Ms. Jackson: Outkast

“You can plan a pretty picnic but you can’t predict the weather.” - Outkast (Ms. Jackson)

First Piece:

Here’s to all you control freaks out there. Myself included. You can only influence what is in your power. The things within your orbit. But there are forces at play in this experience we call life, that we don’t now nor never will have the ability to control. To determine in advance. To predict. Does that mean you should stop planning those pretty picnics in lieu of the possibility of a thunder storm raining on your expectations…I don’t think so. But don’t be naive enough to not be aware of the possibility. Think through it and adapt. Your reaction to the thunderstorm is still very much so under your control. So plan your pretty picnics but pack umbrellas just in case you have the opportunity to appreciate the rain.

~ Saturday 01.30.2021 @ 12:15am

Second Piece:

Some things are within your control, and some things aren’t. The question ultimately becomes then, how do we know what is controllable? Knowing this will aid in freeing us from the gut wrenching despair of trying to steer an uncontrollable situation. It’ll aid us in eliminating the noise and allowing us to focus on what would yield results from doing so. Once we can masterfully operate within this space, we’re left with another question. Why the obsession with control? Is it a byproduct of seizing the day and grabbing the bull by its horns? Or is it a desperate attempt to mask insecurities under the guise of being able to have a say in something. I like to think that controlling what can be controlled, or better said: organizing and executing is a pathway to fulfillment. It definitely is in the short term, like when you’re checking a task off a list. But I think and hope it to be in the long term as well. Fulfillment and realization built off of disciplined execution of the destiny you set out to take control of. But you must master that dance. You have to become able to decipher between the picnics and weather conditions of life.

~ Tuesday 11.09.2021 @ 8:19am