Last month I ran the NYC Marathon of 26.2 miles within 4 hours, 50 minutes and 26 seconds. I was able to run through all 5 boroughs. After I finished I had so much energy- adrenaline is its own kind of drug, that I was jumping up and down as if I was on a trampoline. One of my closest and best friends Rashawn, who was one of the main photographers for the marathon, met me at the finish line and hyped me up more (I even reenacted crossing the finish in slow motion). The feeling of accomplishment and completion was truly euphoric. Afterward, I was met with questions of how I trained or what was training like, but to be honest I always stay ready. Yes, I did increase my running a couple of months before, but I work out (intensely most times) 5 days a week and have for years, so I didn’t have to do extreme training for the marathon. I mentally prepared myself more than anything else. I’ve run half marathons and smaller races before, so knowing the heavy increase in mileage with a full, I had to get out of my head to realize I can do it, that I worked hard to get to this point. But when I got to mile 20, I hit that infamous “runners wall” and I prayed so hard for God to give my knees and thighs strength to keep going.

Though the entire race was an amazing experience, it didn’t start out that way. I had never been to Staten Island (where the race was starting) therefore, I underestimated my timeframe to get there from the Bronx. I was up at 6 am, on the train by 7:30 am, and my race time began at 11 am, so I figured I gave myself more than enough time. Well, thanks to the lovely MTA system, my train was delayed several times getting to the Staten Island ferry which was delayed 10 minutes. Not observing the timeframe of how long it takes for the ferry to get to the destination- it took 30 min. After the ferry docks, I do notice that there are no other runners, which is a key that something is wrong. The time was then10:40 am. I sprinted to find this shuttle bus that was to take runners to the start. As I was searching, I spotted 6 other people running and 4 with numbers. I made it on the bus and the bus driver asked, why we were all so late, everyone explained their story. After 25 minutes, we made it to the start point only to be met by a woman (I’ll call her Cruella), overseeing the start point. She told us we missed our start time and we couldn’t race. A woman who was on the shuttle bus and was running began to cry saying she and her husband were from Russia and came just to run. I immediately called my parents who drove up from Florida just to see my race. Completely choked up I told them that I wasn’t going to be able to race, but I would call them right back with more news. I then told Orande, who called me to see what happened. As we were speaking, I could hear in the background a few people trying to break through to Cruella. There were about 25 cops around us as well, a couple of them were sympathetic and asked the crying woman who was racing what happened and she told them. The rest of us were talking to the cops and members of the running team to see if there was anything they could do. One cop offered to escort us to the start point if Cruella would just let us race. Cruella must have gotten word she was getting a new Dalmatian because she broke down and let us move forward. So after we got the go-ahead, race numbers were scanned and around 12 pm I started my journey.

It’s true that it doesn’t matter how you start, it matters that you keep going and you finish. I had a goal of running the full marathon and told myself it would be in 2019. I prayed and meditated on it going into 2019 as I applied for the lottery to be entered into the race. Now that I can check it off as an accomplishment, I want to run it again in NYC and other cities. I’m thankful to my support system of Orande, my family, and friends who cheered me on before and the day of by sending words of encouragement or creating banners (thank you Qilah, love you) and always God for giving me the opportunity and ability. Without you all, a dope playlist, preparation, and a focused mindset I would not have been able to complete it in the timeframe that I did. We did it ya’ll!

Hopefully all or at least most of us donate clothes that are in good condition to shelters or organizations. I’ve been fortunate to work in the fashion industry for a long time, so there’s lots of items that are in great shape and need a better home than I could provide. Therefore, I often drop off bags of clothes, shoes and accessories to Salvation Army, Goodwill or shelters.

A Salvation Army center is not far from where I live, so this is the main one I drop off to. There’s one woman that is always at the donation area accepting product. She doesn’t wear a tag, so I’ll call her Lana. No matter the season of year, time of day or day of the week, Lana always has an attitude. The first time I went in there I thought maybe she’s just having a bad day, I understand how frustrating it can be. The following time I decided to drop off, I was met with an even worse attitude. Still not trying to give what I get, I met her with a smile and an even tone of voice. Last week was approximately my seventh time donating to that location and of course Lana was there with a scowl and a side eye on her face. I proceeded to hand her my bags and wait for her direction. In an annoyed tone she said “It’s just clothing right”? I told her yes there’s clothes and also shoes for men and women. She responded in the driest tone “so it’s not just clothes then”. Again, not wanting to give her the attitude she was giving me, I simply said “well no, you assumed it was just clothes without me telling you what was in the bags first”. Lana’s upper lip snarled like Scar’s in the Lion King (watch it, if you don’t get the reference) and in the snappiest tone said “if you want an itemized list you do it yourself, I don’t have time and that’s not my job”. She turned and walked back into the donation abyss behind her. Not wanting the last of our exchange to be negative, I ended it by shouting to her back, “try and have a good rest of your day”, before I walked out.

Whenever I encounter Lana I want to yell at her, “If you hate something so much, why are you here”! Lana makes me see red every time she opens her mouth. It’s the Salvation Army! The meaning of salvation is deliverance from harm/ruin and the way she acts is the opposite- her attitude is harmful and it could ruin your day if you let it. We’ve all had crappy days due to whatever circumstances and then had to do our jobs, some of us are better at hiding it than others. Clearly Lana needs an acting class or something to figure out the best techniques to handle it. Don’t let the Lana’s out there who hate their jobs and give horrible customer service, negatively affect you, especially when you're doing something positive. Continue to work on your patience and compassion so you know how to react when met with someone like her. Although I may have wanted to snap back (and I almost did on more than one occasion), I wasn’t going to let her take me out of character. I know she’ll be in there the next time I decide to go, so until we meet again Lana...

Go through your wardrobes and donate. It doesn't have to be just clothing, donate houseware and decorative items that are in good condition too!