The Gifts of 50

Posted on by

On March 16, 2022, I’m officially in the Fab50 Club. I’d always wondered what I would be like at 50 and dreaded the thought for years until I had an epiphany around age 40. I was thinking of things I’ve learned along the way at different stages in life and lessons I can hear the little girl, young lady and semi-grown woman speaking back to me. While most of these memories didn’t feel like it at the time, I consider them gifts.

I’m grateful for the gifts of invaluable lessons 50 has sprinkled through my life.

Age 5+ Naptime is a privilege. It’s truly the snooze you can use!

Age 10+ Thank God for the biggest conflicts in your life being who would hold the “Double Dutch” rope and which “Candy Lady” had the best bee-bops. They call you skinny now, but it won’t be that way always. Relish in it, girl. Relish.

Age 15+ You are not grown enough for love. This is especially true since you had to drag a 50-feet phone cord to sneak and talk past 10pm and most of your “romantic” memories involve getting a high school “Candy Gram”, trips to Checkers and Quincy’s, hanging at George Ward, Eastlake and Bessie Estell Park, and lots and lots of tears. Devasting heartache is on the way. But hearts heal. Yours will eventually too. So know that EVERYTHING will be alright!

Age 20+ You should have been studying more. The Citizen Club (your club of choice) is gone and so are your chances at a high GPA. You should have been diving into those books a bit more than scrubbing the ground and oogling over boys in crimson and white.  It’s all good though. God had plans and people in place to get you to where He meant you to be all along. (On another note, GIRL, the ones you didn’t want were the ones you needed. And it’s okay to put on a few more clothes…ijs!) And know that EVERYTHING will be alright!

Age 25+ Make the most out of connections. God granted you wonderful opportunities to meet amazing people from all walks of life. At this age, you’d interviewed stars, worked for an up-and-coming star and rubbed elbows with influential people from all around the country. Never pull the plug on people meant to be prominent in your life. You made some dumb mistakes. No sweat. You’ll use them to your advantage soon. On another note, crying won’t make the wrong ones come back, but it will make you have bags under your eyes, and by the time they try to come back (and they will) it won’t matter. Dry up those tears girl! Know that EVERYTHING will be alright!

Age 30+ Always be on guard and ready to defend your destiny. Whether it’s your health, finances, personal life, or calling, stay ready to (spiritually) rumble and look remarkable while doing it then teach other women how to do the same. Stick to God like Elmer’s glue! Cherish friends and look for the angels on earth each chance you get. You’re gonna need them sooner than you think. Just know that EVERYTHING will be alright!

Age 35+ Change is good, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Look for God in everything, even if it doesn’t make sense. Put your pain to work. It cost you enough, you might as well make it pay restitution. Share what you know. Learn to laugh again. Open your mouth and speak.  Stay positive. Put God and family first. Be grateful. Just know that EVERYTHING will be alright!

Age 40+ Starting over stinks but you’ll come out smelling like the Botanical Gardens. Unexpected blows will be thrown to knock you off your feet, but you are a certified winner. God has stacked your deck with some heavy-hitters in the field of family and friends. Let them love you and help you. The sun is getting ready to shine again. Don’t run from it afraid it will burn you. Instead bask in it and soak it all in. And learn to relax and not take things or yourself so seriously. And know that EVERYTHING will be alright!

Age 45+ Get off the bench and be who you were created to be. Just because you’re scared doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck. You thought God had forgotten about you. Nah. Impossible. You thought it was too late for you. Nope. Not so. Everything isn’t perfect. In fact, nothing is. Many hurdles you’d already jumped will challenge you to a rematch. But just like all the times before over the course of your life, you’re already victorious. It’s just up to you to stay in the game and practice your victory dance. (Which, by the way, you can’t dance anymore. I guess the Lord knew you might use it for evil and not goo…LOL. Bless your two-stepping heart.) And know that EVERYTHING, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING will be alright.

Angela Abdur-Rasheed

PS…Age 50+ Come on in here and behave. Act like we’re best friends and be extra, extra good to me.

You Lived Through It

Posted on by

Newsflash…it didn’t kill you, stop you, destroy you, stunt your growth, mess up your destiny, halt your progress or interrupt God’s plans.

You lived through it. Woohoo! You did that! That thing, those things, that person, that situation, that ending, or that disappointment might have caught you off guard, knocked the wind out of you, shook you up a bit, or pulled the proverbial rug from under your butt, but that’s all it did.

You lived through it so now you might as well use it to move forward and make a difference for someone else who doesn’t know yet what you now know and that’s that it won’t kill you, stop you, destroy you, stunt your growth, mess up your destiny, halt your progress or interrupt God’s plans. Period.

@amichele316

New Book is Reminder That Life Gets Better

Posted on by

Have you ever felt like life was out of control or playing a big, bad prank on you and none of it was funny? Has that been heightened amid a pandemic? Alabama author Angela Abdur-Rasheed can relate. From gut-wrenching loss, stagnant dreams, financial lack, and life-altering health challenges, she’s been through it all and emerged with the undeniable certainty that life gets better. 

Just in time for quarantine reading and some needed assurance, Life Gets Better is a compilation of transparent vignettes and poignant posts sprinkled with humor, sassy anecdotes, comforting scripture and transparent revelations for the person who simply needs a reminder that hope is always here. Consider Life Gets Better a mashup of an autobiography, shocking tell-all (at least according to Angela’s dad), workbook, devotional, church group guide, comedic prose, book club choice, virtual venting session and “stay out of trouble free” guide.

“I started writing Life Gets Better in 2010 after a devasting divorce, loss of job (and hair), credit crash, near foreclosure and some other not-so-fun whirlwinds which were followed by years of other challenges that all ultimately ushered in some of the most refreshing growth, mature perspectives and hilarious memories I’ve ever experienced,” said Angela Abdur-Rasheed. Angela says she hopes her book is a testament for those in need to hold on regardless of what’s going on in the world or in their world. “I can only hope that something I’ve shared truly reminds people that life gets better because it absolutely does,” she said.

The five-star rated Life Gets Better is available on Amazon at https://bit.ly/lifegetsbetterangela. The paperback version retails for $16.99. The Kindle version is $9.99. A special virtual Chat and Chew Celebration with Author Angela Abdur-Rasheed will be held on Saturday, July 18th from 6pm-8pm with guests from around the country being treated to an author reading, Q&A and more.

Angela Abdur-Rasheed is available for live and remote media interviews. She can be reached at angelarasheed316@gmail.com.

###

About Author Angela

Angela Scott Abdur-Rasheed has sported many hats in her professional career. She has most recently worked in the fields of Nonprofit Management/Social Justice.  Angela’s a former Birmingham and Montgomery television broadcaster, and a public relations professional who also spent seven years working in full-time ministry.  

Angela is often sought to facilitate trainings on topics like recruitment and civic engagement, social justice, etiquette, and career development. She has served with, trained, or trained under more than 25 organizations like American Express Leadership Academy, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Easter Seals, the Corporation for National and Community Service, Kaiser Family Foundation, Poynter Institute of Journalism, Birmingham Society of Human Resources Management, and more.

The dreamiest of days has Angela enjoying life with her husband Aquil, her bonus children, and their fabulous, funny cast of family and friends. She gets great joy out of relaxing and eating the center of a warm brownie while watching the Oprah Winfrey Network, HGTV, and reruns of A Different World or King of Queens. Her “must meet” celebrity is the legendary Dolly Parton. Angela also likes to nurture her love for the power of spoken and written words through blogposts and articles about food and encouragement which have been featured on local and national platforms for regional and international brands.

Angela takes a cue from Romans 8:28 and lives by the undeniable mantra, “Life Gets Better.” 

Ruth’s Chris Makes Me Happy

Posted on by

Let me start by saying that I’m not a drinker. Gasp! I know…LOL! I am, however, an eater, hence a blog site devoted to food. So when someone mentions happy hour I immediately think food rather than liquid elixirs. To the person who introduced me to the Happy Hour also known as Ruth’s Chris Makes Me Happy, I offer a heartfelt, stomach-full THANK YOU!

The Happy Hour at the Embassy Suites Birmingham was a certified delight. And the fact that I could enjoy succulent lamb chop lollipops, top-quality sliders (three ways), perfectly prepared and presented ahi tuna and more, all for under $15 each made my “happy” even happier.

As if the deal on the dishes couldn’t get any sweeter they do have some pocket-friendly prices on several adult beverages…AND…for a nonstop foodie like myself, I was thrilled to find out that this Happy Hour is like the Energizer Bunny. It goes on and on, seven days a week.

So, if you happen to swing by Ruth’s Chris after work, following a weekend of shopping, to watch the game or enjoy an evening tete-de-tete, plan to enjoy and PLEASE save a lamb chop lollipop for me!

RC 1.jpgRC 2

RC 3

RC 4

@angelamichele316

Art, Beats & Lyrics Brings Out the Best

Posted on by

Each time I attend it becomes easier and easier to explain the phenomenon known as Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Art, Beats & Lyrics (AB+L). Think, if you will, as to what would happen if you took a family reunion, an art museum field trip and a music festival placed them in a piping hot pot, seasoned them with soul, swag and sass, sprinkled in a few flakes of “the culture”, saturated it in speaker-thumping sounds from all the genres of music that really matter, added a big dollop of dope art and interactive exhibits, tossed in a swig of Jack, then let it simmer for hours in an urban, artistic roux. That, my loves, perfectly conveys what AB+L Birmingham 2018 served up. We got served!

Regions Field was the perfect playground for a standing room only crowd of Birmingham’s best to experience the best art and music creatives from around the country have to offer. Along with the wall-to-wall art and free-flowing Jack Daniel’s elixir DJ Wally Spark, DJ Rahdu, Gina T and WERC Crew set the night’s musical mood and made it just right for hip hop musical guest BAS. Since it’s humble beginnings in Atlanta in 2004, AB+L has been the vehicle moving culture forward in all its urban glory. “The motivation behind the start of AB+L was to give a platform for urban artists and musicians that weren’t getting accepted into many of the galleries and outlets at that time,” said AB+L Curator Dwayne “Dubelyoo” Wright. With no plans of slowing down, Curator Dwayne “Dubelyoo” Wright says AB+L will continue to be next level. “We have been striving to keep the wow factor at our events. We incorporate new technologies and non-traditional ways of showcasing art to keep the audience excited year after year,” he said.

Art, Beats & Lyrics Birmingham was electric! The people, art, music and Jack Daniels (for the drinkers) were too. I can hardly wait for next year to savor the dopeness also known as AB+L.

IMG_3838.jpg

IMG_3840.jpg

IMG_3823

IMG_3829

IMG_3826

@angelamichele316