THE RUNNER

Eyes open. Mind awakened. Dreams of yesterday become goals of today. Greatness empowered by strength, determination and a resolve that knows no bounds. As with the day before he laces up not merely shoes but conduits to the future he dreams of. Determined to out run his dreaded past and leap sole first into the future.

He races towards the rising sun determined to reach the ocean before the sun breaks the morning sky. Heart pounding, feet drilling into the pavement. Inch by inch he nears his destiny. Racing against time, chance and the unmotivated self that befalls all manner of men. Sweat burns his eyes as he digs deep to his core to spark the fire that burns within. The open road is his sanctuary, darkness his canvas and silences his fortitude. The morning air is cold and thick. Glimpses of the sun rising beyond the horizon push him forward. With each stride muscles awaken as cells die and are reborn. The machine that is his body comes alive like a vessel in flight. His mind is focused, his body seamless as the deep blue sea. His thoughts focused on the day at hand. Mountains to conquer. Battles to win as the war wages on. Every step forward is a moment closer to the reality where he breaks free from the mundane and embraces the exceptional idealism. In his eyes he is a work in progress that strives each day to be better and better until the dream is realized. Some call him driven but to others he is the runner.

By: Shawn Maile

Manners Maketh A Man

My first blog post for the year comes two months in. Hopefully everyone made it through January (longest month ever after getting paid in December) safely and have now settled into February quite nicely. For those who have resolved to make changes in their lives, hats off to you. For those who have not, hats off to you too.

This post was inspired last Saturday afternoon while I was picking up my cousins classmate for them to go hang out. While he was getting in I heard his mom says “John” (not his real name)”yes mom”, “ do you have everything you need in life?’. At this time I looked over at my aunt who looked back at this 11 year old kid with the same blank expression I had. His mother then said without missing a beat “manners and clean underwear”.

Well this made my day as we all couldn’t help but laugh. Strangely enough though his mother was more stern than amused. It got me thinking that not many parents in today’s society enforce the value of good manners on their children. Though light hearted the moment may have been, the seriousness of it was definitely loud and clear. In my day and age I could not go a day in school without hearing one of my teachers repeat the adage “Manners maketh a man”. Of course at per-teenage years such sayings meant little or nothing. It was only until entering the world of work I realized how far your repertoire of pleasantries and “manners” can carry you. Whereas skill, knowledge and networking might get you in the door, other factors like agreeableness, personality and positive work ethic might keep you there and help you to excel.

So for 2013, when heading out to the wonderful world of work, be sure not to forget your manners or more so your clean underwear.

NINE MONTHS LATER...

So it’s NINE months into 2012 and if you’re like most people (myself included) your probably wondering where the year went. New Years and summer have come and gone and now that the children are back out to school you might be wondering where your year went. Now I am almost certain that we all made some sort of resolution (s) at the beginning of the year that we were very excited to dive into. Some of us may have gotten the ball rolling on the weight loss/better health campaign while others may still be waiting to get off the couch. Whatever the case is the more you delay embracing a healthier lifestyle the more effort you’ll have to put in as you get older.

For the number crunchers who have counted their pennies down to the dollar and have stuck to their rigorous budgets and saving schemes, I say hat’s off to you my friends (and don’t forget to buy me a gift at Christmas either) because many of us (guilty again) may have started and fallen off along the way. Planning ahead is always good but there are just some days when you just can’t help but breaking your plans (and the bank). Luckily you still have three paychecks before Christmas to stash away some extra cash so you can get yourself something nice for the holidays. Just remember there are some things in life that money cannot buy and you’ll be fine.

For those who claimed this as the year to fall in love/get married/ start dating again/get out of a toxic relationship, I hope that you have found love in a hopeless place (shameless Rhiana plug). Whatever your situation may be just remember to take it one day at a time. If you are yet to stumble into your prince/princess, all hope is not lost. There are still three months left in the year and if you need some quick pointers I suggest watching Hitch and Act Like a Man Think Like a Woman, if not bringing you closer to your soul mate they are bound to make you laugh.

If you decided to get back in the classroom to keep up to date with what’s taking place in the world, then you’re in a good position. Though education is expensive (understatement of the millennium) it is also fulfilling. Everyone should know that majority of the things you will learn in college/university will be outside of the classroom. Your teachers and lecturers are there to guide you along the path to self discovery. Being alone with your thoughts and arriving at conclusions on your own account will open your mind and let you see the world in a different light all together.

If your journey is a spiritual one then I pray that you would have found peace and comfort in your daily devotions. This is by no means a simple task and one that will definitely have an impact on all other aspects of your life regardless of the path you are choosing to follow.

Whatever your journey so far I wish for you all the success 2012 has to offer. Nine months ago we were pregnant with hope, love, faith and a bright eyed enthusiasm that could rival a teenager getting his/her driver’s license/first kiss. Now it’s time to give birth to a reality that change is going to come whether or not you are prepared for it. The good news is you have 98 more days to make a last effort to make good on those New Year’s resolutions.

The White Man’s Dollar

A friend of mine shared this piece with me sometime last week. It was intriguing to say the least and I pondered for a few days whether or not I should post on my blog. I tracked down the writer of this piece to seek permission to have this piece posted on my blog. Though they consented it was asked that their identity be kept secret. As such I am inclined to obliged and present to you

The White Man’s Dollar

I stand before you today to speak to you on the topic, ‘ The white man’s dollar’. It is not that I am prejudiced or racist in anyway but it is the white man who brings in the most revenue into my little Antigua. It was the same white man who held us in bondage and had us work to make him rich. It is the same white man whom we now work to attract back to us so that we can now make ourselves rich. The world has gone full circle but the white man still remains on top.

But it doesn’t end there. The same white man brings with him not only his dollar but also his whitewashed morals and culture. We’ve adopted his ways in every aspect of life. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. At what price? The white man’s dollar.

What makes us think that to attract him here that we must become like him? This sort of thinking must stop before we loose ourselves. He doesn’t seek the same environment in which he left but instead he seeks peace from his turmoil, and the life void of morals that he left behind. He wants to come here and come first in contact with congeniality and hospitality because he knows that back home manners is something spoken of but not actually done. He wants to eat good wholesome food. Not the fake food he left behind which gave him his ulcers and his weight. He seeks the simple pleasures of nature. He wants to enjoy himself by the beach or on a nature walk not to be plagued by the cable TV blaring in his room or the rap music we might think to play in our restaurants. He wants to dance to the sweet sound of soca and reggae.

His wants don’t end there. He wants a unified people not a nation divided. He wants to see our community spirit alive and well. He wants to see a clean Antigua and Barbuda, not one with garbage-cluttered streets and foul smelling gutters. He wants to remember that animals exist outside of the supermarket, but not at the price of running a goat over on the highway. He doesn’t mind the potholes on the streets because he knows that where he comes from a huge chunk of his income must to go the preservation and building of roads. He doesn’t mind the street cricket that the children find to play; he might just stop, watch and even keep score. He wants to see the Caribbean not completely untouched by civilization but not swallowed up by it either. Can we indulge the white man in his simple fantasies? I think so.

Can we pull together and give him a good time when he comes. Can we show him a good celebration when carnival time comes around? Can we show him what clean fun is all about? Can we offer him fruit that hasn’t been blown up by hormones? Can we show him clean streets, unpolluted air and crystal clear waterways? Let him regret having putting our forefathers through slavery. Let us forgive him and take his money. Let us not overcharge but take his money with a smile. The world has indeed gone full circle. We the black people have come up with a way of getting our revenge without him knowing. We call it Tourism.

Brief Moments of Insanity

So being that I had not written for a while. I was more than surprised when this poem literally jumped out of me a few moments ago. For those of you who write regularly you know what is like not to be inspired. We all hit that low spot one day or another. for some it can go on for months and years at end lending credence to the term "starving writer". Thankfully its not my main career but just a labour of love and as you will read in the word to follow, Love and I have our issues. Its a bit raw and sporadic but its my love and I love it.


This is not a ballad of a broken heart but the ballad of an open heart. A heart hoping to open the doors of love hoping to find you standing on the other side with the other half of my love. Cause if love had love, love would know that I'm in need of love. The kind of love that makes me bleed for love, the love that can't feed my love unless its me and you that's dying for love. Day in day out pining for love, spend time in the line on a Friday Payday waiting to withdraw some love. Writing blank cheques on the line of credit for love. Swiping love back and forth hoping they don't decline my love. Standing in the same spot twice hoping to catch a glimpse of your love. Saying the wrong things so you can correct my love. Working 8 hour weeks and 40 hour days just to afford your love. Staying up late at night so I don't have to dream of love. Cause if love only comes in my sleep then don't wake me up love cause I'll be sleeping next to you my love. And that's the kind of love that love gets when it loves me.

Brief moments of Insanity by Shawn Nastrodamus Maile

They say you never forget your first

They say you never forget your first and that sentiment holds true to your first job as well as your first love (or so I believe). For me my first gig out of college was as a tour guide in a National Park. From the interview I realized that what I was signing up for was no walk in the park (pun intended). The interviewers actually slid a British Naval costume across the table and asked if I would have any problems wearing it on occasions when cruise ships were calling at the port. I remember smiling and answering in the affirmative and thinking somewhere in the back of my mind that these people had to be crazy. But none the less I was merely enthused at the prospect of working outdoors talking to people as I had always been the more reserved type. This job would undoubtedly challenge me physically and mentally as I would be facing scores of visitors looking to have a good time while still learning a bit of history.

As luck would have it I had a very easy going supervisor, sometimes so too easy going for his own good. I was also lucky to be part of an initial group of about 10 coworkers who were in the same age range as me. On some days work seemed like a leisurely stroll with friends back for a visit while other days I broke more than a sweat. It was mundane at times trying to plug the same old punch lines with the regular tour operators knowing your pitch like the back of your hand. But the days when the tips were heavy and the mood light it seemed like it could go on forever and it seems as it did at times. Though I was young and impressionable I was able to experience that satisfied feeling from putting in an earnest eight hours and being justly rewarded (as per the industry standard).

But as you put your shoulder to the mill and continue grinding out good results, you start thinking outside the box and wondering if there’s more for you to accomplish. That coupled with an entry salary in a service industry without much prospect of advancement lead to an exodus of all my fantastic coworkers. Some moved on to better jobs while others like myself pursued higher education. As I write this though I wonder how much money could have made me stay at that job and for how long. As life would have it though I would welcome the opportunity to work in an environment that is based on leisure activities and interacting with wide eyed travelers looking to embrace the world to its fullest.
The question of selling out or trading up may have some relevance here but then again not pushing yourself to unlock your potentials trumps settling when you have the urge to excel. At the end of the day though I am proud of my humble beginnings that have given my life perspective.

So to the graduating class of 2012 I say you may not get what you’re looking for right off the bat but whatever it is its sure far better off than your couch. So whether you’re suiting up or scrubbing down don’t forget the big picture that is your life. You never know how your experiences today will affect your outcomes tomorrow.

THE GET AWAY JOB

For a few days I had been toying with the notion of a blog post that relates to people having a dormant profession lying within them. And all of a sudden it hit me (not like a ton of bricks though). “We all have our job alter egos, waiting to take flight like Superman”. If you chalk it up to superheroes, we all know that Superman moonlights as Clark Kent or vice versa. On one hand he works as a news reporter and on the other hand he saves the world from one villain at a time. The question is “is he a superhero that has a job as a reporter or is he a reporter that has a job as a superhero? It may seem a bit confusing but let’s look at it this way, are you a teacher who works as a waitress or a waitress who works as a teacher. The reason this intrigues me is that I found myself haphazardly contemplating an escape from my current profession and wondered what I would do, not only to occupy my time and gain an income but how would I ensure that my new occupation brings me greater satisfaction. I got to tossing around career choices that I could sink my teeth into and here’s a short list:

Tour guide (1st job out of school)

Travel agent (seeing the world)

Masseuse (no comment)

Pyrotechnics (family business)

Landscaper (the great outdoors)

Event planner (who doesn’t like a good party)

Cake decorator (I’d gain 10lbs in a week for sure)

Cruise Ship worker (again the prospect of waking up in a different country is very appealing)

My list could go on for another two pages but at least you get the general idea behind where I’m coming from. Some of you may or may not have a “side hustle” or have not realized it as yet. A side hustle is essentially a hobby that has the potential to bring in a few dollars e.g. cake baking, sewing, tutoring, writing etc. It may or may not be lucrative enough for you to quit your main job and dive head first into your passion (s). Whatever the case may be, having one is always a plus. When it begins to blow up though, you may be faced with a hard decision. After all you can’t work two 40hour jobs at the same time (unless you work for the government) and expect not to be bone tired at the end of the week.

Though I am fresh to the world of work I heard a gentleman say something last night that caused me to think. He made it known that he had been working at the same company for thirty years. This in itself was not alarming but he went on to say that he strongly doubts that the present generation has that level of loyalty. To be quite honest, I believe he was absolutely right in his statement. With the way technology and society is rapidly advancing, who among us would want to be in the same position 30 years from now? Imagine seeing two generations pass by and you’re still in the same position. Pretty strange if you ask me. Though this may be what some of our parents are currently doing, I do not believe that many of us (age 22-30) want this for ourselves.

The getaway job is not abandoning your job and spending days on the beach sipping pina coladas (sounds inviting), rather it is a chance for you to fulfill that sense of adventure and enjoyment that you may be lacking in your current position. But before you make a mad dash for the door screaming “free at last free at last, thank God I’m free at last”, think about what you would rather be doing if you weren’t at your current job. Start with a short list and keep going until you’ve exhausted all your possibilities or until you end up backlit your current position. I cannot say what happens after that but keep it in mind next time you’re sitting in a four hour meeting or staring at your quarterly evaluation. This might be the motivation you were waiting for to get your job alter ego the chance it’s been waiting for all along.