Over the Rainbow

Well, here I am, once again trying to write something fetching that’ll snare your attention for a couple of moments.  In our days, and nights, of breakneck speed, deadlines, heartbreaks we rarely take the time to figure out what we need as an individual.  I battled this syndrome for what seems like my entire life.  It reached a point to where I am constantly looking up into the sky, day or night.  Not so much as questioning my existence, but really searching for my “Over the Rainbow” life.  That life is so far removed from what mainstream society expects of us, that it shatters beliefs, loves, and foundations.

We all, or hopefully all, have seen the Wizard of Oz.  And if you haven’t read the book, run and snatch a free ECopy ( found here http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55).  And even if you haven’t seen or read the book, you have heard at least one cover of the song, “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”  But no matter the style, Judy Garland put her foot and soul into the motion picture rendition.  The phrase that has stuck with me, in the highs and lows of my life, is “If bluebirds fly, then why, oh why, can’t I?”  It’s that question that runs through my mind as I look upward into the vast universal sky.

Mid life crisis?  No.  Emotional breakdown?  No, but damn close.  I am a spoken word artist, a writer (screen, stage, novel, and poetry), an actor, a singer, a woman of color.  I carry so many badges of honor it was  easy to lose my identity with all the tasks I was thrown daily.   Only when I found my way over the rainbow did I start to define what my life would be. 

I am no guru, but I do know what has helped me overcome social homicide, heartbreak, depression, and (still battling this one) obesity have been these 6 steps.  Each of them helped me pave my own yellow brick road, made it through the Emerald City, and flying high with those bluebirds on our quest to enjoy the newness of being.

1) Get up out of bed.

Seriously, for those of y’all who find it hard to get out of bed some days, push yourself to do so. 

2) Look into a mirror.

Stand in front of a mirror for a couple of minutes for some you and you time.  Familiarize yourself with the changing of your features, and accept them.  That dimple, fat bulge, wrinkles around your mouth?  Your imperfections are what make you gorgeous and different.  And most issues we face stem from a unacceptance of some quirk or behavior beheld or performed by one or others.  Once you get a hold of you are as an individual, the rainbow is closer to touch. 

3) Open the windows (let the light and air in!)

Have you ever walked into a space that is devoid of natural sun or skylight?  A poor circulated place that reeks of stale and dust?  It is a freakin’ dreary place to be, to say the least.  Everything just seems, dim, and that is not good for a person.  We stem from a fountain of life that derives from evolution pulling and pushing itself towards the light of day.  It’s just the way it is, loves.  When we neglect ourselves of this natural energy, we are neglecting a basic need within ourselves.  Let it in.

4) Take a walk around your block.

This little gesture helped me kick start my major weight loss.  In 2010 I weighed ¼ of a ton… dude that is insane.  It would kill me to walk up the 6 flights of stairs to my apartment!  But I became conscious of my eating habits, and the lack of movement I had allowed myself to reach that morbidly obese position.  I started off small… with daily walks around the block.  You will hear all types of timing statistics one should take to lose weight, but really?  Just get out of the house and walk.  Forget about time, the trigger of many stresses.  And with each step, you are paving your own yellow brick road to true acceptance.  The distances will increase, as will your will to succeed.

5) Trust in Yourself.

I know for me, this was a HUGE issue.  Trying to trust that I was doing the right thing, moving in the right direction.  With no magical compass, we’re all just walking and wondering around.  But believe me when I say that when that day comes, and it will, when you know that you trust yourself, everything will fall into place.

6) Stop looking at loss as a failure.

We, me included, tend to do this more often than we care to admit, or realize.  When we dwell on loss, regardless of its degree, we become blind to current surroundings.  We tend to shut ourselves away from potential gains, and that is a depressing state of mind to be in.  One cannot grow in that negativity, period.  Sorry to break it you so bluntly, but it is the truth.  Look at what the loss taught you, and move on.  Real talk.

One point that is just too vast to list is to be weary of anyone offering a quick friendship, courtship, or relationship.  This lesson I had to learn the extremely hard way.  But it was one lesson that pushed me over that rainbow, and away from some negative situations, places, and people.

The whole point of this entry is to get you to hear and see the bluebirds that are heralding your success in reaching and going over the rainbow of the mainstream.  In this place, you will no longer question the wrong doing of others.  You will react to injustice in a just manner.  You will be the person you never knew you could be.  You can be a black girl grown into a woman of color who commands a stage, who commands more for her life.  You have the feet, physically or metaphorically, to move you, never doubt that.   You are so important, believe in that.  You are wonderful, know that.  Trust that you are dream stuff that made its way over the rainbow. 

(And a counseling session isn’t necessarily a bad option in overcoming hardships :))

Written By Olivia Johnson