Legislation to put guns in schools has been discussed, but I say, a gun is only as safe as the person who holds it. There's something about a gun that certain types of people can't understand: It kills. But crime of all crimes is, killing for sport--whether it's aimed at people or animals.

The head of an active male
                              -prose poem by EmH Johnson

A predator knows the feeling of love–loaded gun, sharp hunting knife, the head of an active male. Love is ripping the face from a lion, watching the blood spill and clot into a shiny mask of screaming red and burgundy undertones, yellow eyes grown vengeful and cold, the slit openings now round as black marbles, a muffled roar more like a grumble, drooping head as though disgraced in being so exposed.

But not every ounce of the animal is defiled. A subtle defiance remains and you can feel the hot breath of its existence. The breathing in and out, slow and melodic, is soothing to the ear; a pair of gigantic paws and outstretched claws served their master well. The head and coat must be carefully preserved. I savor thought of frenzied bidding at the open marketplace and ponder the final price to be paid for a trophy brought down in such an explosive escapade.

Taking the life of something beautiful comes easy when you keep your wits about you, keep your emotions in check so that you rise above the fray. They want to shut it down, the killing, but it serves a purpose. It’s giving humanitarian aid to those starving in places you never want to see, not really, especially not the children. You simply want to pay for the thrill of it, nothing more. The fat cats up on The Hill want to take our guns, but it’s not the firearms. It’s the absence of fire in my soul. I kill so I can live peacefully. I will die fighting for my constitutional right, unlike the lion. It fights because that’s what a lion does, nothing more or less.

Robyn Crawford wrote a book about Whitney Houston; I wrote a poem.

I watched as Robyn Crawford, friend and confidante to the late Whitney Houston, talked about her newly released book, A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston. I was reminded of a poem I wrote after hearing the sad news of Whitney's death.

During the interview, I felt the angst of riding an "emotional roller-coaster" with a loved one whose life was being transformed by drugs. Whitney Houston clearly experienced joy and pain. She died at a time in life when women transition into a new phase of maturity. Some adapt very well while others do not. At this stage of her life, Whitney appeared to be struggling.

Most fans hoped Whitney Houston might overcome obstacles, given enough support. As she spiraled out of control, her fans wondered why loved ones abandoned her. But if information in Robyn Crawford's book is accurate, Whitney abandoned loved ones, not the other way around. 

The day it was reported Whitney Houston had died, I expressed my grief in the following poem:

“Tribute to Whitney Houston” © 2012 by M. H. Johnson

So many people watching, some hoped to see you fall

Side-stepping this, performing that, you tried to do it all.

You found your voice in a Newark church at a very early age

But then you found your purpose and the joy of a global stage.

You sang to us with a golden voice gifted straight from Heaven.

Your beauty, grace and resonance will warm our hearts forever.

You ventured on a journey that led to a fall from grace

While accolades and honors hid the demons that you faced.

You found love and married, a soul mate, so it seemed

Despite the joy of wedded bliss, you were struggling.

You found your strength and self-esteem, regained dignity

While cameras and performances disgraced you on TV.

Rare as lilacs in December, a diva in distress,

You stood and fell and rose again in haunting loveliness!

But perfection has its price and there comes a reckoning day

In summer’s wane or winter’s frost, the Maker has His say.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, an angel’s quiet confession

You walked a journey of your own seeking love and perfection

But you never seemed to realize the gifts at your command

Your value to a desperate world you didn’t quite understand.

But we are only burdened with as much as we can take.

He walked a path alongside you then ushered you away.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston, the world wishes you well.

You will be missed by a universe, but now you can exhale.

When you get a handle on a daily routine, one day at a time you'll be ready for writing.

Surviving a day requires a strategy, a master plan, and it requires good health. It helps that you write, especially poetry. To write poetry you need to start reading poetry and reading about poetry. You'll be inspired. Good writing starts with a healthy body and mind.

Start with deep breathing when you awake, drinking two glasses of warm water 45 minutes before breakfast, eating meals that contain NO white or processed bread, pasta, biscuits, pastry and NO fast foods at breakfast time. Keep your intake of chemicals reduced all day, in fact. This will help steady your emotions, calm your nerves, and regulate your metabolism. Eating the right foods, especially at the start of your day takes some effort, but it makes a HUGE difference. Coffee is okay, without sugar, and a good breakfast has a nice balance of protein and carbohydrates. I like a product that I'm not paid to recommend. It has 25 grams of protein. Eggs don't have nearly as much protein, but some people prefer them for breakfast. I suggest organic eggs because if my eggs are NOT organic, I have sinus issues and feel shaky all day. Shaking like a leaf, how can you function, how can you stay sober, how can you provide good customer service without smoking, vaping, drugging or drinking?

If you want to have a great day, start with a good breakfast.Then catch no more than 5 minutes of NEWS; it's too depressing. Find 5 -10 minutes for meditation or silent words of gratitude and 10 minutes of walking three times a week. Find an ideal time to do 5 minutes of writing EVERY day you can. Increase to 20 minutes slowly, one day at a time. Create a writing routine that is easy to follow and choose a place where it's easy to be writing. Start with brief writings, and follow this routine every day. You will see your life circumstances start to improve, ONE DAY AT A TIME, which is not an eternity; it's only 24 hours. 

Let tomorrow come, but it's only about surviving one day--today. When you get a handle on a daily routine, one day at a time you'll be ready for writing. I like starting with poetry because poetry demands FOCUS, and it forces me out of my comfort zone. No matter how you feel, poetry requires your very best effort, every time. It does not care who you are or what problems are brewing; its only concern is that you let the poem be itself. This requires concentration and it requires your full attention. Poetry requires letting go of anything that interrupts the out-flow of a good poem. It takes your mind off of YOU. 

Poetry uplifts and inspires, offers a different perspective than the one you're hanging on to or that's hanging on to you. Once you write a master plan for how you will conduct your life day to day, and once you eliminate processed foods and find at least 10 minutes of walking or exercise, you will be ready to write, not just anything, but something meaningful. Maybe it will be poetic--or not, but it will be your best and that is as good as it gets.

Our moral emotions--shame, guilt embarrassment and remorse--assure our moral integrity, whether people are watching or not.

Emotional “shaming” may or may not require action, but it requires acknowledgment.

Have you ever stayed on the phone with a close relative or friend bad-mouthing another close relative or friend and lived to regret it? Did you notice the guilt, shame, remorse or embarrassment you felt after the conversation ended? You were simply telling the truth, but did you go too far? If you violated your sense of what’s morally right, your moral emotions were switched on and you felt emotionally “shamed.” For some people, the moral reprimand is too much to bear, but usually, we remember to take the moral high ground next time around.

Moral emotions provide immediate punishment or reward. “Moral emotions provide the motivational force—the power and energy—to do good and to avoid doing bad (Kroll & Egan 2004).” Moral emotions are based on intentions and what we know to be wrong or right. We are emotionally uplifted or emotionally shamed as a result. When such emotions as shame, guilt, embarrassment or remorse show up, our emotional system is letting us know we violated some rule about morality. We feel spiritually diminished. On the other hand, when we do what we inherently know to be right, we feel pride and self-approval. Our self-esteem is heightened and we feel spiritually uplifted.

In the battle between what is morally wrong or right, our emotional system is our guide. Our emotional system knows when we went too far and won’t let us rest until we acknowledge this. With such strong emotional feedback, we monitor ourselves when it comes to taking the moral high ground. Being sent a warning signal in the form of shame, guilt, embarrassment or remorse, we follow what we have been taught in our treatment of others and in determining right from wrong.

Whether we owe someone an apology is a matter of circumstance, quality of the relationship, or what we have been taught. Emotional “shaming” may or may not require action but it requires acknowledgment. When Joe Biden shared publicly that he had negotiated and worked well with members of the opposing party, he was commending himself. When confronted about the ambiguous situation of keeping with the enemy, he defended his integrity and his actions. In so doing, he became an easy target for other presidential contenders. After the backlash and drop of popularity in the polls, he reconsidered his original statement and offered an apology to would-be voters. Was it simply fear of rejection that caused him to apologize or one of the moral emotions--shame, guilt, embarrassment or remorse? This is clearly a question only Joe Biden can answer, but until he acknowledged his emotions, they wouldn’t let him rest.

Our emotional system offers punishments and rewards that control our behavior towards each other. Our moral emotions--shame, guilt, embarrassment and remorse--are strong motivators. They assure our moral integrity, whether people are watching or not. They are the gate-keepers of our humanity and in case of violations, they demand to be acknowledged. They are an important aspect of our emotional and societal well-being, and they accept nothing less than what an individual has been taught by society, parents and relationships: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Resource: "Moral Emotions and Moral Behavior." 

Retrieved on 7/8/2019 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16953797.

As we gain confidence by responding appropriately and maintaining positive relationships with others, we acquire the best skills to effectively manage ourselves and become masters at living a positive, purposeful life.

Everything I know, I learned by Mistake: 111 Ways to Inspire Emotional Mastery is a book that focuses on building emotional competence one day at a time. It is a collection of my positive thoughts accumulated one day at a time. It will be published later in 2019.

In discussions of numerology, the number 111 represents inner-wisdom, intuition, and optimism. This number reflects spiritual guidance, mindfulness and encouragement, and it signifies an energetic and purposeful mission toward achieving our spiritual life purpose.This book focuses on building strong emotional competence through self-awareness, awareness of others, and writing as a form of self-expression. I write what I have learned because knowledge is meant to be shared, and sharing strengthens bonds between people.

In this life, I have faced disappointments, trauma, loss of family and friends, workplace bullying, harassment and more, but like so many others, I have survived and overcome what might have been insurmountable obstacles. In the process of overcoming setbacks and adapting to changes in my life, I have rediscovered my mission in life: to make a difference.

Beginning in childhood, we build emotional intelligence and gain a sense of emotional mastery, which includes the ability to respond appropriately to others every time, despite circumstances. As we gain confidence by responding appropriately and maintaining positive relationships with others, we achieve emotional competence and acquire the ability to effectively manage ourselves and others. We become masters at living a positive, purposeful life.

The good within you is far greater than the negativity overtaking your mind.

When I feel emotionally overwrought, I take time to focus on me, determine where I stand, decide where I want to go and how fast. I also discover what I'm inclined to NOT do well, like absorbing too much negative energy from destructive people or holding too much negative energy within. Negative energy can come from within ourselves or from negative others. If we absorb too much of this, it can create setbacks, depression, and physical illness. Our greatest task in staying happy and healthy is to recognize negative energy caused by others and separate it from negative energy created within.

We all face challenges because in order to grow spiritually, we must learn to overcome obstacles which enable us to build emotional and spiritual strength so as to live our best lives. We have attitudes, preferences, and inclinations that can set us back, so it's important to detect negative feelings and make changes in the way we think as soon as we feel the energy drain. Ask, WHICH emotion am I feeling and why? Once identified, each negative emotion can be refuted or clarified and replaced with positive thoughts that lead to a positive emotion.

Negative others can pass on negative feelings that cause you to abandon your dreams. Their energy is heavy, negative, and diminishing. The culprits lurk in corners of your life waiting for vulnerable moments when they can force a reaction and diminish your spiritual strength. They don't even need to be in your presence to cause negative emotions within you. So if you are suddenly gripped by anxiety or slowly plagued by negative thinking about you or your life circumstances, determine if the negative thoughts are created by you or by someone else. If you didn't create them, then you probably are feeling  energy from some negative individual in your life--family, friend or foe. 

Find strength in knowing who you are, and take control of your thoughts and emotions. The good within you is far greater than the negativity overtaking your mind. Pinpoint the thoughts and discover their source. If they are coming from within you, stop them by replacing them. If coming from negative others, stop them by repeating to yourself words like, "Get away from me, NOW!" Stand strong and in your mind, dismiss the negative thoughts by telling negative others to GO AWAY. Repeat a few times and before you realize it, their negative energy vanishes because actually, they are cowards who thrive on weak spiritual energy.

When you are thinking your best thoughts and feeling good about who you are, no one is stronger than you, and when I am doing the same, no one is better than me. By staying emotionally aware and assertive in the way we handle negative others, we build confidence and courage to take control of our thoughts and feelings and we become masters of our emotions, relationships, and lives.

Why are we so nonchalant that we need a proclamation to inspire us? #EarthDay

April 22 is Earth Day, but Earth Day should be observed every day. Why are we so nonchalant that we need a proclamation to inspire us? It's time we researched the pros and con's regarding the way we live and take our natural resources for granted. The health of our environment dictates how healthy we all will be. There are many ways we can help Mother Nature survive, starting right where we live and with how we conduct our lives. Here's an interesting article published some years ago but  still relevant. I learned a lot, thought you would too. So I'm re-posting it via this link.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/10/03/GR2007100301385.html?referrer=emaillink&noredirect=on