Tag: Experience

Gratitude

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

January 27, 2021

I’m grateful for life.

Unfortunately, many aren’t alive to say this. The year of 2020 has been filled with a tremendous amount of chaos, violence, death, and with it, mourning. Even 2021 started with its fair share of chaos and turmoil. Every time I pass the t.v. that’s near the kitchen, all I hear are reports about the alarming amount COVID-19 cases and deaths. When I scroll through my Instagram feed and tap my screen to view Instagram stories, I often find myself viewing information and stories regarding crises in other countries and people who have died as a result of racism and hate crimes. It could have easily been me in the “wrong” place at the wrong time, or a family member of mine who had died from the coronavirus, or me taking my last breath because I didn’t have the resources to survive a natural disaster.

I thank God for life, and health, every single day.

I’m grateful for my loved ones.

My closest friends help keep me sane through their consistent love and support. They listen to me when I excitedly talk about an idea or project that I want to see through and they use much of their brain power to understand me when I’m basically speaking gibberish. They are genuine, loving people who bring me so much joy, which is why I can wholeheartedly say that I have so much love and appreciation for them.

I am also thankful for the challenges I have faced and for my faith.

Though periods of tribulation are trying, I’ve learned something about life and myself during them. They make me stronger. And through it all, God, and the people He has put in my life have been there for me, holding me up in my moments of weakness.

While life isn’t always easy, and some face significantly more difficulties than others, there is always something to be grateful for, whether it’s the fact that you are alive and breathing, have access to food, or are surrounded by love.

Find your reason to be grateful today.

Bayside, Again

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience, Photo Essays

During the winter break, I took another trip to Bayside.  This time, I was not wandering around alone, but went with a youth group. After taking pictures by the Christmas tree/Christmas decorations, we took a boat ride tour around downtown Miami, which I’ve never been on before.  What made this time special was not only the fact that I got a different view of downtown Miami, but the experience I had with the people there. We walked around, laughed at jokes, and bonded in a way I did not expect. This trip reminded me that no matter what you are doing, it will always be enjoyable if you do it with the right people.

As we neared downtown Miami, I already started to take pictures of the city. 

View of Bayside from the stairs. 

After purchasing our boat ride tickets, we were given tickets to get a free drink at this restaurant. Unfortunately, we were later informed that the ticket is limited to a soda, water, or beer.

Views from inside the boat

After a while, we went outside so that we can feel the breeze and so our view wasn’t limited to looking through a window. 

Virginia & Washington, D.C.

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience, Photo Essays

There’s something beautiful about having the opportunity to get away and see new places. 

This is exactly what I got out of the experience of being in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland over the weekend. I don’t travel much, but when I do I always have a good time. Going out of town for a few days, away from any pressures and responsibility, is freeing and relaxes me in a way that can’t be accomplished in my house. It’s also always interesting to see how other places differentiate from where I live, starting at the structure of buildings and going into the population. Whether the place I’m visiting is a different city, or a different state, the visit itself never ceases to be a fun learning experience, and this time in the DMV area (Maryland, Virginia, part of West Virginia, District of Colombia) exactly the same. 

My trip to the DMV area is one that I will never forget, and the experience is one I will forever treasure. 

 

Our day started in Alexandria, Virginia. 

The first destination was Van Dorn Diner, where we had breakfast. 

We then made our way to Washington D.C., where majority of the sightseeing was done. 

The Art Museum of the Americas was our first stop in Washington, D.C.

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We spent the majority of the remaining time in D.C walking around, marveling at the different sights and taking pictures. 

 

Waiting with Patience

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

Wait. 

This is not something that we always like to hear. Sometimes there is nothing more that we crave than to get what we want, to get what we are working for, and to get it right now. Sometimes all we want is to receive the instant gratification. This makes it easy to forget that all we can do now is wait.

Wait.

With patience comes healing. This can be the healing of a hurting heart, of what feels like a broken soul, or the healing of a scar, either a physical or emotional one. One’s arm usually does not magically heal after it has been broken just as one’s heart usually cannot automatically become restored after a feeling of it being shattered into a million pieces.  There are times when we try to rush the healing, automatically claiming that we’re “good now,” ignoring the pain that we feel instead of just waiting. Waiting and understanding that there are some things, like healing, that simply do not happen overnight.

I say this from experience.

Wait. 

In many instances, it will take time before we can fully reap what we’ve sewn. It takes time before the hard works pay off. As someone sits in a classroom, they may not see the point in being there. It is after receiving the diplomas and reaching the level of comfort and success that they have spent their life fighting for that said person realizes those hours sitting in the classroom weren’t absolutely pointless. They lead to something greater.

Wait. 

And wait patiently as you put work and effort in the things that you do.

You’d be surprised at how far that can take you.

 

This week I wanted to write about patience, a virtue that I feel is so important. When people rush things, they are usually not as good as they can be. So I wanted to use this piece as way to remind others to have patience and to just wait. Whether we like it or not, sometimes that is the only thing we can do, and sometimes it’s the only thing left to do. In Every difficult situation that I have ever gotten out of, I managed to get through it with faith, but also patience. 

 

Source of picture: https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/why-patience-virtue-leaders

 

 

 

Friends

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

Choose your friends wisely. 

Fortunately for me, that’s a lesson I never had to learn the hard way. I’ve been graced by wonderful friends throughout my life. 

Others have not been so fortunate. Association with what can be described as the “wrong crowd” has caused trouble for individuals with pure intentions. For example, a night with said wrong crowd may have started as a simple hangout, but ended with someone in a jail cell. Or a goal-oriented, straight  A student losing sight about what’s important to them after having bad influences as friends.  

The people you surround yourself with also speaks to others about your character. If you spend all your time with a group who slacks off constantly and goes on mischievous adventures, nothing more than that will be expected from you. If you are a hard worker, or at least are trying to get there, and surround yourself with people who want the same thing, surely you’d be perceived in a different light than the individual who hangs with the ‘slackers.’ 

Surely it can be argued that the way others perceive you shouldn’t matter. Or even better, that just because you are friends with a certain group of people doesn’t mean that you are similar to them. But why would you want to be friends with individuals who hold you back instead of push you to do better?

Thus, there is an importance to having good friends. To me, a true friend is someone who will be there for you in the ways that they can. A true friend is someone who won’t leave you in your difficult time. It is someone who wants the best for you, someone you can laugh with, cry to, support, and vice versa.

 I can say with 100% certainty I have true friends, and I appreciate them more as each day passes by. They make the tough times a little more bearable. They celebrate with me, they advise me, and they support me. I want everyone to have those kinds of people in their lives.

So, choose the people you call your friends wisely. 

They can easily cause wreckage in your life just as easily as they can make your life better. 

 

 

 

 

image from: https://teenpregnancy.acf.hhs.gov/events/national-teen-pregnancy-prevention-month