The Shadow of Your Smile

By the time you read this, I will be long gone from the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) area.  Opportunities arise, and life changes accordingly.  Many of you may not care, but I would like to take a few moments to acknowledge the importance of my time there.  I learned a lot and grew a lot there, both professionally and personally.  Despite the crazy traffic and sometimes uptight social climate in the DMV, I can overall say that I had a blast.  I compiled a small list that I will remember when I think of my time there.

1.  Support for “When Good Men Go Bad” – Being in the DMV gave me plenty of opportunities (book fairs, signings, etc.) to showcase my first book.  Though all of them were not as successful as I had hoped, the exposure was always welcomed.  Thanks to all those who bought a copy after talking to me at social events, speed dating, house parties, etc.  I am always down to “pop the trunk”.  I have new fans in the DMV.

2.  I finished my second book there – Writing my second book, “The Soul’s Motivation”, was really a challenge due to many reasons.  I want to thank those who checked in on my progress or simply got me out of the house to take a much needed break.  I also met some amazing authors while in the DMV who were motivational to my progress, whether they know it or not.

3.  The birth of Southern Soulcast – After hosting a forum event called “Opinionated” in Manassas, VA, the spark of what would become the Southern Soulcast was born.  I want to thank all of those who attended or fed me advice and ideas along the way as I formed my current podcast.  I especially want to thank those in the DMV who either contributed music or were guests on the podcast.

4.  The crazy dating experiences – Some say that I rag on the women and dating experience in the DMV area pretty hard in some of the blogs or episodes.  Well, my unique dating experience in the DMV inspired a lot of the topics of the podcast, blog posts, and even portions of the novels.  I can’t make the stuff up, so the bougieness, beauty, and regional social norms often provided colorful thoughts that made me leave a date or a club thinking, Damn, I GOT to write about that!!

5.  The confirmation of my path and focus – All of this (podcasts, novels, etc.) is what I do on the side.  The trials and tribulations of my regular 9 to 5 (especially while I was there) definitely confirmed to me that my fulfillment comes as my creative, free-spirited nature is able to take over.  The stuffy and strict nature of my job stifles that, and I am focused on honing all my crafts so that one day I can wake up and be creative 24-7 at home instead of an office.  Yo, I also picked up woodworking there.  I am too hype about that.

6.  Social opportunities – There is always something to do in the DMV, and I appreciate that.  Though I kinda morphed into a super homebody in the last few years, just knowing that there were multiple lounges, monuments, museums, concerts, frat parties, etc. was cool.  I kept an ironed outfit ready at all times…lol.  I will miss that.

In summary, I have achieved a lot while I was there as well as inspired to do much more.  The series of events that I went through there helped shape who I am today.  Each smile, handshake, traffic jam, cold winter wind, parking garage, kiss, wave to a neighbor, frat party, frat meeting, meeting with co-workers…..ok, I think you get the point….. in the DMV made me better, stronger, and more ready to take on the world.  For all of that, I say a sincere thanks and goodbye to the DMV.  (I hope someone caught the reference and premise of the blog post title to the song of the same title.)

I am looking forward to what the Mid-West brings!!