naked

Naked

• being without clothing or covering

• bare of any covering, overlying matter, vegetation, foliage or the like.

• Bare, stripped or destitute

• without the customary covering, container or protection

• without carpets, hangings or furnishings

• defenseless, unprotected, exposed

• plain, simple, unadorned

• not accompanied or supplemented by anything else

• exposed to view or plainly revealed

• plain-spoken

• unsupported

I enjoy a health drink called Naked. It’s title is very catchy and it simply means…it is stripped of all the bad things that usually are packed into our drinks. Naked Juice means all natural 100% pure juice with absolutely nothing added…no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

I appreciate it when people are NAKED with their experiences. I appreciate the simpleness and the unadorned truth. I find it an admirable trait when someone can be plain-spoken even though it isn’t politically correct.

So many times in our life, I feel like it is customary to wear masks. I feel like it is customary to never expose our true feelings or thoughts. Even in churches, I have found some of them to teach us that we are only to experience JOY! That’s a great emotion to experience but as humans we experience EACH AND EVERY emotion including anger, grief and sadness.

Too many times, those who are naked end up unsupported….because they aren’t following the pack of what has become customary in our culture.

Hurt people hurt people! The Origin?

My husband, Marty Daniels first said this in 1992. We all laughed and knew it was also brilliant and uncomfortably true.

It’s a favorite saying in our home and with those who know us. Hurt people hurt people. There’s so much truth in those four little words. Marty Daniels has used those words in messages, in conversations and as ways to help us make excuses for ignorance, rudeness and stupidity.

Today, as I’m preparing more items to be posted on my ebay auctions, I also have Oprah on with her special guest Bill Cosby.

Bill Cosby is giving staggering statistics and says the words “Hurt people hurt people”. Oprah repeats it. The words hurt people hurt people come up several times in conversation and Oprah really likes those words. Bill Cosby waves his hands and says, no, don’t give me credit. They weren’t mine.

At that moment, I was hoping by some miracle that Bill Cosby would mention that he heard those words from a radio show host or a comedian or a guy …. named Marty Daniels!

It didn’t happen. Bill Cosby didn’t say where he heard those words. He just said they weren’t his. I thought for a moment, a brief moment that the miracle was going to happen that my friends and I have been praying for … a big huge break for my hubby, Marty Daniels.

~Trina

Feelings …

No, I’m not talking about the song!   Are we permitted to EXPRESS feelings in today’s culture? Are we permitted to EXPERIENCE our own feelings?

Sometimes I feel like we live in a society where we are not allowed to EXPERIENCE feelings much less EXPRESS them.

It seems like our churches teach us that the only feeling we are to experience is “JOY, JOY, JOY”.  Too often, in churches, if we experience anything less than joy, we are looked at as less than and unfaithful.

If seems like our physicians teach us that the only feeling we are to experience is “NUMBNESS”.  If we’re too excited and labeled as hyper, they give us anxiety pills.  If we’re sad, they give us anti-depressants.   They teach us to be numb instead of teaching us and helping us learn to experience a large variety of emotions along our journey.

Before you start commenting and sending me mail – I did NOT say I am AGAINST taking medication.  I just believe medications are over-prescribed and no work is done on actually healing the whole person – physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I’m not much at expressing feelings unless I am with my hubby or my absolute inner circle of friends and family.  I admire folks who can  express their feelings more openly.

I’m not sure our society welcomes any feelings.  I don’t feel like we are permitted to have an opinion.  We are trained to keep it to ourselves and not ruffle feathers.

I have been labeled as counter-cultural because I believe it is okay to express and experience every feeling.  I believe it is okay to have differing opinions.  I believe it is okay to not walk through life as a zombie but to actually experience the highs and lows.

Let me know your thoughts !