Taya Starling

I’m not going to lie HomieLoverFriends, it’s been a hazy post Coachella week of catching up on sleep, trying to fall back into normal life events, and battling what seems to be a dusty desert sickness I picked up while inhaling mountains of dust and dirt between songs out in Palm Springs.  I’m not really sure where the week has gone but it’s passed by nimbly (& numbly).  I managed to leave the house a few times for necessary things like auditions and small adventures but mostly I’ve been treasuring the silence, my bed, and books.

I’m still working on my book challenge and I’ve read two this week to make up for lost time- To Kill A Mockingbird & The Last Mermaid.  I’m finally back on schedule now having read 16 books (out of 52) in the past 16.5 weeks.  I’m still searching for a book set in the future & a book with a color in the title that I haven’t read so if any of you have any suggestions, let me know!

But back to The Best Week Ever.

Who’s seen little Miss Heaven King shake her 4 year old booty like she was born to do it? Seriously this little girl has more dance moves than me & my crew & now she’s got a crew to prove it.  In case you missed her second appearance on the Ellen Show dancing to Beyonce’s 7/11 check it-

https://youtu.be/dC906zHRqoo

Now check out her and her little pint sized posse doing the damn thing better than I ever could

Now I don’t know about you but I’ve got big dreams.  Big dreams and little dreams actually and while it’s no longer realistic to want to be a millionaire, here are some tips on how to become what you should really want to be, a multimillionaire.  I hope you understand me when I say my dreams of becoming a multimillionaire are actually driven by my desire to share my wealth.  I don’t know what the heck I would ever do with millions of dollars for myself.  Who needs that kind of money? Other people, that’s who.  The poverty stricken, the starving, those suffering from diseases we have cured and are currently trying to cure.  So that’s my encouragement, that’s my inspiration.  When I think of my paychecks now I think of paying off my bills and mortgage and day to day activities while saving up to buy my mom a house and my dad a corvette.  When I think of the paychecks in my future I think of how much I will be able to afford to give back to the world and those who need it far far more than I do.  So whatever your motivation for money, I hope it’s a good one and I hope you remember to share.  Which brings me to the recent devastating earthquake in Nepal and the immense destruction it has left in its wake.  I urge you all to find a way to help whether financially, with your time, your reach, or any effort you can make- even if it’s just reposting a link or spreading the word via social media.  There are people in need and you are capable of providing relief.

On that note, if you’re still trying to figure out what to do with your life and who you’re meant to be… give this video a watch.  Thich Nhat Hahn is a blessing to the world.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed several of his books and hearing the peace in his voice as he talks to Oprah in this video makes me all the more thankful for his wisdom.  Keep watching for more videos from other inspirational humans and how they realized their purposes in life.  This has definitely helped get me through a rough week or two.

Bruce Jenner spoke out bold and strong about his journey and belief about becoming a woman this week.  I know how unsettling it can be for people to face things that are unfamiliar to them- we lash out in fear towards the unknown, the things we do not yet understand, but what if we could relate in some different way? What if we could walk a mile or two in someone else’s skin? What if we could be met with understanding and love in all our soul driven decisions? What if?

I took a night off this week to do dinner and a movie with my girlfriends- a necessity in our busy schedules if you ask me- and we went to see Age of Adeline.  I fell in love, as I often do with a good love story, beautifully shot with heart wrenching decisions to be made plot turn after plot turn…. I don’t know if I would call it a chick flick though.  I definitely recommend you give it a watch when it hits theaters near you.

Speaking of love stories, according to VICE, Feminist Porn is a real thing & it may be here to stay.

Remember public libraries? Those big beautiful buildings full of books; books about everything and anything you could possibly want to know about (and I’m sure a few about things you don’t want to know about), but knowledge everywhere, stories upon stories at your fingertips.  Just thinking of them fill me with a desire to read everything.  But usually life doesn’t permit me enough time to read everything I want to read and knowingly, the New York Public Library has set up a series of podcasts for those of us discouraged from reading while walking or driving (don’t do it fellow bookworms, resist the urge!).  For their 50th podcast Cornel West & Paul Holdengraber sat down with hip hop mogul, rap superstar, intelligent entrepreneur, & all around incredible human, Jay-Z.  In less than 2 hours they cover everything from his hustle to forgiveness.  Give it a listen.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/193202591″ params=”color=d62828″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

And on that note of good music, if you’re ever having a bad day, just wake up and hit play: