o n e d r o p

 

   

 

       

 

I am a sunflower. It was a difficult thing to accept. People stare at sunflowers. People pick sunflowers. People drive past sunflowers without noticing them. People farm sunflowers just to use their seeds. And sometimes people resent sunflowers for being so certain of their solar power.

These days, I am learning to cultivate my solar energy so I can sustain generations.

Love & Light

 This photo was taken in my mother’s room in Baltimore, February 2012.

 

   

Act beautifully towards all living beings and you will be rewarded with plentiful provision and

an internal spring of joy.

 

   

 

 

“Be Yourse

lf.. E

very

one El

se is

Alre

ady

Taken

♥” (T

itilay

o Eniafe

)

“I miss my best friend.” (Ryan Maxwell)

 Young  folk  at  Kamali  Academy  in  New  Orleans    building  their  foundations.  (Tracee  Thomas)  

STOLEN:

SNATCHED FROM FACEBOOK… I

COULDN’T HELP MYSELF!

 

“In honor of the last day of #blackhistorymonth, Danielle gave me Zulu Warrior Princess nails!!”

(Gabrielle Barnes)

 

It is good to cook the food you eat. Pray while you cook. Pray before you eat. Feed someone else.

Good vibes create good vibes.

 

 

1. Peel a green plantain. Slice diagonally. Cut thin slices to get a good krunchy chip!

2. Over medium heat, pour oil into skillet. Allow oil to heat. Oil should sizzle when you dip a plantain into it.

3. Fry plantains until crispy brown.

4. Fresh out the oil, place chips into a brown paper bag and sprinkle chili powder and salt into bag. Squeeze a slice of lime over chips. Close bag. Shake well.

5. Eat ‘em hot or save for a yummy snack later.

Homemade plantain chips!

 

One Drop Tip! When frying with oil, season your food after you remove it from the oil. That way you can save the oil in a glass jar and use it again later.

 

 

 

   

 

Ryan’s

Homemade

“Picky Girl Granola”  

Mix  2  ½  cups  old  fashioned  oats  (the  kind  you  use  to  make  

oatmeal!!  Make  sure  you  don’t  get  instant!!!)  with  2  teaspoons  ginger  powder,  2  tablespoons  cinnamon.  

In  a  separate  bowl,  combine  ¾  cup  brown  sugar,  2  tablespoons  vegetable  oil,  ½  cup  honey,  2  teaspoons  vanilla  extract  (imitation  vanilla  works!).  Mix  well  and  combine  with  oats.  

Make  sure  oats  are  thoroughly  coated  with  honey.  If  not,  add  more  honey.    

Use  hands  to  mix  the  brown  sugar  mixture  with  the  dry  oat  mixture.  

Preheat  oven  to  350°  and  grease  a  pan  with  vegetable  oil.  

Spread  oats  onto  grease  pan  and  pop  into  the  oven.  Every  10-­‐15  minutes  use  a  metal  spatula  to  mix  oats  to  keep  from  sticking  to  pan.  

When  outer  oats  start  to  brown,  remove  from  oven.  They  will  still  be  sticky,  but  keep  them  in  pan  and  continue  to  mix  them  around  until  they  get  nice  and  crunchy!  

You  can  eat  granola  alone  or  with  fresh  fruit  and  yogurt  or  use  to  make  your  own  trail  mix!    

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan’s  trail  mix  includes  blueberry  Craisins,  honey  roasted  peanuts,  and  yogurt  covered  raisins.    

 

So I was slicing a delicious

pineapple the other day, when a wise man tells me that the rinds can be used to make pineapple

tea. Watch here!

   

 Moving to fast??

Nope, that’s not a typo. What I mean is, have you considered fasting lately? It’s not just something that people did when Jesus was alive. It’s a good thing to do now.

Our bodies need occasional breaks from the tough work of digestion. And fasting reminds us of our spiritual bodies. We’re not just physical bodies that need constant fuel, although popular media would have us believe otherwise. Fasting is a time to focus on what we want to see manifest in our lives.

If you’re going through a rough patch or needing a specific answer to a specific question, try fasting. A good way to prep is to spend the day before your fast by eating fresh fruits and veggies and drinking plenty of water. Avoid starches (breads, pasta, rice) processed sugars, dairy products, caffeinated products, & fried foods because these will cause your body to feel hungry during the fast. On the night before the fast, don’t eat past 7 p.m., otherwise your metabolism will be in effect more strongly during the fasting day and make you feel hungry.

On the day of the fast, wake and pray. Yep, simple as that. If you don’t wake up and pray on most days, it is a good thing to start doing! Pray to your higher power-- Allah, God, Mother Earth, Olodumare, Yemaya, Creator, NTR, Jehovah, Most High—however you address the provider of your needs and desires. And continue praying

throughout the day. When you feel hungry, pray. When you feel worried, pray. When you feel good, pray! Pray for what you need. Pray for what you want. During fasting day, drink plenty of water. Don’t tease yourself by daydreaming about food. When you feel hungry, pray and busy your mind and hands with something productive—an art

project, homework, writing…you’ll be amazed at what comes out of you. And most importantly, listen for your answers. The important companion to prayer is meditation. Meditation just means getting quiet and listening. Break fast the next morning with a light meal. Fresh fruit or applesauce is a safe bet. Breaking fast with fried potatoes and eggs might upset your tummy!

It’s no coincidence that nearly all practiced spiritual systems include some form of fasting…Hinduism, Christianity, Ifá, Islam… Fasting is powerful. It is an instant unplug

from the matrix. An instant plug into the Divine.

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Place: Rivergate Skate Center (119 Gleaves Street Madison, TN 37115; (615) 868-3692) Ambiance: Eclectic, challenging fun Price: $10 (if you need to rent skates $7 (if you bring your own) Age: 21 & Up on Sunday nights. All ages every other night!

Sunday night skate is a time to learn a thing or two from old timers. Several generations groove in the same place. DJ usually plays a nice mix of oldies and the newest releases. A place to eat humble pie and show off every new trick!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D.C.   is  always  a  treat!!  There   is  more  than  abundant  culture  on  EVERY  corner.  I  was  there  this  time  because  my  boyfriend’s,  play  was  going  up  in  the  Intersections  Festival.    

Well,   the   play   was   amazing!!!!!!!   The   Hueman   Prophets   wrote  and  performed  Read:  White  and  Blue,  a  one-­‐act  play  about   the  chasm  separating  the  working  and  middle  classes  in  D.C.’s  Black  community.   The   Hueman   Prophets   are   Auragin   (Jabari   Exum)  and  Straight  Forward  (Baye  Harrell).    

The  play  is  like  nothing  I’d  ever  experienced  before.  It  was  born  out  of  the  hip  hop  theatre  movement…Just  imagine  your  favorite  beats   and   rhymes   interspersed   with   very   serious,   very   funny,  very  thought  provoking  dialogue.  It’s  pretty  doggone  awesome.    

As   a   group,   The   Hueman   Prophets   have   been   writing   and  performing   together   since…well,   since   they   were   barely   potty  trained.  (Who  thinks  about  rappers   in  pull-­‐ups?!?)  Well,  they’ve  been  rapping  together  since  the  age  of  four.  And  their  harmony  and   skills   are   a   testament.   Catch   up  with   their   conscious   lyrics  and  melodic  rhythms  here!  

 

 AND  while  there,  I  had  a  blast  getting  to  see  Jabari  drum  (along  with  Kwame  and  Malari)  for  the  young’uns  at  Patterson  Park  Public  Charter  School.  Kiddies’  energy  is  osmotic  (yeah,  I  made  up  the  word)!    It  really  brightened  my  morning  to  see  them  wiggling  in  their  seats  while  the  drums  thundered.  I  had  to  get  up  and  dance!  

MY WEEKEND IN CHOCOLATE CITY

 The  Hueman  Prophets  get  physical  exploring  the  burden  of  class.  (bottom  photo  by  Falani  Afrika)    

   

 

poets ink.

GO OPEN MIC Series at Fisk is dopely awesome, as I’ve mentioned before. There are more than a couple of visionary poets who are dropping lyrically beautiful thoughts. Excellent delivery. Singers, musicians, comedians get up and “spit.” Hosted by Sabrina & Zach, you gotta watch out. Poetvisionaryactivists are the type to take over the world!!! See photos (taken by Ashton Stansbury) from the latest GO Open Mic Series.

 

Another open mic to look out for…

 

 

Enter the Eye of the Storm

   

 

Herbal Healing

This is a passion flower. It’s herbal uses include treatment for anxiety, insomnia, nervous disorders and seizures. Passionflower's calming properties may also be helpful for ADD and ADHD. For more information, click here.

 

 

 

 

Mom,

We have been like fish You let me swim away

Early, knowing or praying That the waters would

Provide Many times my tears

Flowed with the current I wondered why

You were not near But that is an incomplete cry

Hurting hearts know more

So I swam Asking less and less why Knowing more and more

How come This river is as narrow

As a tear on a cheek Really, a country creek And I have known you

All along

 

Perspective.

We each have

A d if ferent angle

On the situation

Called Life.

I need yours.  

…    

 

 

 

www.issuu.com/liveinword  

 

I give thanks to:

Creator for Divine Breath

My mom for being the Original Sunflower.

Jabari, my love, and Baye for pioneering in

theatre and being great at it.

Ryan for being generous with her camera

phone and her granola recipe.

The Wise Man for being generous with his

computer and the pineapple tea recipe.

All the people, places, & ideas that

sparked inspiration.

Much, much love,

Kana

 

Listen to An Artist’s Prayer by Fertile Ground