A Poem by Tenaja Ansar
Be Gentle With Yourself
This world can be very abusive. With so many struggles and obstacles, life can beat you down and leave you like a puddle on the floor. But even with all of the external struggles that we face on a daily basis, oftentimes our absolute worst enemy can be ourselves. We can allow internal dialogue to…
Rest In Peace
Above is a list of African Americans who have been murdered in the United States at the hands of law enforcement. As you read this list I want you to consider the following: Today is June 23, 2020. At least 6 more unarmed African Americans have been murdered in the United States since this picture…
Juneteenth 2020
Today is June 19, 2020, and, more so than in any other year that I can remember, people all over the United States are celebrating the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Juneteenth or Freedom Day as it is sometimes called is a day that commemorates June 19, 1865, when…
Be Teachable
I am a person who communicates and defends her boundaries. I am a person who speaks up when I feel like something isn’t right. Annoying as it may be, it’s in the core of my soul to be this way and I’m too old to try to fight it any more. When I am offended…
So, You Say You’re Unbothered?
People who are unbothered remain unmoved regardless of the chaos surrounding them, very much like a lighthouse in a storm. Tenaja Ansar Seelowe, 8 May 2020 We all like to pretend that situations don’t get under our skin, that the things people say to or about us don’t hurt, that obstacles set in our paths…
Anxiety & COVID-19
I have struggled with Generalized and Social Anxiety as well as Agoraphobia for the whole of my adult life. The struggle is compounded by the fact that it is so difficult for people who do not have these issues to understand what is going on and how they can help. Most people seem to think…
Thankful for the Lessons
As I look at the situations of various people around me, I can’t help but be truly thankful every day for the life that I have lived. The struggles and heartbreaks, consequences of bad decisions I went through when I was much younger, all of it has made me better in some way. I don’t…
Love Me or Leave Me Alone
Learning to accept the things I cannot change. I can’t change anyone’s opinion of me, how they feel about me, what they say/do, etc. I can’t make anyone do anything. I’m not going to change who I am just to try to change the opinion of someone else or vie for their affection/acceptance. I’m a…
Hard Heads Learn Hard Lessons…Eventually
via GIPHY I am notoriously hard-headed. At least once a month, my mom has cause to repeat the saying “You’d argue with a signpost.” To which my usual smart-ass reply is “..a blank signpost… and I’d win.” I take pride in the fact that I think for myself and follow my own path. My opinions…