U.S. Rep slams GOP policies

Hello all,
This is an article I wrote that appeared on the front page of The Charlotte Post today (6/20/13). Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California was the keynote speaker at the N.C. Congressional Black Caucus annual scholarship banquet on last Friday.

http://www.thecharlottepost.com/clientuploads/CPPDFs/cp062013A.pdf

Life better enjoyed in a pair of flip flops

A young professional man in his mid-thirties landed the job of a lifetime as chief executive officer of a small hospital. It was what he had been aspiring for since he entered the healthcare industry.

He rose quickly through the ranks. It seemed he had it all: a great job making six-figures, a beautiful wife, and a healthy and playful one-year-old daughter.

Life was grand. Or at least that’s the way it appeared from the outside looking in.

He worked from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same. He was always taking calls to put out fires, even on his days off. He carried the weight of his job on his shoulders.

Until one day he realized the life he once knew and cherished had quickly faded away. Time with his wife and child was becoming obsolete. His quality of life had been compromised.

To the astonishment of others, he decided to leave the company in pursuit of a more suitable career that would offer him the balance he needed. This man was fortunate because he realized early in life that the most important things in this world are what you go home to.

Too many times we live unbalanced lives. We work more than we play. We eat at our desk more than we do at our dinner table at home. We wear more dress shoes and pumps than flip flops. We spend more time at work than we do with the ones we love.

It may sound cliché, but at the end of our lives, it’s time with our loved ones that will envelope our thoughts and bring us comfort. It will be the times where we played more that will give us reason to smile.

 Over the years, I’ve been given some great advice from successful professional leaders that I take to heart and try to live by: Don’t take work home with you; sometimes you’ve got to be selfish and put yourself first; work hard, not long; and work to live, not live to work.

True balance is getting up in the morning and putting on your work shoes, but knowing when to take them off and slip on your favorite pair of flip flops.

Still I Rise

Andre Tyson will not soon be forgotten.
The valedictorian of Anson High School "preached" during this speech on Saturday, June 8, bringing the audience to their feet and to tears.
Using bits of the poem, "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou, Tyson spoke of a hard-knocked life - one of skimpy resources and a bleak outlook. He turned to the streets and even once contemplated suicide.
To paraphrase Dr. Phil, "How did that work for ya?"
It didn't.
So Tyson decided in the ninth grade that he would give academics a try.
At the end of his freshman year, he was fourth in his class. Michelle McLeod was fifth. They then made a pact to finish first and second in their senior class.
Ta-da! Fast forward to Saturday and they did just that. McLeod was salutatorian and was mentioned in Tyson's graduation speech.
He earned full scholarships to Howard University, Wake Forest University and UNC-Chapel Hill. He chose the latter.
Tyson said he was told "you think they are going to let a black man be valedictorian? Or a black girl be salutatorian?"
He responded, "They didn't let us do anything. We earned it."
I am so proud of Tyson because he epitomizes the phrase, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." 
It's not where you come from, it's where you're going.
It's not how deep you get down ... it's how far you rise.
 
"You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,   
You may kill me with your hatefulness, 
But still, like air, I'll rise."