets again. Now, I'm irritated. This isn't the first time I've seen this on Twitter, or heard people say it, or whatever...but for whatever reason, it grinded my gears today.
Who the fuck are you to say that natural hair isn't ok? I mean, it's natural. It's what we're born with. It was fully intended to grow out of our scalps. Before all the chemicals and BS that people decided to put in their hair in a half-assed attempt to attain some warped sense of perfection...we were all natural. You were natural. Your mama was natural. Her mama was, too! So why is it that when we see a woman with natural hair, people feel the need to criticize? 
Now, I know someone will say this...so I'll let you know that I've already considered the following things:
1) Everyone doesn't picture the same thing when "Natural" hair is mentioned. 
There are many things that might come to mind...some naturals sport a fade, or rock a TWA (teeny-weeny afro). Some wear twists, dreads, or braids. Some wear their hair loose and curly. Then there are those with the dope ass, huge ass, obnoxious ass 'fro. Lol I'm a tad bit biased. But anyway, you catch my drift. I understand that there are people who have preferences, and that these styles may not be included in those preferences.
2) Some naturals are kinda sensitive. 
I'll admit, these comments touched a nerve, but not only because I'm a natural. It's because I'm a woman...who, over the last 22 years, has spent countless hours in front of a mirror trying to make everything as aesthetically pleasing as possible, only to go outside and still feel like I'm being judged and criticized (I mean, I could usually care less about the shit, but you still feel it happening). It's because I'm a Black woman...who's gone through more than half her life getting creamy white shit slapped on her scalp and roots, just to "tame" hair that just wants to run free. If I made a pile of all the hair I've swept/vacuumed up from the floor in my lifetime, due to breakage and whatnot, Do you know how freakishly huge that shit would be??? Let's not even talk about it...and all to achieve straightness. 
My opinion is this: 
This society has conditioned us to feel self-conscious and apprehensive about our natural appearances. We all see varying things when we look at one another. When I see a female walking around with fake hair, fake skin (aka cake-faced makeup), fake eyes, fake lips, fake boobs, fake nails, booty pops, and all this other foolish ass stuff that's made to "enhance one's appearance", I think it's sad. I feel bad for her...and I wonder 1) what she looks like at night when/if she goes home and takes all that shit off, and 2) what has happened to her to make all these enhancements seem necessary in the first place? What side comments has she heard about her nappy hair, or her not-so-perfect skin, or her flat ass, that drove her to feel the need for these things? But when another person sees this same thing, they may very well be thinking "Damn, I'm gonna marry this chick"...so hey. To each his own.
I just think we're so used to seeing fake shit, that reality scares us. And that's a sad phenomenon. As far as hair goes, "going natural" is the exception to the norm! To some people, it makes you "outside the box". Different. Refreshing, to some. Crazy to others. When did this happen?? We see a woman with a long, gorgeous head of hair, and we think (or some ign'ant ones will actually ASK) what she's mixed with, or where she bought her hair.... We don't realize that the so-called perfection we're trying to achieve is just conformity. Pure conformity. "Natural hair wouldn't look good on me".... How do you know? You haven't seen it since you were 5! "Natural hair is too hard to manage".....I wash and style my hair twice a week, if that. I get up, rub some moisturizer and oil on this baby, pick it out, stick a flower or headband on it, and roll out. There's no hours of flat-ironing, no $90 trips to the shop every two weeks. No ducking and dodging raindrops. 
I'm also not one of those annoying hair advocates who tries to force everyone one I see to join me on this going natural journey...I don't think people with relaxers are stupid (unless its one of those people who constantly complain about damaged hair, yet still are up in the Walgreens line buying that lil box every 6-8 weeks)... I don't believe in good hair vs. bad hair... I believe that regardless of what you have growing out of/glued into/sewn into your hair, you owe it to yourself and your hair to keep it healthy and well-managed. Being natural takes patience, effort, and TLC...so ol' boy was right. Maybe #NaturalHair isn't for everyone. 
x0x0
LovePeaceCurls♥

Day 19--Letter to Someone Who Pesters My Mind (in a good way).♥

Dear GiGi,
You stay on my mind alllllllll the time! I just love you! More than anyone on this planet... When the sun rises, I'm thinking of you. When it sets, I'm thinking of you...You've come so far, and all I wanna do is see to it that you have all the successes and accomplishments that life has to offer. Sometimes I think it's narcissistic the way I think about you so much... but if I don't love you, who else will? If I don't love you, how will you know how to properly give and receive love from anyone else? Of course there are some things I'd change about you, as we're all works in progress...but for the most part, you're a fabulous inspiration. I'm constantly thinking of ways to improve and expand so that you'll be able to live life the way it was made for you to live! At this point in life, you've learned to weed out all the unworthy and unnecessary, tolerate the ones you have to, and love and cherish all the ones you want. Above all, to you I am true. Even when you're a trainwreck in the morning, or a bitch in the afternoon. I love it all! 
Forever Yours,
GiGi ♥

Day 18--Letter to the Person I Wish I Could Be.♥

Dear Self,
Everything you're not has made you everything you are. I'm thankful for that.... you're completely attainable, and my evolution towards you has been a Beautiful Struggle thus far...but it will be worth it. Each year that passes gives me a less blurry vision of you...I think we call that growing up lol. I can see what I want out of life, and each decision made, good or bad, helps me see that all the joys and pains of today are preparing me for the day when you and I become one. You're not perfect...you never will be. But you're old enough to know that such is life, and that you deserve the best. And that the best is worth working for. Success, happiness, beauty (internal and external), faith, love, and friendship have all worked together so far, building me up so that in time, you and I will be identical. You're not only the person I wish I could be, you're the person I will become!
Until Then,
Self.♥

Day 17--Letter to Someone from My Childhood.♥

Dear Tay,
I miss you! I was just telling someone the other day about how you and I were thick as thieves when we were growing up on 131st lol! You were like the big brother I never had! As soon as I saw this topic, I immediately knew I was gonna write it to/about you, because all my childhood memories pretty much include you and our family (especially the funny ones lol). Remember when we got in trouble for taking that money, splitting it, and trying to spend it all at the corner store? Lol.... Remember when we used to sit at Grampie's bar, or in Grandma's room in the big chair and watch cartoons, eating cereal? Remember lazy summer days, riding our bikes up and down the street, and sometimes sneaking and riding around the block on Ferris, even though we weren't supposed to? Remember you teaching me how to ride without training wheels??? Lol. Random stuff, but it's always ingrained in my memory because life was so simple and easy and free (literally and figuratively lol) back then! You guys' house was like my second home lol! I was so sad when you moved! Even though it's more recent, I also remember the talk you and I had right after my mom's funeral. You'll never know how much I needed that....but then again, you're the only one who actually did know. I've missed Aunt Gina so much since she's been gone...and although I wish she and my mom could still be here with us today, I was grateful to have you to talk to. Sympathy is appreciated, but you actually knew/know the pain I feel inside! You were always my favorite cousin, and even though we're all grown now and life's taken charge of the daily routines and responsibilities we all have, I know that if I needed you and I made that phone call, you'd be there! Love you, and Diana, and my FatMan for life! 
Love Always, 
Your Favorite Cousin Ever in the History of Life lol x0x0 ♥