Educational Excellence

Happy Friday, Y’all!

“Life is beautiful …” for me and I welcome more simple beauty … natural beauty … perhaps imperfect beauty, as well!  So, I’m going to have to “T.G.I.F.” right about now!  Are you with me?!  I hope so, my friends!  ” Do it for the TEAM!”  Humanity at it’s best!

Out here in the Caribbean … Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica … things are mellow again.  Sun shining, tropical breeze … birds chirping!  Shucks, I have gotten used to having electricity and water interrupted from time to time nowadays.  As I lay back in bed at night, I can see the “geckos” on the ceiling looking for insects … which they often find quickly and gobble up.  You have to see their mouths moving as they consume their catch of the day!!  They even watch me as they dance (sometimes make love!) on the balcony and the walls!  It’s part of “jungle life” or rainforest, whichever you choose to describe it.  But, it is au naturale … and I love it!  No problems out here from the latest tropical storm turned hurricane – Dorian.  I hope it doesn’t hit South Florida … or any part of the States for that matter!

I remember being asked to read a part for a play when I was a teen living in White Plains, NY in the Winbrook Projects.   The play was called “Stagga Lee” … or something like that.  The part I was asked to read was like this … I still remember it: “I ain’t afraid of nothing, especially the likes of you!  And anytime you are ready, I’ll beat you at ANYTHING you can do!”  Cool, right!?  I was going through my “throes” of a budding teenager … skinny, glasses, no muscles, tall and lanky … and got bullied occasionally.  So, I was “feeling” this part of Stagga Lee.  The character was a fictitious “city dude” who kept getting “rolled on” (bothered) by bullies.  “Stack” was cool … he didn’t want to fight!  I was the same … for a while … until I realized that you can’t make it in “The Projects” without being able to stand up for yourself.  Now I had a brother – “Big Hank” – all 6 feet 7 inches of him.  He had come to my aid once or twice when the “big kids” had taken my basketball from me while I practiced on the courts in “The Big Playground”.  But, “Hank” wasn’t a bully.  He was big as a house and had the heart of a lamb … RIP, Big Bruh.  So, then it was my time to step up!  I got the part in the play!

Out here in “Puerto”, as I like to say, there is a small population in a small town … and everybody kind of knows each other.  Whatever someone does not know, they “make it up”!  That’s what I said, y’all!  And there are some creative “mofos” out here, too!  Half of the people have “nicknames” that are NOT on their birth certificates while others have these “tall tales” of why they are here, what they used to do as well as what they plan to do.  I listen with CAUTION to detect the obvious lies, “one-upping”, plain old bullying and being nosey and straight out embellishment of “fake facts”!  I tell the same story of who I am every day.  I don’t need to embellish a damn thing … and my Dad didn’t like a liar, so …  I’ll tell “you” the truth, if you want … about me and about YOU!  So don’t come my way unless you are “ready for the truth”.  I don’t have anything to hide.  In fact, I suggest to most people, that if they were me, “one” would probably be dead already.  I count my blessings EVERY DAY, you dig?!?

I’m planning a quick business trip to Ft. Lauderdale soon and I plan to get in … and get out!  I’ve noticed that whenever people see how “cool my attitude” is, they come with a “dump truck of dumb sh@t”!  I mean, they couldn’t ruffle my feathers much with their initial stupidity or whatever, so they “download” the dumbest crap they can find … and then “try” to give it to me!!!  How hilarious.  By that time, if I haven’t decided to start walking away after a choice word or two, I take note of the ignorant creature and how “it” has NO IDEA who they are dealing with (still non-violent) and I decide NOT to deal with “it” as a human ever again!  Whatever it takes for me to stay cool is what I do.  I’ve done all the other stuff, so, I choose the enlightened path nowadays.  Imagine, even that “bothers” the less enlightened creatures looking for drama and conflict.  “Go find some windmills!”

While I am not interested in living Stateside at this time ’cause I’d be broke, I am glad to see some people … yep, white people … waking up!  That creature that got into the White House is testing each of us to see how much he can lie to us, cheat us (making money while president) and freaking bully the people that he is supposed to serve!  When I see folks justifying and embellishing his lies, it is truly “reality tv”!  Can you say “programming”?  They are lying to the people and could care less … The American Experiment has gone awry!  Make those desperately needed changes at the ballot box, stay cool … and remember … “We are ONE!”

Peace,

John I. Cook, Director

Hey Ya!

Happy Friday it is!  We’re still able to read and talk, speak and walk, thanks to the blessings of our Creator … T.G.I.F. then!

I think of a good friend, former yoga and pilates instructor and current friend, Lydia Richardson, who had experienced a guy taking a gun out in Pembroke Pines Mall, Pembroke Pines, FL … on Christmas Eve this past year!  She had commented that she and a bunch of other people were huddled together in a closet in the Mall until the drama died down … no one died … Yet, this is the reality!  People are seeking the “almighty dollar” and living paycheck to paycheck, racial hatred is often involved, or just a person who has reached those “dire straits” in one’s life, according to the formula for success in the US!  Might I remind “us” … living paycheck to paycheck is NOT an indication of a stable economy.  Trust me, I know … you can really “lose it” trying to map your way through extremely difficult situations, one after another.

THIS, coupled with “police shootings” and killings of unarmed African American men … a few women included … oh yes … and the Rice kid killed while playing with a pellet gun in a park … alone in Cleveland, is why I chose to retire abroad!  It’s like a pressure cooker from time to time in the States; yet, it is where I was born!  I am hoping that people can get it right this next election because “the chosen one” (wtf!) is running out of entertaining tricks … with the economy, with greenhouse gases … yep, and with OUR LIVES!  I am sure that he has a little “cushion of cash” for him and his family as they ALL now have catapulted to the level of international financiers … while working for the government!  Can you say “corruption”?  Kellyanne “Konway” can teach us if necessary.  And of course, her new “Sesame Street” word(s) for the day is/(are) “incoherent idiot”.

I am simply sending some more “love” out into the universe and hope it reaches the necessary vessels.  Meanwhile, back in the usa, “the people” must unite and rise against a clearly inept, dishonest, egocentric lunatic that occupies the highest office in the land!  Take back “the country” from the scrumps.  Internationally, not only has the country become a “query” of sorts as our international counterparts wonder where “the people” are and why “they” (when they appear) accept the plethora of lies and unclassy behavior of the person in that office, but we have to accept descriptions of the president and his wishes as “absurd”.  And they are correct!!  “Drain the swamp?!”  “Crooked Hillary!?” and more are amongst his old “battle cries”.  Now, it’s “Send them back!” and “I am the chosen one!” not to mention the funniest one “the economy is doing fine” ….

Hey, don’t get me wrong, I am still a product of The United States of America.  Yet, until we come closer to doing that “unite” thing, I choose to stay aloof.  It’s probably a good thing!

Enjoy your weekends, cherish your loved ones … and “STAND UP”!

Peace,

John I. Cook, Director

Happy Friday, Y’all!  Yo!!

It’s that time again, though I often throw up a “thank you” in a “New York” second … multiple times a day!!  Did you hear it!?!  Then, T.G.I.F.!  And I know you “heard” that!

Right off the top, I want to wish my former “Coach” from boarding school and current friend a Happy belated 95th Birthday last week on Monday, I think!  Also, my “unofficial” adopted “daughter”, “Tashi”, had her 20-something-ith birthday last week, too!  Y’all ROCK!  Much respect and LOVE!  Who’s counting!!?

All of those motivational anecdotes some of us grew up with like, “Change is gonna come!” OR “I have a dream!”, are maybe just around “the bend” ….  I think that I feel it!  Do you?!?  Can you still “feel” stuff?!  Crazy world out there!!  It can make “you” numb if you don’t stay connected to your authentic self!  My techniques include meditation, prayer, and yoga … a few massages included!

Are we getting “worn down” by the childish and petty behavior of the current “leader” of the usa?  It looks like quite a few people, Republican senators included, are getting tired of the “donkey and cart” show.  I mean, it is beyond ridiculous at this point!  People of the world can’t take this character seriously, and they, like I, are hoping we don’t have to go through another year and a half of this arrogant, childish stupidity being displayed from the White House!  Scrump’s “kronie”, Kellyanne, has gotten waaaay out of control, as she attempts to employ the “scrump” arrogance in her answers to the press, obvious answers of course, that she then spins into “incoherent insults”!  I don’t know how people talk with an arrogant idiot … I choose NOT to engage in conversation with such fools.  They are ruining OUR world!

These times are requiring genuine “spirits and souls” that dwell within these “human bodies” we have been gifted with … to stand up, speak up and be counted … not just votes either!  Be counted as energy that matters – normally called PEOPLE!  We come in all shapes and sizes, multiple colors and languages, shucks even a few varying religions conjured up to worship and acknowledge our Creators.   Don’t let the “demons” change the course of your positive energy.  They didn’t create “you”.  Understand the difference between “the beat” and “the beast”.  Stay united, people!  It’s OUR world, too!

Peace,

John I. Cook, Director

It’s another Friday, you all!

What’s up?  Can we put a loving T.G.I.F. in the air?!  I think so … “Just Do It!”

“My, my, my … what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive!”  As “the baby bully” yelped to hype up “mindless folks”, he had no idea who was listening!  Not only was “he” surprised that a depraved mind was hanging on his every word, “he” doesn’t even have the courage to admit that his hate-filled words actually reached a young, dumb feeble brain … and may have caused him to act out his cowardly thoughts on innocent victims. The same feeling “he” had upon realizing that “he” won the “rigged” electoral college vote WITHOUT winning the popular vote!  No class, this character!  Then as he visited first Dayton and then El Paso, he took every opportunity to talk about “himself” … and the crowd size when he first visited El Paso several months before.  All this selfish talk continued as he walked through the hallways of the hospitals where the wounded were treated in each city.

Incredible how “law enforcement” in the El Paso shooter’s home town … 600 miles away … when his mother called to tell the police that she was worried about her young son who had just purchased a “weapon of war” … simply DROPPED THE BALL!  Now, hundreds of people were affected by one person’s inability to care while doing their job, a very important job – “to Protect and Serve”.  Much like in Parkland at MSD High School where the shooter had placed cut marks on his arm, displayed the marks in photos on social media, and who also wore a long-sleeved shirt to cover up the marks when he went to see his social worker … BEFORE the shooting.  Of course, the social worker didn’t “ask” him to roll up his sleeves so she could SEE the evidence of a disturbed young person!  Just how professional are these “professionals”?  How much do these professionals actually care about their jobs, not to mention if they care about their clients?!?  I’m just saying …

Yes, I am blessed to be living here while all mayhem is breaking loose “stateside”.  Still, I have a child and a grandson over there … and a mailbox for my business and me … so I still go … and still care.  I grew up there …  Now, I can’t afford to retire there and I would probably be harassed each day by someone who “feels” that I don’t deserve much due to the color of my skin …  NOT AN OPTION for me.  Wednesday, I had my first osteopathic appointment and felt somewhat “understood” as I seek to heal my arthritis without getting hips replaced.  Again, I am at peace here … I can walk everywhere I need to go to in town from the quaint little house I am renting here in Puerto Viejo.  No police sirens blaring at every intersection, no hostile police looking to confront me.  My yoga teacher is back and I am scheduled for a massage this morning with her as well after more than two months, it seems!  You better believe that I am ready … I can’t wait!

May we ALL seek to be “the best that we can be” and help in changing a troubled world … if possible.  Enjoy your day and your weekends.  Add a touch of class to everything you do!

Peace,

John I. Cook, Director

Happy Friday, All!

I hope your week has been “Pura Vida”!  So, T.G.I.F.!

Hey … did y’all hear about “The Nixon-Reagan Tapes”?!?  I mean, the context of the conversation about newly-elected African leaders being “monkeys” and “still getting used to wearing shoes” clearly renders the remarks “racist” (denying someone dignity due to their race …).  I won’t waste time discussing it ’cause I am not too surprised.  I have said some “harsh sh@t” about a person who had shown me their true racist colors, perhaps behind their back as I don’t go looking for someone when they’ve disrespected me in some way.  Yet, I am one who would say the same in “their” face if that’s what they need to come to grips with my reality!

Have you ever given someone too much “credit” or respect, and then later realized that they didn’t really deserve the amount of respect you had given them … because that’s just the way you are?!?  I know the feeling!  I often wonder how many people who voted for #45 actually regret it now.  I hope that you wised up, if possible.  You don’t have to tell anybody, but this character is being ridiculed NOW even by other republicans including “old white men” … I get so sick of the political party game!

This post is coming out a little later than usual because I live in the Caribbean, Baby, Puerto Viejo to be exact!  The Internet was out since last night.  Shucks, yesterday afternoon the water was shut off in the neighborhood, sometimes called “the grid”.  So, I had to just wait, imagine that, WAIT until the internet was restored after close to 15 hours more or less.  Same with the water sometimes but for less time. People here have told me that here in Puerto Viejo maybe 20 years ago, there were ONLY internet cafes!!  Sometimes, not only were those cafes overcrowded but often had no internet access when open, which was maybe three times a week!  They said back then, it was REALLY “the jungle”!  So, that’s why this communication is going out now.  

I just saw a breaking news report that Congressional Rep. (D) Mr. Cummings’ home was robbed in Baltimore last night or yesterday.  The president’s response was “Too Bad!”.  I mean … this guy acts like a classless leader with a childish behavior unbecoming of a president of the United States of America … or even a high school class president!!  Damn “scrump”!  I wouldn’t doubt, though not suggesting it, that he and/or his family may have paid someone to rob Mr. Cummings’ home.  I wouldn’t doubt that he and Jared are that kind of “dirty”.

You know, I am going to close this with a simple perhaps too general “generalization”, that “racism” is a mental illness.  I researched the topic a bit from a psychological perspective, and, if you think about it as I did, you might agree that it “works” for people who have low self-esteem to have someone “else” that they can appear … important word … to be more accomplished than and can look down upon …  It’s a sad thing that I have seen over and over, I study stuff and people like this.  My “space” is just that important to me nowadays that I choose NOT to have it invaded by lesser positive energy “spirits” who may be seeking to distract me from my enlightened goals in life.  

So, while I am not too surprised at the “socio-political climate” in the States, with an insulting role model in the form of a president, it does sadden me to see adults blindly following a full-fledged fool!  Pray for enlightenment.

Peace,

John I. Cook, Director