The sarcastic blatherings of Jason Rashaad

In honor of my second year as a duly initiated Brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. My favorite poem, and a poem I wish all Brothers took to heart.

To Be an Alpha Man – Bro. Fred Woodruff

To be an Alpha Man means more than just to wear a Pin
It requires intrinsic qualities that are developed deep within
It calls for lasting Brotherhood, a word sometimes used in vain
It means honest Devotion, not anticipation of personal gain

Fraternity speaks of Brotherly Love; that's something to achieve
It's more than just a Grip of hands, it's an Ideal to conceive
You're proud to be an Alpha and share Her praises won
Before you inflate yourself with Pride ask yourself, honestly How much have I done?

To realize the Wealth of Personal Satisfaction, from knowing you've given your all
To have helped Her cause unfalteringly, when you rally to Her call
To combine all these Qualities and root them deep within
The product would be an Alpha man, deserving of his Pin

So take an honest inventory of your Character within
And for every virtue you find missing, try and weave it in
For a man without these virtues isn't worth a grain of Sand
It's plain to see, it's more than just a Pin that makes an Alpha Man

There are moments which mark your life; moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same, and time is divided into two parts: before this, and after this. Now sometimes you can feel such a moment coming; that's the test – or so I tell myself. I tell myself that at times like that, the strong people keep moving forward anyway…no matter what they're going to find. – Denzel Washington as Det. John Hobbes, Fallen

I'm awake at 6a, ready to start a week that feels like the start of something.  A week that wraps up six tumultuous years in which I got dumped, moved to Detroit, got a job, started school, did some dating, ran a 5K, got accepted to a prestigious law school on scholarship, completed my degree, got promoted, crossed Alpha, got laid off, and moved to Baltimore.  I'm willing to admit that since I made the decision to stick with my career and not go to law school that I've lacked purpose and direction. And it's shown. But now I know what I want and more importantly I know how to get it. This week will hopefully be the beginning of that next chapter.

It's good to have a plan again.

This Saturday, the 31st, is my 31st birthday. Stay tuned for some birthday resolutions.