Greetings and welcome back to another fabulous issue of The Beat Within! Thank you to all our partners and collaborators in Counties and Cities near and far! We hope you enjoy all the wonderful submissions of writing and art for this issue from the young people (and adults) that have shared their thoughts and struggles so boldly and honestly. We hope that by sharing our experiences with one another we can bring some community and solidarity and make the world feel just a little bit smaller. We hope to bring connection through shared experiences and compassionate listening. The Beat goes on.
We welcome back you readers for another wonderful dose of truth and wisdom from The one and only The Beat With. It’s OT reporting live to you ladies and gentlemen from the country of volcanoes and grand lakes Nicaragua!
I’m going to touch on the topic of Hard Decisions, When it comes to hard decisions many of you wrote about the hardest decision ever and offered some great input. Many of you wrote that decisions are made everyday and even acknowledged that there are many but preceded to write about the “hardest” decision you had to make.
I’m not gone be the first to tell you that hard decisions are made on the daily. It’s not easy. And it’s decision(s) with an s, plural, because like y’all said, decisions are made on the daily. Usually, you decide, when you get up, what time you brush your teeth, if you want to floss or not. What to eat for breakfast, who you’re goin to call or text, and send a good morning, to? What you will eat for breakfast, what you’re going to drink, if you’re going to shower or not, what you gone wear…etc?
I Think you get my drift. For those of you that are currently locked up some of the aforementioned things I mentioned are in limbo. You don’t make those decisions. The institution you’re at, decides most of those things for you. Because you’re in that predicament, some may decide to have a negative attitude or exert negative energy to those around you, as if it was their fault that you’re locked up. Don’t tell me I’m lying. I’ve seen it personally because I’ve been there locked up.
If you can’t use the phone to communicate to your girlfriend or a loved one, you automatically start cursing at staff, at others, an even at yourself. I’ve seen it in real time, so I know this happens, and remember it’s not everyone. I’m just giving some examples of decisions that you can make and trust me every decision that is made seems easy, but it’s not.
What happened is that the brain, and just like the muscles in your body have that repetitive memory on auto-pilot. Muscle memory they call it. That’s when the brain’s ability to remember how to perform a motor skill through repetition, making the movement feel automatic. Walking, swimming, jogging, and even talking are considered fine motor skills.
Remember it’s automatic. Unless you’re physically impaired, sick or disabled, you don’t really think too much about walking do you? What you may do is think about things when you decide to walk. Like what you’re going to buy which store you’re walking too, etc. I hope you’re catching at what I’m getting at here. These all start with a thought, right?
So, decisions come in many shapes, sizes and forms, from the simplest and automatic decisions that we make, to the more complex decisions that we make as far thinking about getting a job, studying, managing your time throughout your day or even the week.
So let me interrupt myself really quick and tell you about one of the hardest decisions I had to make. I want to point out that it’s not just a decision that I made one time, it’s a choice and decision that I or even you have to make every day when you wake up.
I’m getting close to three months sober right now. When I mean sober that includes the three main things for me was alcohol, weed, and cigarettes. I didn’t grow up smoking cigarettes but during the pandemic I think my anxiety levels were so high that I picked up that nasty habit, and yes it’s a nasty habit.
Let me tell you guys something, in this life, there are a million ways to die. Many times we think that we have no control about the way our lives may turn out and to a certain extent we don’t, but then on the flip side of the coin, we actually do. It all starts with the decisions we make everyday.
Now, my decision, was based on the fact the my son was born recently. To put it in perspective, I want to live to at least ninety. My grandma is ninety eight and she’s still alive (shout out to my grandma I love her)!
To get to that age, it’s kind of like impossible, right? Well, it’s not people. If you put your mind and energy into something, you can do it. I’m trying to see my son graduate. I’m trying to walk him down the aisle, (that’s me thinking ahead). But thinking shortly in the coming years, I want to teach him to play ball. I want to block his shots. I want to strike him out. I want to play video games with him.
I want these moments to last forever, but I know that’s a little to far fetched. What’s not far fetched, is me doing the best that I can to take care of myself, so I can try to reach that milestone. So, for me to do that, I have to make the decision everyday when I wake up, not to smoke, not to drink, be more healthy, eat my fruits and my vegetables, and work out.
My son was in the hospital three weeks ago and something scary happened. He had surgery and gladly everything turned out okay (I will write about that in another time for y’all). During that time that he was in the emergency room, fighting for his young life, I did have the urge to drink. I saw someone smoking a cigarette in front of me and I wanted to smoke one, but I knew, that if I did, all I would be doing is destroying my body.
And I want to tell you young people something. All these drugs, alcohol, tobacco, coke, crystal, shrooms, man they are not good for your body. Don’t fool yourself that because it’s just a plant that it’s supposed to be good for you.
Fungi’s are deadly and they come from earth. You eat a puffer fish and that could lead to respiratory failure within hours. You could be allergic to a peanuts, eat a bag and bet that it would be your last.
I could keep going but you get my drift. I decided to have faith, stay hopeful, not to smoke nor drink. When I get stressed, I use breathing techniques to calm me down and throw on my favorite music. The urge lasted only for like five seconds, at the most.
See decisions are intertwined. One leads to another, and the other leads to another. Sometimes that’s how you find yourselves, in places like jail, or broke with no money, in debt, hungry, or cold with no means for staying warm.
Everyday I make that decision to not invest into things that can harm my body, or mental health, and at this point, it’s become automatic. At this rate I feel like I can go a full year and maybe more.
So my point is this: not all of you are dealing with an addiction, but trust me when I tell you it’s usually an addiction or a bad habit that we all need to change that helps us reach our true potential. Whatever it maybe, focus and zoom in on it. You study everyday to become smarter right? You work out everyday to get in fit right?
Now, hone in on one of your other flaws, whether that be addiction, being impulsive, being disrespectful to others, or not being humble enough. It’s a decision you have to make everyday, until that hard decision becomes an easy one, and stays on automatic.
One love to everybody! OT is signing out with utmost love and respect. And the beat keeps going and going… Long Live David!
Thanks so much for reminding us to stay mentally strong for the challenges we face every day. If we can stay strong, we can make the best decisions for ourselves every day. One good decision builds on the next to bring you to your final destination and goal. Stay calm and focused on your deep desires and don’t let the anxiety and stress of life bring you down. Tap into your Beat Within to find your greatest power!