#CandidlyChristian

I am excited to be one of the contributing authors in an anthology that will be available in August 2018.
It's called Candid Conversations.  #CandidlyChristian
The creator of this anthology project is Heather Hart of  CandidlyChristian.com
I will share more about the Candid Conversations anthology soon!
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Revenge Body

I was in a room when I  heard a new term used by people younger than I am: Revenge Body. The conversation went a little something like this:
"Girl, did you see Samantha at the party last night? She looked hot!"
"Yeah, I saw her body and it is tight like that!"
"I know, right? She's got that Revenge Body now. I know Bobby wishes now that he had stayed with Samantha instead of  leaving her for  Margie."
"How did Samantha get her body in such fantastic shape?"
"Samantha hit the gym with a vengeance. She went on an extreme diet plan, and it paid off. She looks like one of those fitness celebrities."
I walked over to the young ladies and asked, "What exactly is Revenge Body?"
"You get a Revenge Body when a person breaks up with you, and in your frustration, you throw yourself into your physical fitness. You transform. Looking good is your revenge at him for breaking up with you."
I thank them for the information, but Revenge Body is not for this Baby Boomer. This might have been a thought for me when I was in my late teens or early 20's.  At this stage of my life, if  I'm going to put myself through an extreme and rigorous fitness routine, my motivation isn't going to be revenge. My motivation would be that my doctor told me the fitness routine would lower my blood pressure, or beat back diabetes, or decrease the likelihood of a heart attack. My motivation wouldn't be that my man broke up with me.
The things we learn as we mature.
Smiles,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

I've Got To Go Now.

I'm usually pretty good about starting and ending conversations, but I was a little off my game recently. You know how it is when you're chatting with a group of familiar people or just one person you know. When you're ready to move on, it's easy to say something like, "Okay. I'll talk to you later." or "Nice talking with you. I've got to get to the store." Then you move away. It goes smoothly and everything is cool.
Then this happened: on my way out of a room, I got into a conversation with a new person. Well, it wasn't a true conversation, because she did most of the talking. It started because I greeted her when she came into the room. She let me know she'd just returned from a trip out of the country. I replied, "I'll bet you took lots of pictures." That was my mistake. She pulled out her cell phone, walked over to me and proceeded to show me what seemed like one hundred pictures. She commented on each picture, and she kept talking when I made a response. My eyes started to cross from all the scrolling images. I wanted to be polite because she seemed to need attention and no one else in the room would talk to her. She was also a "close talker": when I moved back from her, she moved closer to me.  Finally, I could take it no more.  I said, "Thanks. Gotta go now." I got my things from the coat rack, waved goodbye to the others in the room, and and started to leave. I noticed that some of the others  smiled at me with understanding in their eyes as I walked out. Lesson learned.
How would you have handled the situation?
Smiles,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Walking on the Mountaintop

When we humans get too "big for our britches" as my late father used to say, all we have to do is look at God's magnificent creations. This one is Table Mountain in South Africa. On a recent trip there, I and my fellow travelers were carried from the ground in a cable car up to the mountaintop. As we walked around and observed some of the wildlife and rock formations, I was impressed that I'd entered another piece of this vast creation called Earth. The air was different, more pure. It was tranquil, even with all the tourists. The sky and the mist that hovered over the top of the mountain was breathtaking.

The fact that Sylvia walked around the top of a mountain with no fear was amazing. I think I got so caught up with God's majestic creation that I forgot to be afraid.

Smiles,

Sylvia

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

A Real Live Magazine

The arrival of Spring inspired me to clear out many old magazines.  As a reader and writer, I have a hard time getting rid of print material, especially books and magazines. I must read each one thoroughly before I recycle it. Since my early career days, I've often had a subscription to Essence magazine. It was so rewarding back then to see women who looked like me on the cover of the monthly issues. (Shout out to Ebony and Jet, too.) A couple of years ago, however, I had such a backlog of magazines I needed to read that I stopped the subscriptions. Being an author now takes up a lot of my leisure reading time. Yet, I saved these 3 old issues to read. I enjoyed them so much that last week, I renewed my Essence for a year. Hope I can keep up with the reading. If not, I guess I'll have to read them on my tablet, but it's not the same experience for me as turning those real paper pages.

Smiles.

Sylvia

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

A Situation in the Soup Aisle

While at the market, I saw something that bothered me. I heard a man's angry voice when I turned down an aisle. It was a soft voice, but it was angry. I looked up from my shopping list when I heard the tone. I saw a senior man and a senior woman standing at a shopping cart in the soup aisle. The woman had a purse and a wallet in her hands.
"You do this every time! Look through everything in your purse. You always do this, Clara, every time we come out for groceries. What a dizzy wife you are! Next time, give me the credit card before we leave the friggin' house! You'd better find that credit card!"
I watched the senior woman search frantically in her purse. She was silent, her fingers moved all over her wallet. When he scolded her, she looked up at him while the words came out of his mouth, like she was trying to show she was paying attention to him. When he stopped fussing, she looked back down at her task.
I became angry, because it seemed to me the woman was being bullied.  I was about to step in, but thought, "Wait, did you assess this situation correctly, Sylvia?" I walked over to another aisle so I could settle down, and then address them with the right tone and spirit.  In less than a couple of minutes, I returned to the soup aisle. They were gone. I spent the rest of the afternoon wondering if I should have done more. 
Your thoughts?
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Bone Broth

I tried bone broth at a new restaurant. I think it's trending now, and I'm told that it's healthy. Isn't it interesting how some trendy practices and foods remind you of practices and foods from the elders in your family?

 The eatery specializes in ramen. Many of us know about ramen noodles from the days when we were poor college students, but this ramen is different, upscale and well presented. It's not the 4-pack that costs a dollar and has a powdered flavor pack. I ordered fresh noodles served with scallions, a slice of pork, and another veggie. There was chili paste on the side. The main thing, though, was the aromatic, dark bone marrow broth I mixed with the noodles and veggies. It had a good, earthy taste. It felt like it was good for my belly. It reminded me of the  the chicken bones used in the home made soups of my elders, who said the flavor in the bones made the soup good for you.
Getting hungry!
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com