Smokey Mountains 2025

• As an empath, I have been the one depended on, needed, and don't get me wrong, I love helping and being there for people, especially my loved ones, but it's literally what I do for a living. Solidarity! Solidarity is what feeds my being, it's what feeds my soul; I need it, I live for it, I breathe for it.
• I can't be good at my job, I can't be a good father, i can't be a good son, I can't be a good brother, future husband, or anything without getting good within! I know that for foresure
• "Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape."
• SOLITARY keeps me in a place where I know my shit still stanks and that I'm soooooo small in this great big world.

Inauguration/MLK day

It seems very ironic that Inauguration Day is the same as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but this isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. This time only stands out more because, on one end, Dr. King, who was all about unity, freedom, and equality for all rooted in love, and on the other end, we have the inauguration of one of the most misogynistic, racist public figures of this century. A man who opposes everything i mentioned about which Dr. King fought for, marched for, and stood for.

So ironic? No. The universe just has a sick sense of humor sometimes. But today is fitting, because if nothing else, we should understand the crossroads at which the country finds itself. Everyone will take in this day as they may. I know people who are having inauguration parties (😳 I know, right?). I also know people who are going downtown to the march and will be watching the annual Dr. King service. Tomorrow will come for most of us, and so will our nation's ongoing struggle between chaos and community. That includes whether politicians try to heal the country or exploit divisions along lines of race, gender, and nationality; whether, in the words of Dr. King, we "learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

Unconditional Love: A Reality or an Ideal?

Recently had a deep discussion with a friend(female) who talked about lust in men and how men lose so much cause they can't love fully and deeply because there too busy in lust looking for any small thing a woman is lacking. So it had me thinking about unconditional love and if that's a real thing or not. When I hear that phrase used, I almost cringe. It's just a painful phrase, because, similar to "ego," I think it's an imaginary term, in the sense that it's only used when it benefits the person using it in that moment.

😬🤷🏾. I'll preface this by saying this is all my opinion. I think it was Chris Rock who famously said, "The only two things loved unconditionally in this world are women and dogs." A man is only loved to the extent that he provides something. Unconditional love is an overglorified expression, socially popular to make love seem more superior than it already is.

With that said, if you're reading this,  I want you to look back at your relationship(s) and really look in the mirror and ask yourself if you REALLY loved without conditions. Maybe you did; I'm not saying you didn't; I wasn't there. Loving with conditions is not a bad thing! Relationships are about service and trying to serve one another with as little judgment as possible and as much understanding as possible. So what are your thoughts you love bugs you.... 'We listen and we don't judge' here...

I believe that, as flawed human beings, truly unconditional love is inhumane.

President Trump wins A Second Term

I woke up to the same news as all of you. There will be some happy about it, some mad, some hurt, and some scared.

Politics is just a bunch of grandiose promises made by politicians who never truly have enough time to fulfill them. Is this one different? Of course, but not different on a political scale. It's different because we've never had someone like Trump leading this country. Now, whether you view that as good or bad depends on the person. 

For Trump supporters, victory seems to be yours. My hope for you and him is that your intentions are well-placed. I hope he does all that you wish him to do to improve the lives of you and your loved ones. I truly hope that now the election has been won, you feel comfort, relief, and optimism for your president-elect. I also hope you look at your neighbors on both sides of you, in front and behind you, and are able to see them as equals and treat them decently, no matter their color, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality. I genuinely hope these are the greatest four years of your life.

Often times, in recurring situations, as this one is with it being his second term, if you want to see the future, read the history—the end! Haha, but look back on what he did in his first four years, and you'll typically see what the next four will look like. Again, whether that's good or bad for you is totally dependent on your individual circumstances.

To my scared folks, unfortunately there are some evils in this world that are just too large to overcome, it has to simply run its course unfortunately. Hate has always existed; it is quite literally what this country was built upon— crime, racism, sexism, slavery, hate against women, and now you have hate against LGBTQ+ people. It’s 2024, and it’s still very loud, arguably louder than it's been in a century, so guess what? It’s not going anywhere. Again, refer back to history.

There are many fears circulating among many different people, and they are justified. Ultimately, all you have are yourself and your loved ones. They're all you've ever had, so look after each other as best you can, stay prayerful, and if nothing else, if this feels like a storm to you, understand that all storms eventually pass. Weather it, survive it as you did the first time, and realize that on the bright side, you have four years down and four years to go. We all know that four years is not a long time. It will fly by, and God willing, we will be back here again, exercising our democratic right to vote.

Election Day in AMERICA

Yes, today is the day! It's here, and that's good news because now that we're here, it's almost over—political season. It will probably only last for the next four years, but the truth is our political season hasn't been this charged since the MAGA era. There's a reason for that!

If you know me or follow me anywhere, you know where I stand! It's no secret; I don't make it a secret. The bottom line is I value morals over money! I feel that's the nicest I can be. I give the MAGA group the benefit of the doubt by taking that stance. We know who Trump is; we knew who he was before he ever became a political figure. I tried to keep this as short as possible, but I realized I can't.

Regardless of who comes out victorious this week, it really doesn't matter to me! I'm 36 years old. I'm from the dirt, man. I remember living with my mom and siblings to make ends meet as a kid. I even remember putting too much water in the toilet so it would flush because it had too much in it when the water was cut off. My point is, me, I'll adjust because I have no other choice. I vote for my children because I know it matters to them! The same way my mom worked her a$$ off to give me a better life, yes, I'm in a position to give them a better life. The truth of the matter is the world is just in a better place, but the presidency is still a position that can be very costly, not to me and the people reading this, but the ones who come behind us. And Donald J. Trump is not someone who supports me or my kids.

I'm not here to talk about the man or his history. I'm here to talk about someone who's facing 34 felonies later this month. Who, if elected, will run our country either on, at best, will probably run our country on house arrest or, at worst, in a jail cell. YES, READ THAT AGAIN. Yes, never heard of, in this country or any other that doesn't have a dictator who controls that type of thing, so yes, I'll run too if it saved my a$$ from becoming a felon.

Let's examine the main points:

1st and probably his only [point] is Immigration! For me, that sub communicates: let's remove anyone and everyone who doesn't look like me! Name me one immigrant who looks like Trump. I'll wait, but you can't. It all follows his racist agenda. "They're criminals, they eat pets" literally came out of his mouth and was turned down by some of the people who lean the same way. It's not about the crime, because if it was, he'd fight the crime committed by Americans first. We certainly, as Americans, commit more crimes than any immigrant. He's facing 30+ crimes himself, and that's all that needs to be said on that.

Let's stop the immigration issue. That simply means anyone with pigment in their skin (which equals not white), let's remove them.

We've never had an invasion like January 6th in this country in all the years of this country. You'll never see it again unless he loses this week. Wait and see...

So, what's the other argument you've heard about through this run?

I don't even know, let's see...

Obamacare???

I mean, why would we help or fight the impoverished in this country? Oh, because they're...the most needed in this country? Lost causes? One of those richest economy in the world, why must we have to deal with poverty? To them we shouldn't, get em out of here 🤷🏾‍♂️. Someone who never experienced it, is foreign, send em to foreign land, that's how we make 'America great again' right?

What are the other points?
I'll wait.....

Abortion?
I'm a man, with a p€nis, I SHOULD NEVER AND WILL NEVER TELL A WOMAN WHAT TO DO IN THAT SITUATION. I'M A FATHER AND I MADE THAT DECISION WHEN I LAID DOWN AND DID WHAT I DID! Not proud, exclamation.

There really aren't anymore. Who are we kidding?

In conclusion, MAGA is one or two things. He takes control of this country, or he makes me money!

It's Morals>Money for me!

I'm 36, just think about 20 years ago, yes EVERYTHING was cheaper, it's the cost of living in a growing economy, $#!+ is going to cost more that's the bottom line. It's simply as supply vs demand. It's the price we pay to grow! The rich want to be richer, if you ever made money in your life, it just the thing you want more of! It's just as similar as power. You get a taste of it, you want more! That's the other side of MAGA that's not rich, they don't care about money, they care about power! Donald Trump supporters who ain't rich, is a sign of power and control. Since he became a political figure, he's taught people to not hide what they really think and feel. Racism, hate has never been as strong as it been since 2016, the same election that follow the first black president, irony?!? And now we looking at potentially the first woman, what a coincidence eh?!

Go vote! Go vote! Go vote! I don't care where you stand. I have friends and loved ones on both sides, and next week, as for me, that won't change. They'll still be friends; they'll still be loved ones. In four years, they'll still be friends and still be loved ones, if they choose!
Just make your opinion count! It's the right you have, the right he doesn't want you to have! Just like his "allies," in his own words, Putin and Kim Jong-un (MAGA forbid I get his name wrong)—DICTATORS! The choice is truly up to you, the very thing he doesn't want you to have! "No more voting," out of his own mouth!

Happy Election Day, folks! This is by far the biggest one yet, and I'm glad to share it with you. Life is all about experiences, and I'm glad to share this one with you. 💝😊

#THOUGHTSWITHACIGAR

#THOUGHTSWITHACIGAR, Think of this as a thread post. Here you will see an ever-growing list of thoughts—not necessarily right or wrong. The truth is, I smoke cigars, and while smoking those cigars, I have a lot of thoughts. Many in which I consider 'deep'. This is where those thoughts get posted. So, ideally, every time you visit this page, this thread will likely be at the top of the page because it's constantly updated and will have a new thought—one that I had while smoking a cigar. Enjoy!

- We have to stop putting such a negative connotation on lying. No matter how you put it, lying is a form of protection. Whether it's yourself or someone else, we lie to protect something or somebody. I have never heard anyone say that protection was negative. The irony of it all is that lying does the exact opposite; in the end, it always inflicts pain on something or somebody, whether that something or someone is the very thing we were trying to protect in the first place. That is why it will NEVER be okay. THAT is the lesson that needs to be learned.

- I was taught and conditioned not to need or want anything from anyone. Look at my life! If I need a mountain moved, I move it myself. I've seen my mother do that my entire life. I ultimately learned that that was not the case even for her, but it is still the lesson I learned from watching her life. It's not a bad thing either. While it's not the only way to do or get things, it's still the most reliable way.

Devil's Lake

These pictures are almost exactly four years apart. The picture on your left had so much going on! First and foremost, COVID, which we all went through, but on my personal journey, at that moment, who knew the storm I was about to endure? I was on the road for work, losing the woman I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I had a ring💍, ready to propose, too. I would have my amazing daughter and I would get the job offer of my dreams, only to lose it because of the color of my skin.

The picture on the right is me now hair longer, beard is gone. Again four years later, after a 17-month legal battle to get my dream job back, now I'm two years into living my dream, living my purpose-driven life of serving each and every one of you, and through the storms of my personal life, this place hasn't changed! 4 years ago the tears here was of surrow and pain. Today it's tears of joy, it's tear of relief, and strength I didn't even know I had. I have a few places in this world, like this, that I consider very sacred places. I challenge you to find a few of your own. It don't have to be in Wisconsin or anywhere other than the place you live in now, find Sacred places that you visit every so often that feed your spirit! Places that remain consistent and remind you that, even though you go through storms in your life, as we all do, if you hang on and persevere, the journey, man, it is bittersweet and worth it 👌🏾 💫

From then until now, there have been many people who hate me for who and what I am. I am fine with that, at least I am not trying to be someone I am not.