2022 Reads : Pebble$

 

1.  The Little Book Of Clarity  :  Jamie Smart

2.  B is for Breathe - The ABCs of Coping With Fussy And Frustrating Feelings  :  Melissa Munro Boyd  (read by Tabitha Brown)

3.  I Like Myself  :  Karen Beaumont  (read by Tracee Ellis Ross)

4.  100 Amazing Facts About The Negro - With Complete Proof  :  Joel Augustus Rogers

5.  When The Cousins Came  :  Katie Yamasaki  (read by Katie Yamasaki)

6.  Handbook of Mental Health in African American Youth  :  Alfiee Breland-Noble, Cheryl Al-Mateen & Nirbhay Singh

7.  Pretty Brown Face  :  Andrea Davis Pinkney  (read by Jill Scott)

8.  Nine Perfect Strangers   :  Liane Moriarty

9.  Brown Boy Joy  :  Thomishia Booker  (read by Jill Scott)

10.  The Undefeated  :  Kwame Alexander

11.  The Saggy Baggy Elephant  :  Kathryn & Byron Jackson

12.  Becoming Vanessa  :  Vanessa Brantley-Newton  (read by Vanessa Brantley-Newton)

13.  Rediscovering Values - A Moral Compass For The New Economy  :  Jim Wallis

14.  The Bench  :  Meghan, The Duchess Of Sussex  (read by Meghan, The Duchess Of Sussex)

15.  Grammy and Me  :  Tyrah Majors

16.  A Bad Case Of Stripes  :  David Shannon

17.  Dearest One  :  Arielle Dance

18.  The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People  :  Stephen R. Covey

19.  Holes In The Sky  :  Patricia Polacco

20.  If Ever We Were...  :  Hattress Barbour III

21.  ABCs For Girls Like Me  :  Melanie Goolsby  (read by Marsai Martin)

22.  White Socks Only  :  Evelyn Coleman

23.  Ignobel Prizes  :  Marc Abrahams

24.  Water Bugs & Dragonflies - Explaining Death To Young Children  :  Doris Stickney

25.  The Shade Of Cocoa  :  Marquita B

26.  I Am Enough  :  Grace Byers  (read by Tracee Ellis Ross)

27.  The Night I Followed The Dog  :  Nina Laden  (read by Amanda Bynes)

28.  Resilience - How To Turn Adversity Into Strength :  Josh Floyd

29.  I Know I Can!  :  Veronica N. Chapman

30.  The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs  :  Jon Scieszka  (read by Omarion)

31.  Beads And Braids  :  Aryn Taylor Diggs & Marissa J. Jacobs  (read by Omarion)

32.  The One Minute Manager Parting - Increase Productivity, Profits And Your Own Prosperity  :  Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson

33.  Badger's Parting Gifts  :  Susan Varley  (read by Ruby Dee)

34.  I Am Perfectly Designed  :  Karamo Brown  (read by Karamo Brown)

35.  Bugging A Bug  :  JC Sykes

36.  The Soul Of Money - Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Life  :  Lynne Twist

37.  Skin Like Mine  :  Latashia M. Perry

38.  The One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey - Free Up Your Time And Deal With Priorities  :  Ken Blanchard, William Oncken Jr & Hal Burrows

39.  Grandad's Island  :  Benji Davies

40.  The Big Brother Story  :  Aisha Holland

41.  I Am Enough  :  Grace Byers  (read by Grace Byers)

42.  The Mountain Is You  :  Brianna Wiest

43.  How To Communicate Effectively  :  Bert Decker

44.  Firebird  :  Misty Copeland  (read by Misty Copeland)

45.  The Glass Bead Game  :  Hermann Hesse

46.  Chocolate Me!  :  Taye Diggs  (read by Omarion)

47.  Hair Love  :  Matthew A. Cherry (read by Omarion)

48.  Invisible Women - Exposing Data Bias In A World Designed For Men  :  Caroline Criado Perez

Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt

2022: A Podcast Taught Me | Pebble$

This is the year that I share my podcast food with you. I will create a list of podcast episodes I've listened to through the year which I enjoyed.

I may have laughed, learned something about myself, or learned something new. I might include a summary of the value gained from the episode beneath the hyperlinked title.

I had a moment like this in 2017 where I became intentional with my reading habits. I wasn't proud of my book count. Reading has always been something I enjoyed. But we find a way to place life above the things that feed us and calm us at our core.

As I share these episodes with you each year, I hope they will provide opportunities for you to sit and have a moment for your cup to be filled.

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#50. The Many Layers Of Black Womanhood with Kenesha Sneed  |  Black Girl In Om 

#47. Cultivating Connection Creatively with Morgan Harper Nichols  |  Black Girl In Om 

Preview Episode: "Taking Notes"  |  Peace & Pages 

#34. Listening, Learning, and Loving: Journeying To Self with Yaminah Mayo  |  Black Girl In Om 

Ima Let You Finish But..  |  Kar Rides With Kendra

Let's Talk About Goals, Baby!  |  Kar Rides With Kendra

Trust the Writing Process  |  EightyTwo NinetySix 

Episode 1: What's Your Algorithm? - Reckoning With Technology and Reclaiming Our Wellbeing In Online Spaces. |  The Sound Bath 

Voice Note 4 - Reflecting On Failures  |  Power Hour 

Fiona Murden  |  Power Hour 

Episode 1 - Venetia La Manna on Sustainable Fashion  |  The Happy Pear Podcast

David Bayer on Shifting Into a Powerful Mindset at Any Time, in Any Situation (#144)  |  Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu

Walden  |  Books & Black Coffee

Do It Well or Don't Do It At All!  |  Kar Rides With Kendra

Get Outta Your Head  |  Kar Rides With Kendra

Voice Note 30 - The Keys To Confidence  |  Power Hour

5 Pillars Of High Performance  |  Power Hour

A Bad Case Of Stripes  |  Books & Black Coffee

Life Is Filled With Swift Transitions  |  Kar Rides With Kendra

It's Time To Take Action!  |  Kar Rides With Kendra

Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt

Sisterhood = We Love & We Uplift

  

image source  :  blacklove.com [The You Retreat]

I started with an idea for tweets after I watched the last conversation on Sisterhood. You can find the first post here. Let's continue the conversation through these words and in the comments. I hope you leave this post feeling uplifted.

Reminder : This is a safe space and all comments are welcome. 

Mickey Guyton x Estelle

#YouRetreat  #CreatingYourOwnPath  @mickeyguyton  @estelledarlings

There will be times when you may be the first. A first deviation from the norm. A first in your family, career, achievements, industry, or whatever it may be.

It may be hard on some days, and you will lose yourself. You will question if it is worth it, if the process is worth the discomfort and the tears. You will question if you are worth it. If you are worth fighting for, does this even matter anymore?

You will question how long it will take to get through. How long before somebody believes in me too? How long must I wait? You've got to work through it, so you can walk through it and come out on the side of the why. Why you?

Why you were chosen.

Why you are needed.

Why you needed the process.

Why the tears were important.

Why the discomfort was important.

As the first, you may be placed in a box or several boxes. These are a collective of molds designed to keep you fearful OR doubtful long enough to stop living, dreaming, and turning possibilities into reality. The first box is often the one that tells you how it has always been. 

If you move past that one, you may encounter a box that asks that you stay within the lines. Or a box that says don't imagine anything beyond here. They are all limitations that ask you to assume the answer will be No when Yes is a possibility.

Your job is to break it without apology and educate others as you overcome everything - they said would overwhelm you. Create a new box with opportunities for expansion and creativity. Stand in your box confidently, defend it, promote it, and give grace to those who misunderstand it.

_________________________________

" Highlighting us, is a form of protecting us." - Estelle.

_________________________________

Highlighting our sisters' gifts, talents, and work creates community. That community provides the support that we need to keep on going. The support we need to continue the great work assigned to each of us in the paths - that we must grow on, build, create, and redefine. Highlighting gives us the confidence to own our narratives and change them when the messaging has been incorrect.

Being the first can be exhausting if you are forced into a cycle of fighting and defending yourself. Working harder than the rest to achieve what you want to make those visions a reality. Doing the work and learning the systems so you can open doors for others behind you.

After exhaustion, it is vital to rest and gradually find peace. Peace will have different definitions, manifestations, and values as you move through the seasons of your life.

______________________________________________________________

Angela Rye x Devi Brown

#YouRetreat  #SisterhoodIsQueen  @angelarye  @devibrown

Sisterhood is the betrayal I refuse to partake in, the safe spaces I choose to create for you, and the moments you can share with me & keep as your own. 

Seasons can change the demands of sisterhood & what we each need as individuals. These changes can also mean that we must grow with our sisters as they go through seasons, situations, or grieving. A willingness to grow with our sisters helps us understand what they need and how we can provide that. We gain clarity on what they need and how we can help them navigate to and through that.

In Sisterhood, we speak love and freely elevate our sisters. I will use every opportunity to list the things I love about you until you get tired. I choose to speak highly of you in rooms that haven't seen the depth of your being like I have. I will remind the world to be patient with you because there is a beauty to you - that it cannot afford to miss.

_________________________________

We have to have friends who are willing to coach us where we're deficient or where we have blind spots. That is so important, because the mirror isn't always exact. - Angela Rye

_________________________________

Sisterhood is the beauty of different schedules which flow in directions that don't match - somehow, we make beauty in the busyness, the mess, and finally sit together. We make those differences work.

What makes sisterhood work?  When we individually show up for ourselves. When you care for you, nurture you, check in with you, grow you, and know you. Then you can do these things for your sisters. When we have poured into ourselves and created a system for continually filling ourselves - our sisters will benefit from that time and time again.

Sisterhood is not transactions and reactive 'reciprocity'. Sisterhood is natural cycles of reciprocity that come with seasons and attend to different needs.

Reciprocity = we have our hearts open to each others. I know when I need you you're there and vice versa. - Devi Brown

- Sisterhood is unapologetic in its truth. It is honest in what it can and cannot give. And what it will and will not accept. It is a daily practice that pours into the individuals to enrich the collective. -

- This is the final post in the Sisterhood series, but you can read the first post here -

Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt

A Bookworm's Podcast - Books & Black Coffee

The About page reads..

" Welcome to Books & Black Coffee. Join two bookworms for conversations that center on the power of knowledge shared and its application. Each episode is an open door into lessons through books that carry messages which transcend generations. Together we learn, we explore and we leave with much more."

I have become more intentional with listening to podcasts since the Winter of 2020. Just like my reading habits, my listening habits have been diverse. It has ranged from wellness podcasts to self-help/personal development and deep conversation podcasts.

After the Books & Black Coffee podcast launched, it made me curious if there are more bookworm-centered podcasts out there. Podcasts that take books and turn them into valuable conversations; conversations that can be, enjoyed by non-bookworms and bookworms alike. Please comment with your favorite bookworm, book club, conversation about books, or new releases podcasts below (I want to listen too!).

Check out the first few episodes of Books & Black Coffee below.

  Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt

Sisterhood = Curated Conversations & Safe Spaces

 

image source  :  blacklove.com [The You Retreat]

I started with an idea for tweets to post after I watched the last conversation on Sisterhood. I had this plan in mind using the event hashtags and tagging the speakers in careful succession to create a beautiful thread. I soon realized I had more than a few lines to share, so this post was composed.

Can I take you on a journey?

This is a safe space and all comments are welcome.

 

 Aunt Tab x MrsKevOnStage

#YouRetreat  #IAmWorthy  @iamtabithabrown  @mrskevonstage

Don't use your service to others as an excuse for not reaching your full potential because of fear. What is on the inside of you requires accountability and stewarding - you have to take responsibility for your life. Responsibility for what you are wasting, ignoring, dismissing, and getting comfortable with in playing small. There is a day where you will knowingly or unknowingly sit with yourself, evaluate and question what you've done with your days, years, youth, and strength. Don't let that moment be one - full of regrets, sorrow, or shouldawouldacouldas.

If there was ever a time that you should care about the credits at the end of the seasons of your life, it should be today. It should be now. Don't let the credits be a whole lot of names, main characters, stunt doubles, and extras with your name close to the end because you always supported others and never showed up for yourself. Stop watching all the greatness around you be the only greatness that is known - while nobody knows about the greatness within you. Stages aren't for everyone, but I know moments, seasons, impact, and purpose ARE for EVERYONE.

What moments will those with paths connected to yours experience because you showed up?

What seasons will you manifest in so somebody knows they are not alone? So somebody can thank God for your life & existence. So somebody can be seen, impacted, loved, understood, and have problems solved.

What impact will you stand up and make in this world? What impact will you make in YOUR lifetime?

Show up, and let people know that your purpose is KEY to something within the puzzle and portrait of this world. You are what people are yearning for when you show up in season, each season.

No matter how many mistakes you have made. The things you didn't know. The places you went that you shouldn't have gone. The storms you endured, the pain that crippled you. All the things you can't seem to forgive yourself for. How much you should have done, achieved, or accomplished. How far you should be. Remember to be glad that you didn't give up.

Dead people don't worry about these things. Be grateful for your life and the opportunities you WILL have to change it, reflect on it, learn from it, learn new ways, and make improvements.

Last but not least, practice that self-talk. Practice it until you get comfortable saying positive things out loud to yourself in your space. Use that self-talk to reaffirm that you are Worthy. You are worthy of respect, love, truth, community, laughter, fulfillment & beautiful moments.

___________________________________________________________

 

 Codie Elaine x Tai Beauchamp

#YouRetreat  #TakingCareOfSelf  #AboutYourBusiness  @codieco  @taibeau

What is a boss? 'Boss' definitions differ from one woman to the next, so don't uphold the standards and responsibilities of another woman as your own. Recognize or learn to recognize where holding space will drain your capacity and lead to burnout. To prevent burnout, delegate - delegate in as many areas as you can to ensure that when you are serving - your best service is what we receive.

To pour from a cup - you haven't had the chance to fill so others can receive from it - turns them into thieves. We make people thieves when we make a habit of giving away what we need for ourselves (paraphrased from an Oprah & Iyanla conversation).

Being about your business is taking care of yourself. Taking care of yourself is being about your business. Your business covers various areas in your life, it is different levels of needs in your life, and it is the pieces that make the whole of your being. It is also the things that do and do not define you. This part also has a definition that differs from one woman to the next, so take your time. Take your time navigating - identify and define what your business is & how to be about it. Identify what each piece requires and start caring for yourself by meeting those needs.

Defining yourself and what is so beautiful about you stretches beyond the titles, jobs, money, and responsibilities - it is about who you are at the core when all those things are gone. When you forget about the title, jobs, money, privileges, and responsibilities - Do you like who you are becoming? Do you recognize that woman? Do you know her? Do you know what SHE loves, what she enjoys, what makes her happy? *don't wait for a burnout, breakdown, or rock bottom to reach that reconciliation point with yourself.

Use. Your. Tools. Calendars, reminders, notifications for self, timers, alarms - whatever works for you and centers you back to living in each moment, as well as giving your best to your work & responsibilities. Do that.

Sisterhood is about participation and celebration. It is showing up in spaces where you are the missing link in your sisters' stories, businesses, brands, growth, healing & more. Sisterhood is the creation of safe spaces where you are encouraged to evolve, grow, pause, heal and talk. These safe spaces are therapy - they care for where you are personally and professionally.

- Watch out for the second post in this series - 

Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt

World Book & Copyright Day | Pebble$

 Theme : You Are A Reader

This year's theme is You Are A Reader. It encourages everybody, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to start the habit of reading by choosing at least one book to read because they are readers too. Reading is not exclusive to a few. It should be available to us all. Start from the basics, identify your reading level and grow from there. Nobody needs this adventure the way that YOU need it - be patient with yourself as your confidence grows. Explore! Don't hold back, don't limit yourself.

Reading gives us access by unlocking the doors through which we are understood and gain understanding - whether we need solutions, guidance, inspiration, representation, or encouragement. Books serve each of these needs and more.

As you move through this year and recognize that "You Are A Reader" too, I have a little reading challenge for you. Try choosing at least one book from each genre that catches your interest. Feel free to ask a librarian for some guidance if you are unsure where to start, or you can ask the assistants at your local bookstore. Take these books, immerse yourself in them, travel through the pages at your speed and make notes if necessary.

___________________________________________________

Below you can find a question toolkit for my new bookworms out there. You can use these questions to reflect on each book you read, but they can also help you identify which genres you like the most.

What did you like about the book?

What didn't you like about the book?

Was that genre better than you expected? Would you read from that genre again?

Who were your favorite characters?

What were your favorite lines or pages?

Were you happy with the ending? Do you wish it was different?

Did you surprise yourself by finishing the book?

Did you find out how beautiful reading is? [After the challenge is complete]

Remember that there are various formats for reading. Paperback, Hardback, eBooks, Audiobooks, Read-aloud videos with books narrated to you. You may prefer some genres to be read to you, while you prefer to read other genres yourself in Paperback and eBook formats.

___________________________________________________

For my current bookworms, I have a little task for you made up of 3 questions - let's spread that reading confidence around the globe.

You can answer them by sharing your comments below OR putting your advice to work by encouraging others.

1. What would you say to encourage a preschooler to read? [kids up to the age of 7]

2. What would you say to encourage young adults to read? [12-17 years olds]

3. What would you say to encourage adults to read? [25 and older]

Below you can find links to my World Book Day 2022 videos.

A Bad Case Of Stripes by David Shannon

If Ever We Were... by Hattress Barbour III

White Socks Only by Evelyn Coleman

Encouragement For New Bookworms w. Pebble$

   Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt

In Pieces - Let's Talk

 

image credit : unknown.

Hey World.

Let's talk for a moment. Well, I speak while you talk back at the screen after each line. I filmed a short review for this book a few years back, but some things didn't make the final cut.

So today. I grant you the privilege to - come inside, explore my thoughts and challenge them. Feel free to start a conversation in the comments or whatever platform you see this post shared on; I would love that.

It truly comes in pieces. With each page, she broke herself down like a sculpture made up of three layers - some concrete, some glass, and at the center a rose. As we move through the book - she hits harder and harder at the concrete until we see the glass. When fragile matters require more energy to cover up than they do to address, she applies pressure to the glass until it shatters. As the pieces fall to the ground, we can finally reach out and touch the rose.

As we take a brief moment to look at the ground, we see all the shattered pieces - a mess. We see unraveled truth spoken. We see fragments of this woman, pain, and damage. Sally Field is a damaged woman and, her experiences have brought harm to her in one way or another. She is not a perfect woman. None of us are perfect, but let's take the privileged position from here on out to explore some things.

1, There are generations of women who didn't take the time out to do the necessary therapy. I'm not talking about sitting opposite a psychologist or in a therapist's chair, but rather that deep travel within yourself. The type of travel where you are honest with yourself. You talk about what your experiences in life have been up to that moment. Then address what they have done to you. AND working through those varying conversations continually before you add any man or kids to your life.

Another point of damage arises through my notes - Sally allowed anybody go in the cookie jar then, smother their hands on that jar and leave fingerprints. She didn't allow herself fully process those moments and, she didn't deal with what she had been through up to that point. While these things remained, she added kids into her picture so, along came the responsibilities of motherhood. Alongside this comes the constant ponderings of a mother, concerns she has for her sister; and her decision to get into a committed relationship (insert concerned side glance).

Let me point out one part of the story which opened the door to Sally's trauma. As a woman, your children are good guides on whether that new person should come into your life. Her mother ignored this guide in Sally's reluctance and crying when Jacko came into their home. Her mother ignored that red flag when she followed through with marrying Jacko. There will be points where mothers will read this book and wrinkle their noses while mentally saying 'daughter how?' 'how did you manage to let your dignity get played with like that?' 'don't do this!'

2, Red alarms are a woman's intuition, a warning against failure, a call to listen before the earth quakes. 

Sally's dignity was played with, trampled on, and many times the red alarms rang. And this is the point where several hands went into the cookie jar, got as many cookies as they liked, as frequently as they liked and, all they left were fingerprints. This phase of ignored red alarms taught me a few things. Firstly, you don't have to go through trauma; it can be down to the things you have internalized as a teenager or experiences you had in life. And when you are at a crossroad where you're unsure how to navigate, we see reactions like the constant struggle between Sally and her mother. Translated to life on the privileged side of this screen - it can be the battle between yourself and confidence in your decisions. It can be the back and forth thinking of whether to rise again after something repeats itself in a different situation later in life.

This plays out between Sally and her mother because Sally is in the thick of it, dealing with life's situations while her trauma lays beneath it all. You can't hold all of that and operate at your best. So, Sally's reactions towards her mother become disproportionate to the wrongs her mother has done in the past. Therapy can't occur in environments like these, where life's weights pull you like strings from several directions as you try to hold yourself together. When you internalize your battles as you work through your trauma or the issues of life make working through trauma a low priority, it's hard to invite other people in. What seat, what room, what space will you be able to provide? The answer is none.

3, There's always a portal, an open door. But who will find that door and close it before it hides its destruction in the fabric of our lives?

 

Sally's mother is a portal to the generations that have brought baggage and traps along for the ride. And what one generation doesn't deal with, the generations that follow inherit and struggle through. In the worst scenario, the next generation doesn't learn from it, but the hope is they will learn, overcome and break cycles of trauma.

In Pieces is a lesson for all readers, with one of many messages that read 'Place yourself in a position of privilege. Learn from Sally's story and let it help you navigate. Navigate several different relationships, several different issues that men & women face and, the World itself. Work through your problems; you deserve the other side of solutions or healing.'

As you grasp this message, if there is any therapy you've got to do, be your therapist first and talk out those problems. When you identify your problems, triggers, and things you can't quite put into words, the next step is, finding somebody you can talk to. A friend, a therapist, a coach, family. Who is your trusted person, your trusted people? Engage with those people.

I liked my journey through this book. I gained some understanding that has been useful and remains applicable. I felt uncomfortable for Sally as she described situations and told her story. BUT her mistakes, decisions, and lessons gave me some tools. I asked myself how I could be more understanding towards people who find themselves in similar situations. How can I be a light to comfort them through the blind moves, crossroads, and those breakdowns that lead them right back to the fetal position? How can I encourage people to give themselves time and space to get things right before repairing relationships? 

___________________________________________________

Some closing thoughts and random lines that were too much fragment to make complete sentences are below. These random thoughts helped shape some poems which explored the struggle between Sally and her mother. It goes far beyond Sally and her mother to mothers and daughters across the globe. 

"mothers and daughters are set up to have these clashes. I don't know if it's a silent war."

"I don't know if this silent war is a fight for strength or the combined power between mother and daughter."

"mothers fight for their instructions to be heeded, and daughters are caught in this circle of intuition where she's got her thoughts which battle against a mother's intuition." 

"I believe there's a power that mothers and daughters both have in being women that this book highlights, but how do we move beyond the generational struggle to a place where that power unites"

Thank you so much for your time in reading this post to the end. Once again, explore my thoughts and challenge them. Feel free to start a conversation in the comments or whatever platform you see this post shared on; I would love that.

   Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt

Don't Rush Through 2022 | Pebble$

 

Happy New Year World!

Welcome In.

Don't rush through the chapters, don't skip pages, don't give up, don't get impatient with yourself.

Each time the bricks come tumbling - regroup, refocus, strategize & rise again.

Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt