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Most recently published stories in Motivation.
Sylvie and I
It was summer when it happened. Looking back, I can still feel the soft warm breeze caressing my face and running through my hair giving it that tousled messy look. As the sun set on that seemingly uneventful day, I packed up my picnic, took one last look at the sun setting over the park and walked home, blissfully aware of the fact that I looked a mess and smelled of sweet sweat and fresh grass. I normally didn’t stop to check my mail very often, but I was waiting on a delivery for a new book I’d ordered, I was running out of things to read, which was alarming to me considering that’s all I really did. I opened the mailbox to see an oddly wrapped bundle sitting there. To be honest, I was a little scared to open it and almost just left it.. But curiosity won out over my fears as I quickly unwrapped the strange gift. I must admit I was a little disappointed when all I saw was a normal little black notebook. More confused than ever I opened it, hoping to get more insight on what this was all about, and my confusion heightened as I saw what looked like a plane ticket poking out from between the pages, as if someone had used it for a bookmark. Pulling it out, my heart stopped as I read my name on a ticket for a flight scheduled a week from now, to... oh no, this has to be a joke.. Who on earth could have known about France?! Not just France but Provence.. the place I had read books and I mean book (s) about ever since I was a kid. Ever since I can remember I’d dreamed of wandering around in the lavender fields of Sault or driving through the winding hills of the Valensole plateau but I was sure I’d only spoken about it to family, and the very few friends I had.. who could have known.. or cared enough about this to buy me a plane ticket all these years later.. I flipped through the pages desperately trying to find an explanation to this insane gift, but found nothing.. “I can’t go, there’s just no way, this has to be fake” but even as the words left my lips I was already drifting off into visions of me sipping coffee by the water in Saint-Tropez. I was brought back to reality by my phone ringing from the other room. Sighing, I set the ticket down and went to answer the call. An hour later I was back sitting at the table once again in a state of shock, only this time it was most definitely the bad kind. The call was from my mother, letting me know that my aunt Sylvie had died. I supposed you could say she and I were close. We hadn’t talked in a while, but I spent a lot of time at her house as a kid. People used to tell me that I reminded them of her, I never really knew how to respond to that because Sylvie was known to be..quite the character. But still, she was kind to me and the older I got the more I did start to see parts of her in me. The way she saw the world, her love of the mysterious, it made sense to me why people had made those comments. I mean.. we even started to look a bit alike as I got older. Now she’s gone and her funeral was set for the following week, the very same day as my supposed flight to France.. oh well, “there’s no way I could have gone anyways”...
By Emma garner 6 years ago in Motivation
Right Now It's Like This
Breathe with me and say, "right now it's like this". Living in a different world: We are living in a different world and let's be honest, it's not easy. It's proven anxiety is more higher than ever. People have lost jobs, family, and income. Families have adjusted to distance learning and lack of social interactions compared to what it used to be. People are more lonely than they used to be. There's more tension than before because there are not as many getaways.
By Shannon Pitzner6 years ago in Motivation
Virgil Tibbs, The Barber
I would like to honor a childhood friend, and black entrepreneur, Virgil Tibbs. I remember like yesterday the day I met Virgil, his brother James, who I only knew as Tank for several years, and his cousin Poodge, or Eddie. It was a summer day, at the neighborhood hub, “The Rec”, or Lake View Terrace Recreation center, in Los Angeles CA. All the neighborhood boys gathered here each summer for basketball tryouts. These workouts weren’t technically a traditional tryout, as the recreation center would not turn away any kid whose parents had money to pay the registration fees. It was more like a talent observation for the coaches to get a taste of the boys and their varying skill sets so that they can go behind closed doors and spread the available talent “evenly”, an annual event that made one wonder how the same coaches had success every year, and others weren’t so lucky. Either they knew the talent very well, or they found a way to game the system.
By Adam Ware6 years ago in Motivation
The Discussion of a Lifetime
The room is crowded. Everyone is dressed in black. It seems the effort to smile is short lived as any laughter follows a few tears. Everyone seems to be collecting their thoughts as much as possible. The hors d’oeuvres on the dining table have barely been touched with the exception of the cookies cousin Tara’s 6-year-old daughter keeps snatching when she thinks no one is looking. The alcohol on the other hand seems to be disappearing rather quickly. There is a man with his head down sitting at the end of a long cherrywood table. His wife Mia gently rubs his back as he struggles to cry in silence. He manages to compose himself only a moment as he lifts his head.
By Valencia A. Thomas6 years ago in Motivation
The Inspiring & Astounding Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry. One of the most influential person to ever walk the earth. Born Emmitt Perry Jr. on September 13, 1969, he legally changed his name to Tyler Perry at age 16, due to the abuse that he endured from his father. He didn’t want to have any connections with him. Tyler Perry is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to setting the bar high for talented people who are trying to make it better for themselves.
By Danielle Blake6 years ago in Motivation
Always a Reason
Vivian was a local volunteer who was barely scraping by, but no matter how down on her luck, she never asked anyone for anything in return for her kindness. There would be days that she would not eat and sometimes also go without heat. Vivian was a very busy lady; she had a job but worked just enough to pay her bills, and sometimes that wasn’t enough. The thought of working two jobs had crossed her mind now and then, but she was too involved with volunteering. There was something volunteering gave her that working could not, and it was bigger than money. It gave her the self confidence that she needed in life. Though life seemed tough and often unbearable, she never let it get the best of her; she had a little black book that she wrote all of her troubles in. Vivian would write about the good, the bad, and even the sad things in her life – never thinking anyone could have gone through similar things in their life.
By Tamara slusarchuk6 years ago in Motivation
Letter From a New Me
The year is 1991 its summer time the sky is that bright blue the sun is shinning bright and yellow. I can hear the birds chirping it almost sounds like they are calling my name. Its Saturday I love to wake up early so I can sneak outside on the back porch. I grab the broom as I tip toe down the hall and slowly open the back door. I check once again to make sure no else is a wake then gently open the door making sure it doesn't squeak. Once my 10 year old self is outside I look out into the back yard and I hold the broom as if it is my microphone and I begin to talk. On Saturdays this is my stage as I stand in front of my imaginary audience I present the best speech my 10 year mind can come up with. I even sing a little bit which is funny because singing has never been my greatest gift. However in that moment for those few minutes I can be anyone I want.
By Mikita Smith 6 years ago in Motivation
Are You Acting From Love or Fear?
Love and Fear Are Opposites Someone once told me that everything we do is done either out of love or fear. I wish I could remember who told me this so that I can thank them for this insight. It has helped me understand so much of what I see in this world. More importantly, it has given me a simple and powerful way to reflect on my motivations. I only need to stop and ask myself:
By Belinda Tobin6 years ago in Motivation
