See what had happened…

It's been almost three years since I first said I'd start a newsletter. I forgot that would mean talking about stuff. What stuff exactly? All the stuff? Some of the stuff? Most of the stuff? Good stuff? Bad stuff? Middle of the road stuff? Zombie stuff? Nerd stuff? Harry Potter stuff? Philosophy stuff? Random stuff? Oh.

Here's the thing. About 4 years ago, I quit my full time job with full time pay and full time benefits to start…doing stuff. Well, not really. It was more like to keep doing the stuff I had only been kinda doing while I was working for the man. But, I wanted the stuff I was kinda doing to be the stuff I always did and well… ala poof. Here we are.

The thing is…this journey ain't been no crystal stair.

Since I can remember, I've wanted to write. I considered it my purpose for a very long time. Poetry was an easy start for me. It was rapping without the beat. Sidenote: I was a rapper long before a poet. That will be a trivia answer one day so keep it tucked in your ascot. Anyhoo, after 5 books of poetry I wanted to write something different. I had a story to tell.

A love story.

So I told it. The story is not mine. It was just in me. It was a process in committing to a thing. Something, despite my past relationships, that was quite foreign. Not to mean I didn't know what commitment was, but as an uncomfortable process that demands you to do the very thing you said you would.

Listen, if we've met you know I'm not about this adulting life. I'm a subpar adult at best. I'd much rather play Mario Kart than argue with strangers on the internet about their life choices. I know, I know. I need to grow up. (but I don't wanna and Geoffrey always said we never had to).

The point here - this is me pretending that I have one - is that I did a thing and I think that thing scared me. After releasing the book, I wasn't sure what stuff to commit to next. My head is always full of ideas. Sometimes, I pick one. Sometimes, I pick several. I am always working on something. And prior to leaving my job, I always had a reason why I could never really finish the thing(s).

But now… I have all the stuffs to finish and no excuse not to. And however it turns out (less the perfect for example), is just a raw apple I have to sit with. Because…

I'm committed.

I'm committed to realizing my purpose. I'm committed to helping others understand and realize their own. I'm committed to being the best me I can be because that's what the world needs from all of us right now.

So here it is. My first newsletter about nothing much and absolutely everything, all at once. I'll mix it up and keep it me. You'll read it and decide if it's for you or not. I call it the random swipe because I could talk about anything at any time. It's kind of my thing. A thing I've decided to share with you.

I'm not allowed to care whether you like it or not. That's none of my business.

I have to keep writing regardless.

I have to keep creating regardless.

I have to keep sharing regardless.

That's the commitment. That's the purpose being fulfilled. That's the thing that’s happening and what I’m always dew-wah-doing.

By the way, my name is Dew.
Nice to meet you.

love&light

SomeTing to Do

SomeTing to Read

SomeTing to Hear

No Strings by X Ambassadors

I am a huge X Ambassadors fan. See also: Everything Sounds Like A Love Song, Boom, and Unsteady. Their sound meets at the intersection of Rock & Roll and 90’s (rage against the) Boy Band. But they take that sharp left leading to Soul and Blues. If you have a minute, or 12, give them a listen. Feel free to let me know what you think.

SomeTing to Think About

On February 25, a United States Airman, Aaron Bushnell, set him self ablaze as an extreme act of protest to the genocide in Gaza.

Aaron, a young man of 25, explained that could no longer be complicit in genocide and that he was about to partake in an extreme act of protest, but given what human being are experiencing through aggressive violence in Gaza, his act is not very extreme at all. He goes on to say, before self-immolation, “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal." He concludes his stance by saying, “Free Palastine.”

Source: CNN

I will be the first to admit, I do not know everything I should about what’s going on in Israel. However, I do understand that it is not justifiable and should be stopped. What gets me most about this tragedy is the level of culpalbility this young man felt for what is happening. I can not help but question, is this the level of outrage or responsibility we should all be feeling?

A quick read of his socials, and there is no immediate mental health flags, or completely “fragile” ideology. But how many of us, at first glance, think, “there had to be something wrong with him?” It begs the question, is there something, instead, wrong with us?

Sadly, while Aaron was rushed to the hospital, he did succumb to his injuries.