All That I …

I’m being watched. So this is extremely hard to do. I wonder what it is about being watched and creating art.

I am in a unique situation, to say the least. Being watched by a life long best friend. A best friend who happens to be lying in the bed next to me. She decides to watch, so she decides to watch the truth. This place, this place that I come to at the end of the night is for me. It’s for truth. My truth. The best way that I know to tell it.

I sit here, reflecting as I typically, trying to make it regularly do.

I started the day, by now you could guess, at 6 am. Everyday. I read. The Richest Man in Babylon. I started the day with the slogan espoused in the book, “ All that I earn, 10% is mine to keep”. The book suggests saying that as you rise, again at noon, and at the end of the day. I did the first two, and before I decide to sleep, I’ll say it again.

I made a cup of coffee. I practiced Spanish. I read more of the book. I started a budget. I listened to Les Brown. I had a conversation with myself. Ha. I often have those. My buddy, Aaron Moore called me.

Whenever Aaron calls me, I truly feel it is a call from destiny, telling me either I am on the right path or that I need to reflect.

Aaron, I really don’t know how to describe him. I can only give the facts. I met Aaron in a bathroom my freshmen year of college. We became friends in the very first sentence exchanged. It went, “What group you in?”… “Smiley faces, I don’t know some shit”. And that was it.

We became roommates years later. His father, the first time I met him, told me I had ten years. Ominously, “ You have Ten years, son” .. He didn’t tell me what it was about, he just said. “You have ten years.” Then he said I was like ‘Doubting Thomas’ in the bible. And that was the only time I had ever met or spoken to Aaron’s father.

Aaron’s father also was “Astro-projecting” in our living room. This is when you sit, say, in a living room, and send your mind to other parts of the world. I have never heard of this until this man was doing it in my living room. I looked at the strange man’s family while he was “sending his mind” to who knows where.

…hm.

They continued on as if he was reading the paper. The way the rest of us “send our minds”.

I had to ask...

“What’s he doing?”

The mom looked up and responded to my inquisition.

“Oh, that? Yeah, he does that sometimes.”… And went back to washing the dishes.

Ok, the mom is crazy too, I accepted. So I went to my friend, Aaron, who I know not to be crazy.

“What’s your father doing, bro?”

“Oh no. It’s real. He does that shit.”… “He’s on some other shit”

And after the father “came back to the couch” he opened his eyes and said to me. Before anything else…

“You're like Doubting Thomas”.

“What?”

“You. You’re like Doubting Thomas in the bible.” … “You’ve got Ten Years”

…

…

“Ok.”

… “What do you mean?”

He smiled, and then the conversation was over. That was the only exchange I had with Aaron’s father.

Last thing about Aaron. After 6 or so years, I attended Homecoming at my first undergraduate school, where I met Aaron.

I hadn’t spoken to Aaron in years.

He pulled me aside and essentially prophesized over my life. It was entirely unexpected. It was a bizarre expression of gravity from an otherwise “goofy” friend. Aaron had never spoken to me with this countenance. I was “Astro-projected” back to our livingroom however many years ago when his father had done the same to me. Now, I was the one being sent. And ironically, to that moment.

So now. When I get calls from Aaron, it feels different. And he called me today.

I met with one of my bosses for my Job. She was extremely sweet.

Two issues at my building (I’m a property manager) were mysteriously solved today. I didn’t fix them, but they were fixed. I thank the kind stranger.

My best friend didn’t make it to the end of this post. She’s sleep. It’s okay, it’s better that way.

Went to boxing. Adolphus was there.

Came home, enjoyed the night with my friend, V.

Goodnight.

~All that I earn, 10% is mine to keep.~