It’s been a minute, folks! Life has definitely been life-ing, as the kids say today. I owe my survival to Processco and Drake’s new album. (No ‘For All The Dogs’ slander will be tolerated.) The random joint pains I’m experiencing daily are a reminder that I’m getting closer to 30. That’s coming in just a little over a month now. *sighs* Don’t get me wrong; I’m embracing getting older. I still don’t look one day over 25. Nonetheless, let’s get into some things.
For starters, I’ve kept my promise of not showing my slip. If you need a reminder, I’ve recently embarked on a ‘hoe phase’. Honestly, I’ve really just taken a more casual approach to dating, despite not doing much of it. I’m currently not on any dating apps, so most of my encounters have been either by chance or old flings spinning the block. Things did get pretty interesting with this one guy I met on social media, though. He slid into my DM’s, and we started conversing from there. He was definitely the type of guy I’d typically go for. Handsome, intelligent, and tall. He was just really put together. Soon after our initial conversation, I started to pick up on the fact that Mr. CEO was more concerned about what was inside my underwear than what was in my brain. I was okay with that because we’re just keeping things chill, remember? There was distance between us as well, so we had to get creative to keep that spark. Fast forward a few weeks, and things got kicked up a notch. It would be the first time I would have phone sex since Rihanna had red hair. I’m sure the geniuses over at Apple never knew the lengths people would go when given the ability to FaceTime. Anywho, It was intense, and we both walked away satisfied. Well, so I thought. He actually ended up ghosting me after that. It was probably because my moans sounded more like grunts. It had been a long work day, folks! *inserts laughing emoji* The moral of the story is that a milkshake may bring him to the yard, but it won’t keep him there. Well, at least in that case, but we’ll just blame it on his tastebuds.
Professionally, things are going well and moving pretty fast. I have four months left at my current news station here in Maryland. There have been many highs and lows, and I have news to blame for my sleep schedule never being the same. However, this experience has taught me that I’m truly passionate about storytelling, but traditional news may not be the route I have to take to continue pursuing that passion. The news is just oversaturated with either crime or politics, and neither is my cup of tea. I just recently did a story about the owners of a small family farm who decided to put the land up for sale after nearly three decades. They wanted to give it up to spend more time with family and enjoy their golden years. It was amazing to see how the space had impacted so many lives and to see adults taking their kids to the same fall festival at the farm that their parents took them to when they were younger. I’m all about the feel-good stories because those don’t always see the light of day. There’s an organization by the name of Spectrum News that I’m hoping to land a job with because they follow a character-driven news model. So if it’s not Ms. Spectrum, we’re getting out of the news industry for good. That’s actually the scary part because I didn’t have a Plan B. Plan A was just supposed to be it. C’est la vie!
Last but not least, let’s get into the elephant in the room. The relationship between my parents is still rocky. I’m not painting them out to be some deadbeats because they’re the complete opposite. When it comes to being supportive of my goals, I couldn’t ask for a better team. They constantly feed me positive affirmations and let me know that I can do anything I put my mind to. Despite them being stellar in that regard, I feel an emptiness knowing that I can’t come to them about anything and everything. Now I wouldn’t be telling them about my Facebook escapades, but you get my drift. It just makes me feel like there’s a limit to their love. It’s like I’m their perfect little boy until they remember that I’m gay. After speaking with my therapist about this, I realized I’m partially to blame. I’ve actually never been my authentic self around them. It was a case of respectability politics, and in actuality, I was only disrespecting myself. As the old saying goes, when you know better, you do better. Knowing better is why I require so much more out of the relationships in my life now. I must be seen, I must be felt, and I must be heard. Point, blank, period.
