inspiredodyssey Featured

An Act of Kindness – Helping the “Unhireable” Get Hired

I have been volunteering at NC Works for a while now. Because of my incarceration, I know how hard it is to find a job when you get out. You have a record. You’re unhireable. The scary “have you been convicted of a felony” box is checked and you’re going to be questioned about it.

Being arrested and serving actual jail time was the hardest thing that I ever had to endure – then life decided to make me homeless afterwards. Surviving all of that and now thriving in my own place with everything I need comfortably, has been a HUGE blessing. I was a professional HR manager for over 20 years, and I know because of my record I can never work in my field again, so the least I can do is give back to those who are in need – and God willing, I hoping to obtain a career somehow, doing this kind of work that I love so much.

Knowing all that I know in Human Resources, and after conducting literally thousands of interviews in my life, I know what employers are looking for, and I know how to survive an interview. I know how to make someone hireable, confident, and help make an interview go seamlessly with the tools to get past that “criminal record.”

It’s most valuable thing I can give to those just coming out of jail and prison – just giving the knowledge of how to navigate finding a job, especially if they have been incarcerated a long time and have NO idea of how to do this. It is the greatest gift to me to have someone, (after taking my free class), tell me that they landed a job, or aced an interview, when they thought they would fail miserably.

It’s a job I do for free selflessly, and I love what I do.

Stay tuned.

Daily writing prompt
What job would you do for free?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey daily prompt

Positivity and Kindness – Unique in the World Today

Is it me or are people just getting angrier and angrier? Angry at prices, angry at the world, angry at the president, or just mad about everything? I am yet to see a positive news article or a news broadcast of hope. Gone are the days where the last 10 or 15 minutes of a news show were dedicated to some positive story in a neighborhood or city – now it all seems to enflame the anger that is consuming everyone.

These days, it seems it is unique to walk around with a smile. It is unique to promote positivity and actually get followers. I hate to have such a pessimistic attitude towards things, but when this week’s daily prompt asked about aspects of a unique person, all I can think of is how rare it is to see positive attitudes and kindness among people today. Is it the NYC girl in me that thinks so? It is no mystery that NYC is a tough city to live in – I know because it’s where I grew up and the loneliest I have ever felt in all my life. I think it was the lack of kindness I faced. People weren’t smiling a lot, and people weren’t really that friendly. It could have also been the sour mood I was always in, (I don’t want to blame NYC completely).

Moving to North Carolina has changed things. Now I see this “uniqueness” in everyone. Friendlier faces, happier attitudes, and just a different overall outlook on life. Growing in my church has also helped that. I don’t think it would have been the same welcoming of a Muslim into a Catholic church in NYC – I don’t know why I think so, but I do. Something is different about the land I live in now, even the air and water. Taking a large breath air outside is a lot different than it was in NYC – that same breath of fresh air can be said about the people here. It also might be that there is a lot less pressure on people here too – more resources, more community and honestly a lot less potholes, (I don’t know about you, but slamming into one of those bad boys can ruin an entire day).

I will say this though – positive attitudes and kindness are the easiest things to have if you have a different way of life. I know because that sour mood I was always in really changed when I moved here. Maybe there is some truth to “how you live, and act depends on where you are.”

Stay Tuned.

Daily writing prompt
Which aspects do you think makes a person unique?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey daily prompt

Loving this Spring

My favorite type of weather is Fall, but I am definitely loving this Spring. Warm days, cool nights with the windows open, definitely some good memories to be made. I have had a couple of wonderful days, (except with a feeling of guilt last night for committing sin), but I think my days of fearing punishment are long behind me.

I love it when it is around 70 degrees. I feel like it’s the perfect temperature, with the smell of rain in the air. It is a fresh smell, a welcoming smell. Fall is my favorite season, but after the events of last Fall I have to rethink that. Usually, it’s Spring, and around Easter that send me straight to the hospital, but last year took a different turn of events. I am also feeling less guilty about my ex-boyfriend. His emails are getting less and less, which is leading me to believe that he is starting to fade me out of his life. It is my worst fear, but I am not going to sit around and let it destroy my life. I am out doing things, especially things like going to the gym again, which I am really proud of myself for. The only thing left is to fix my eating habits, so I can actually lose weight, but either way I am really proud. I have also started going to my AA meetings again, which it is really important to me. I have had a couple of really good days, and as the days count down to Easter, I am hopeful for the future.

I think about my ex often, I still think there is a future for us. God led him to me, I know He did. I had never met a Catholic man before, and what I learned from him and the Church, it has propelled me in this direction toward my faith. It is an exciting time, where I will be converting from being raised Muslim, to a fully baptized Catholic. So much has gone into this = from jail and homelessness to a profound rebirth. I am grateful, and most of all I will hold onto the love I shared with my ex, and hope that one day he comes around. In the meantime, I will focus on myself, my faith, and my future.

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite type of weather?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey daily prompt, Uncategorized

Getting Lost in an Adventure

Don’t you miss the days where hours and hours got lost in imagination? I try my best to recapture them by finding activities that I can lose myself in. Reading an actual book is one of them. I have a Kindle, but I don’t think it’s the same at all. There is nothing like curling up on your couch during a thunderstorm and getting lost in a world of fantasy and adventure, (lately for me, it’s been a sci-fi interstellar world).

Getting lost in hobbies is the best way to connect to a time past that we want to remember or relive. When I was younger, my imagination used to take me to far off lands and places I haven’t thought about in years. I think that’s one of the reasons why I collect action figures and dolls. I didn’t have a lot of toys growing up, and there are so many cool action figures from TV shows and movies from the 80s and 90s, I couldn’t help but become addicted.

One of the coolest and best things my ex-boyfriend did for me, (I am still trying to win him back), is get me a hard drive with all the cartoons and movies from my childhood. I get lost in movies so much with my imagination that it was the nicest and most thoughtful things anyone has ever gotten me. He didn’t leave anything out either, down to Galaxy Quest, every Star Trek and Disney’s Ducktales, Rescue Rangers, and many, many more. He was such a good man, and I am currently in the process of trying my best to ease his heart after my last crazy manic episode.

So, whatever it is that brings you joy that you can get lost in, whether it be a hike through a mountain path, a walk on the beach with your best friend, or an adventure you can get lost in at home, remember to treat yourself. We only have one life to live, might as make it as memorable and fantastic as possible.

Daily writing prompt
What activities do you lose yourself in?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey Featured

Never Stop Learning

Today’s most important lesson: Learning to Love oneself. I have a hard time with this one because of how much negativity surrounds my sense of self and being. Being sober now almost 4 years, I have learned to take great pride in myself and accomplishments. Acts of self-love are truly necessary – the manicures, pedicures, taking myself out on a date – these are all things that has helped me understand how truly special I am.

Falling in love with yourself is a gift, one I don’t take lightly or take for granted. It is important to do acts of love for yourself, even if it is in a small way on a daily basis. Having a clean apartment, or room, is an act of love that most people don’t even think about. An environment of cleanliness can boost one’s mood and invokes a sense of accomplishment which shows how much your love yourself. Cooking a healthy meal out of love for your body is also very important. Positive reinforcement, (having loving notes to yourself on the fridge), can make you feel good about yourself every time you see it. These are all learned behaviors that take time and practice to implement, but the repetitiveness of it can yield positive results.

Never forget that with all the negativity around us, it is up to us to make a positive bubble of our sense of self to keep us happy. Outside influences are fleeting because inner strength comes with a lot of self-reflection and work. I am guilty of not following these principles because I let people, places and things affect my inner joy – I need to be stronger in my self-conviction if I ever want to achieve true happiness.

Stay tuned.

Daily writing prompt
What is the last thing you learned?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey bipolar, daily prompt

Trying to Think Positive, Not Negative

This is one of the hardest things I think most people struggle with. If something happens in your life that draws a black cloud over your head, you tend to dwell and focus on it until it ruins your entire day. I have this habit. Things haven’t been going well for me and my ex-boyfriend. We had been emailing each other because that’s the only mode of communication he was comfortable with, well it looks like he might have put a stop to that as well.

I am heartbroken, distraught and thinking irrationally. My heart is full of negative feelings, and I am trying to find ways to cope with it. Exercise would be helpful if I had the motivation to go and exercise. Praying has been helpful because it’s the season of Lent and I feel I should be focusing on God more rather than my relationship woes. But writing, that has been the winner so far, along with acceptance.

I have to accept things the way they are. He is in another state, and he is being honest with his feelings. He could have just ghosted me and ended things that way, but he chose to open up communication with me. He might be ghosting me now though, because I think he is tired of me always saying that I miss him and that I love him. I know I deserve better, but my heart is in a freefall over this man. I am so fearful that I am going to spend the next 10 years alone again like I was before.

But again, that’s negative thinking. The way I am getting through this is simple: gratitude. I have SO much to be grateful for. I have a way to make money, I have a very nice apartment, and a nice car, but I hate that this manic episode made me lose so much, including him, but that can’t be helped, and I can’t take it back. I hate my illness I truly do, but this is what God gave me, and I have to deal with it. I almost feel punished in a way – like God gave me this illness, he made me fat and ugly, the list goes on and on. I feel so bad about myself, and it’s not getting any better. I wish I could change things, but it is what it is. All I can hope for is a better tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Daily writing prompt
What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?
View all responses
inspiredodyssey daily prompt

If I didn’t Know Failure, I Wouldn’t Know Success

Of all the steps back, I have taken in my life, none of them would have prepared me for what was ahead in life. I have faced jails, institutions, and certain death through addiction and mental illness, that I never thought I would be where I am at today. Failure is the catalyst that drives us forward; it’s almost religious in a way – the way I’ve seen God is to be shown the Devil. If I hadn’t fallen down as hard as I did, I would have not been able to find my way forward.

In November of last year, I suffered a really bad manic episode. It was totally my fault; I had stopped taking a crucial medication at the advice of my doctor because I was feeling better. This led to three trips to the hospital, back-to-back, where I ended up losing my boyfriend, my job, and my self respect. I was mourning the loss of these things for months, when I realized that it was God who was testing me, it was needed to push me to propel me forward. I am still mourning my relationship – I miss my boyfriend terribly, but God has allowed us to stay in communication helping me build what was broken. I managed to keep my apartment, and my car is still working beautifully, and even though my savings became depleted, I have been able to slowly build back what was lost.

I had another setback with that manic episode where I had called my ex-mother-in-law and told her some not so nice things. She turned around and threatened to have me investigated for the time I was a payee for her son. I loved her son so much, and I kept his money safe and did whatever he asked me to do with it, but it still scared me because no one has gone after me that way before – again another failure in a relationship that I am mourning, but the success is I won’t let her put fear in my heart. Her son destroyed my life – putting the crack pipe in my mouth, stealing my car, and getting us both in jail – I did so much for him and gave my all to him, it’s almost a slap in the face to be honest.

But through all these mishaps and failures, I have found success. I am almost 4 years sober; I am still living the best life I could possibly live, and I have friends and family in my life I never had. Nothing could have prepared me for the setbacks in life, but that’s what life is isn’t it? Life is a series of ups and downs and unexpected events that can derail even the most secured plan – and even though I was flying high in November and on top of the world, something, some force, deemed to knock me off that high pedestal with a lesson in mind. The adventure now, is finding out what that lesson is and learning from it.

Stay Tuned.

Daily writing prompt
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
View all responses