JDP

A while back I wrote a piece tilted: Show Me Your Friends, I will show you your future. I also went so far to say that if you are what you eat, you are who you hang around; echoing the old saying that birds of a feather flock together. My hypothesis must have caught a lot of peoples’ attention. Recently, I read an article where Will Smith, is making the argument that your salary will be the average of your five closet friends’ income. Now before you get sad and cry, don’t leave your current friends in pursuit to find new ones. Mr. Smith’s theory has not been proven to be true.

Have you ever gone months or better yet years without seeing someone? It could be a childhood friend, old school mate, or significant other. No matter the length of time or level of relationship with that individual we all at some point utter these words, “ wow you are still the same.” Rather out of excitement or sheer disappointment were either glad they are still the person we once knew and loved or marveled that they are not.

I read a story the other day about a young boy afraid of his neighborhood bulldog. Chased every day by this dog the young boy grew tired quick. Finally, one day instead of running he picked up a rock and sure enough the dog stopped. Standing face to face with his current FEAR the funniest thing happened. The young boy noticed that the dog had no teeth. He’s been afraid and running from this dog while never in any real danger. I reminisce of running from a lot of dogs that posed real danger to me.

A couple of month’s back I had a conversation with a very close friend that was struggling with deciding what direction he wanted to take with his life. A battle that most of us face at one point and time. He came to a fork in the road and had to choose either music or ministry. He proclaimed his love for both. His love and admiration for music was to the point where he dreamed of being the next Sean ‘Puffy” Combs, however, his love to minister and spread Gods word, also made him dream of being the next Bishop T.D. Jakes.

In the 80’s & 90’s one of my favorite television shows was The Cosby Show. The obvious reason for this is none other than Bill Cosby himself; the way he blended comedy with educational values was masterful. Whether it was a conversation on where your dreams could lead you, Theo feeling pressured by his parents success, Vanessa’s under-age drinking, or the disappointment from your oldest daughter attending Princeton University, only to want to pursue opening a camping store with her husband; the Cosby Show addressed it.