Great Interview!!

Friday I had a great interview with a young lady from Clark Atlanta for a story for their paper.  It was such a good interview.  She came totally prepared, book in hand.  She had already read "Who Said Peaches Were Perfect?" from cover to cover and loved it. She told me she put it on her favorite reads list and some of her friends have it and are already reading it. Then she disclosed that she saw herself in one of the characters and it made her evaluate her life.  I was really touched that one of my characters had that kind of affect on her. I told her that was why I wrote the book!  Whew! This has been a great start to publishing a book.  I'll post the interview when it is printed.

Perceptions

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking with the young ladies of sporty girls!  I conducted an interesting workshop on perception.  I had an idea that came to me in a dream a few nights before.  I threw out my plans for another workshop and went to work on how to help them understand the importance of how they are perceived by the world.  I thought it would be a difficult thing to do because I wanted to stress the importance of not worrying about what others think of you but definitely becoming aware and taking responsibility in how others perceive you based on the way you dress, talk, carry yourself, behave in public and so forth.  I put together three personality skits that were beautifully acted out.
There was Tameka Boss

Nickname: Misss. Tameka

Walk with your head up. Talk proper with a smile. Look at me and then make eye contact with some of the other girls. Use hand gestures when you talk. You are very confident.

Then there was Shay 

No nickname

Walk with your head down very slow as if you are scared to come in. Mumble when you talk. Talk real soft. Don't look me in the eyes. Look down at the floor when you talk. You are very insecure.

Last there was Natasha

Nickname: Nay Nay 

Walk with a pimp walk to the side. Talk loud and ghetto. End every sentence with "know what I'm sayin!" cut me off when I’m talking. Say whatever you are thinking at the moment.  Don’t answer the questions I ask.  You are very rude!

These young ladies, who are in middle school, blew me away! They are so smart and mature.  Definitely exposed to a lot more than we were in middle school.  Not only were they aware of how these characters may behave this way and not know how they are being perceived, but they were actually able to look at themselves and what they could work on to improve themselves.  The workshop got even better when the young ladies and the adults (including myself) participated by telling one good thing about themselves and one thing they want to work on to better themselves.  I am working on one of mine right now.  I want to better myself by allowing more people to know me and who I am.  I am still learning how trust to trust people enough to let them in.

In life I don't think you ever stop learning about yourself and trying to become a better person.  If you stop learning, you stop growing, if you stop growing you stop living.

Live...