Chris Ricks
Bio
Father, writer, activist, motivational speaker. God first. Follow me IG: @chrisricksauthor Twitter: @chrisricks FB: facebook.com/chrisrickshttps://linktr.ee/chrisricksauthor
Stories (18/0)
How dirty is your smartphone?
How dirty is your smartphone? As the owner of a console-based arcade business in Queens Village, New York, known as GameStation, we are no strangers to sanitizing and disinfecting our controllers, systems, chairs, seats, and virtual reality headsets. In fact, we began disinfecting and sanitizing our facility well before COVID requirements. We did this because we understand how germs are transmitted. We recognize that children generally rebel against washing their hands if they don’t see the necessity thus allowing germs and bacteria to rule their lives.
By Chris Ricks2 years ago in Humans
They don't see me
It’s not over until you see the rainbow, but can you stand the rain though. The best thing done for man was giving him a woman to make him feel human. But what about you man? Are you a hue man? We’re the ones who got locked in cages like a zoo man. Back in the days we wore shackles and chains, but the more we changed, the more we stayed the same. They cut the mane, then washed the brain, now we wear shackles and chains for fun. Curse each other’s names because our hue isn’t the same. It’s silly to blame each other for our misery and pain, our blood stains the grounds where our brothers are slain. Please believe me this isn’t easy. What you see on TV doesn’t appease me. Police they see me, I tell them be easy, but they mock and tease me, then call me lazy, they all want me to fall to a crawl to shoot or tase me. Now my hands are up, then locked in cuffs, I’m down on my stomach, they won’t let me come up. I can’t breathe but they won’t let up. Knees on my neck, face down on the deck, please give me a sec. I deserve some respect. I call out for my mother, please watch over my brothers. My life is slipping away, I don’t have another. I feel the pain getting stronger, I can’t take this any longer. My little sister captures the drama on her cellphone camera. Load it up to social media, now my Face Book(ed) like Expedia. Remember me. Don’t let there be another me, my life is a tragedy, it didn’t really have to be. There is a light at the end of my path, life washed away all my deeds like a bath. Turn the other cheek to conceal my wrath, and you made me a statistic like a graph. My murderer had his day, to hear what the people had to say, the scene ended like a play, and he lives on another day. My soul’s in purgatory, until I see glory, everyone will hear me , and they all say surely, we all know the story, there will be no more me. Until there is another me, and another, or my brother, mother, it doesn’t bother me. They say our Protest is grotesque, it’s not worth it. No matter what our vote is, it won’t change the context, who they want to con next. Our votes don’t count unless it’s read (red). But for my votes they will put shots to your head. All of my concerns got bleeped out when voting in the deep south. Did you peep how, they passed those laws to keep out, all the voters of a certain complexion, I feel there’s a certain connection, they won’t let us stand up like erection so they claim we rigged the election. Smoke and mirrors, watch the deception because it was here from the beginning like conception. What’s the big lesson?
By Chris Ricks3 years ago in Poets
Relationship talks
Relationships are the very foundation of our society. Relationships help us to define who we are. The idiom, “no man is an island,” speaks volume about relationships as it highlights the necessity of relationships. We need relationships. Relationship between parents, aunts and uncles, siblings, cousins, and other relatives and family members are important to the growth and development of a person. Their personality, self-esteem, and world views are reflective of the successful (nonsuccess) relationships they’ve experienced in their lifetime. The extraordinarily relationship between individuals that involves intimacy is our natural urge or longing for companionship. This relationship type is woven into the fabric of mankind. Our natural instinct to procreate leads us into sexual acts not necessarily for the aforementioned purpose but nonetheless, nature takes control at times. We meet someone and determine after spending some time together that we cannot see a future without waking up to that person so we decide to form a union. As a newly engaged couple, there are a list of items the couple must address before taking the next step. Marriage is a lifelong commitment to one another but there are just as many divorces as there are marriages. Some of the curated reason are addressed below. First, many people fall in lust and not love. The lust for one another physically is so strong that it temporarily clouds judgement and disables logical thinking. This lust is not an overnight feeling. It can last for years and when it finally wears off, there is a war pending. To fight against falling in lust and not love, there are questions the couple should ask of one another. Getting to know someone is not always about knowing their favorite color or movie. It’s also knowing their plans for the future and what those plans would look like with each other. If the plans don’t align, the relationship won’t work. Start with simple issues but be sure to cover these main issues. How do you feel about children, do you plan on having children (why or why not), if so, how many? If any of you or both of you already have kids, how do you feel about more. The next question assuming one or both already have kids, do you have life insurance, if something were to happen to you today what will happen with your children? Do you have an estimate plan or will? These questions might seem a bit invasive but they are a necessity prior to marriage. Once married, these plans (already established) should just be modified to include the spouse. The next set of questions revolve around intimacy. These questions allow the couple to have reasonable expectations about sex. How important is sex to you? Why is it so important or unimportant? What do you expect from your partner sexually? Are you adventurous or conservative? How do you feel about giving or receiving compliments? Why? Boosting your partner’s ego or esteem is an important factor in a successful relationship. Women and men who don’t receive the stroking of their ego (as I tend to call it) will venture out to find someone who does or will become interested in someone who does shower them with compliments The next set of questions involve living together and creating a new family. What do you feel about home ownership? Some people don’t mind renting, while others want to own something tangible that can be passed down and increase the family’s generational Wellbeing. Where do you plan on settling down? What state, city, country, etc. A couple should decide this together base on agreed upon factors. One of the members of the pair may want to live in D.C. while the other in Miami. Sometimes one will move with the other just to make that person happy and forfeit their own happiness. This is usually a recipe for disaster. The next set of questions might seem a bit trivial but they are necessary. I’ll end with this set. How do you feel about family gatherings or large family functions? How do you feel about having company over? How frequently or infrequent? Why do you feel that way? This set of questions address the social butterfly in the relationship and will eliminate contention between the couple and their friends and family later on. Some people love big crowds will others don’t. Some people love entertaining guests while others don’t. Some people don’t mind company 7 days a week while others do mind. It’s best to learn these things straight away than to find out after your nuptials. heRelationshiplps. If I missed something or you want to discuss a section send me a message on Instagram or Facebook or email me: [email protected]
By Chris Ricks3 years ago in Humans
A Dead's Tale
Last night I laid in my bed wide awake. It was almost 3 a.m. and I couldn’t fall asleep. It was September. The last days of September and the season hadn’t fully changed. I had the air conditioner running as well as the ceiling fan. It still wasn’t quite as comfortable as I would like it. I like the cool crisp air of the fall and often tried to recreate the nostalgic feeling I get during autumn. I tossed and turned trying to find the right position to fall asleep. I couldn’t. I laid my head in the pillow facing the window. I closed my eyes but felt the presences of someone else in the room. Yes, my wife was lying next to me fast asleep but it wasn’t her. It was a weird and unusual presence. My six-year-old son was wedged between the two of us but it wasn’t him either. I opened my eyes. I surveyed the room but saw nothing. The feeling of someone hovering over us persisted. I eased back into my spot and I tried desperately to doze off. I yawned with exhaustion. Just then, a dark figured darted across the room. I gasped. Then, he gasped. I was so shocked that he gasped, that I gasped again. I laid still, frozen, unable to move as if something was holding me firming to the bed. I recognized this as a phenomenon known as sleep paralysis. He walked over to me. I began to feel hot and clammy. He put his face close to mine. I couldn’t see any details of his face; it was as if he had no face. Then. He. Spoke. His breath was rotten. It smelled as if something died in his mouth. I held my breath he asked, “can you really see me?” his voice was childish as if he was no older than 12 or 13 years old. “Y-yes, I can see you”, I replied hesitantly. “You can see me!”, he exclaimed with glee. The ghost was excited and in a celebratory mood. I looked over at my wife and child to see if they were awakened by his shouting but they were still soundly asleep. After a moment, he asked,” are you God?” “No, I’m not God,” I replied crossly. “So how can you see me?” he asked. “Dead people are not supposed to see us, at least that’s what I was told any way,” he stated. “I’m not dead”, I bellowed crossly. “You are dead and you are in my room in my house disturbing my rest”. I didn’t know dead people were so annoying, I thought. He looked at me puzzled. “I am dead and you are alive?” he questioned. “That’s impossible. You are dead and you are in my house. My parents told me to stay away from you because if you saw me and realized that you were dead. You wouldn’t take it well.” I gazed at him. “I If I were dead and you alive, why do I have a face and you don’t have one? Confused, he looked at me and said, “Are you insane? I have a face, you don’t have a face, as a matter of fact, none of you have faces”. I couldn’t believe that I was having an argument with a ghost at 3 in the morning. I had to get some rest but he just kept pestering me. My eyes felt heavy. I had to get up to get some water but I still couldn’t move. Sleep paralysis only happens when you are sleeping so this must be a dream. A strange yet comical dream I thought. I’m not afraid of this ghost so why can’t I move I wondered. What did he do to me? As I pondered my state, the ghost was at the dresser examining himself in the mirror. He seemed uneasy and confused. “See, I told you, you don’t have a face!”, I exclaimed. “Oh, no, I have a face, you don’t have a face. I was just examining my handsome physical features. I can’t even tell if you are a man or a woman,” he quipped. I started to consider what this ghost was saying. “What if I were the dead one? What if he’s right? No, no. That can’t be,” I argued with myself. “Why can’t I move if I’m the one dead and you are alive,” I questioned dramatically. He floated across the room back and forth as if in deep thought. He stopped, looked at me then began floating again. One more thing, if I were dead, how come I can’t float across the room like you can. Why are you able to fly and I’m not?” “there, you’ve proven my point!” he exclaimed. Dead people can’t move, that’s why you can’t move, because you are dead, and dead people can’t fly,” he expressed joyfully. He was floating around the room as if he won a million dollars and I had to pay up. I looked over at the clock. It was only 3:07 a.m. it felt like a whole hour had passed. I couldn’t believe it was just a few minutes. I knew I was in the middle of a nightmare and I needed to wake up. I tried to pinch myself but my fingers and hands wouldn’t move. I could wiggle my toes but I couldn’t move my feet. I didn’t know what to do. I could move my head. My son was lying right beside me. Maybe I could head butt him to wake him up. And then this ghost would disappear I thought. As I struggled to move, the ghost seemed mused. As if he didn’t understand what I was trying to do. My wife got up, looked at the ghost and said, “Hi, Ted, would you leave my husband alone please, he has work in the morning”. She got out of bed, then walked into the master bathroom and closed the door. The ghost gave a dastardly smirk and disappeared into the floor.
By Chris Ricks4 years ago in Horror
The Curious Case of a Marine Veteran COVID Survivor
The curious case of a COVID Survivor. A veteran’s journey through the Pandemic. 2020 was a crazy year. My wife and I recently opened our first business, GameStation, a modern arcade and event space in Queens Village, New York, months before the global pandemic.
By Chris Ricks4 years ago in Longevity
Black Owned
With August being black business month, I found this to be a fitting topic. I live in a community where there are many black owned businesses, most of them are home based businesses. We generally see few storefront businesses within our community that are black owned.
By Chris Ricks4 years ago in Journal
If you don’t understand this about your business, it will fail…
As a business owner, I hear from many people say that the business will fail, or that I will not see a return on investments (ROI) within the first five years. According to Bloomberg, 80% of businesses fail within the first 18 months. That’s 8 out of 10 businesses that will not make it to the 2-year mark.
By Chris Ricks4 years ago in Journal
Oppression in Tradition?
There are many old traditions including, superstitions, tall tales, and myths passed down through the generations. At some point during their creation, they held value and substance. However, as time passed on, these traditions turned into campfire stories, then bedtime stories and eventually the true meaning becomes lost in translation.
By Chris Ricks5 years ago in The Swamp
Here Is Why It's Important to Have Someone to Talk To
In the world of connectivity, information is at our fingertips. If we feel sick, we search the internet for answers based on our symptoms and diagnose ourselves. There are even treatment solutions online. With a click of the mouse or push of the finger, we all become instant medical professionals.
By Chris Ricks6 years ago in Psyche
Where Is the Mental Health Awareness in the Black Community?. Top Story - December 2018.
Mental health in the black community is an under addressed epidemic and building an awareness is imperative. Specifically, in the urban inner-city areas. Research has pointed out that blacks are more likely to have major mental health issues than other members of the US population because blacks experience violence and traumatic situations more frequently than any other groups.
By Chris Ricks6 years ago in Psyche
Here Is Why Many Minority Communities Are in Financially Troubling Situations. Top Story - November 2018.
Let’s begin by asking, why do minority communities lack the financial training and understanding that many other communities seem to possess? Where is the disconnect? Over my lifetime, I have seen many minority people grow up in poverty and remained there.
By Chris Ricks6 years ago in The Swamp
