Life shifts so quickly from one moment to the next and at times even though we may be present in the moment, we may not be living in the moment. Social media doesn\u2019t help with this because we are so busy trying to capture our life through photos or videos that we are actually robbed of really enjoying that time. Continue reading.<\/p>\n Happily Single<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks to social media my time-lines are flooded with selfies of engagements, happy couples, weddings and cute kids on a regular basis. See most women my age are married with multiple kids trying to find a balance between being a mom and a wife. They are juggling the responsibilities and challenges that come with having those two roles along with the many other roles that life brings. My life as it pertains to only me right now is for the most part pretty simple and I like it!\u00a0I have nothing close to a potential spouse in my life and the thought of having a baby right now is the furthest thing from my mind. Being from the south and living in the good ole Bible belt where tradition is the norm, many people especially older adults are shocked by my carefree attitude towards being single and childless.<\/p>\n Continue reading here<\/a>.<\/p>\n [line]<\/p>\n It’s Beauty In The Struggle<\/strong><\/p>\n Two years ago I wrote a blog post called \u201cPursuit of Happiness\u201d <\/a>\u00a0regarding my decision to quit my decent salary paying \u00a0job with benefits to set out on a journey to find my purpose in life. \u00a0I didn\u2019t expect my journey to be easy but I also didn\u2019t expect the struggle to be so real. Initially when I left my job I didn\u2019t have a plan in place; I just left on a limb. Shortly after I found myself living in South Carolina with my older brother working at a call center barely making enough to pay my bills. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n Meet The Double Scoop<\/strong><\/p>\n Get to know more about Ashley E. and Amy Nicole of The Double Scoop by checking out the Vlog <\/a>.<\/p>\n It’s Okay To Be Selfish<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been told by my family that I can be selfish at times. I admit sometimes I look out for my own interest before I consider those of others but that is something I\u2019m definitely trying to improve on.\u00a0But I wonder is being selfish always a bad thing? I believe when it comes down to your mental well-being, happiness, and health that it\u2019s perfectly okay to be selfish. I used to be this person who cared so much about what other people thought about me and I would work so hard to please everyone. It got to the point where I was putting my own happiness to the back-burner. As you get older you realize that pleasing everyone is impossible. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n Bad Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n Have you ever questioned your religion or faith? There are so many religions in the world so how do you know for sure your religion is true. Is religion a form of false hope or control? Does it do more harm than good?\u00a0 Today many people under the age of 40 are separating from traditional religion and are leaning more towards spirituality for guidance in life. This is happening on a mass level now which some people are referring to as a \u201cglobal awakening.\u201d \u00a0I reached out to adults under the age of 40 to get their input on the topic of religion and included their feedback in this post. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n No Kid Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n Believe it or not marriage and kids are not top priorities for most millennial women these days.\u00a0When I tell my mom that I don\u2019t think I want children she gives me this look of horror like I said I wanted to kill someone. I believe some women are born to be mothers and some women are not. I remember being at church one day and hearing a preacher say it was every woman\u2019s responsibility to have children. While listening to the pastor\u2019s words I thought to myself what if a person doesn\u2019t have the desire for children? Continue reading.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Winter was always one of my favorite seasons until last year. \u00a0Last winter things had gotten so bad for me that I found myself sitting in front of a therapist hoping she could help me put my life back together. I had been dealing with depression on and off for the past 2 years but it was starting to take a heavy toll on me and prayers and pep talks with friends weren\u2019t helping me cope anymore.\u00a0In those two years I experienced a failed relationship, the news of an unexpected health problem, losing my job, and moving to a new unfamiliar state without a plan. \u00a0A few months into my move I found myself broke, behind on bills and on the verge of having my car repossessed. Continue reading.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n What’s Love Got To Do With It<\/strong><\/p>\n Who wants that perfect love story anyway?\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 I think most people want to find love whether they want to admit it or not. We want to find our better half, a companion, someone to experience the highs and lows of life with, and someone that will add more happiness to our lives.\u00a0 But what exactly is love? Is love a feeling, a choice, or an action? Is it a combination of the three? How much does love play a part in making a relationship or marriage last? Love is just a four letter word but it has so much depth. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n What College Didn’t Teach Me<\/strong><\/p>\n Remember when your parents told you that going to college was the key to a successful career and life? Well today that advice certainly doesn\u2019t apply to many millennials.\u00a0\u00a0 According to research many millennials over the age of 25 with a college degree are burdened with student loan debt and working jobs that don\u2019t even require a degree.\u00a0A few months ago I went out to eat with some of my friends and we were all talking about the benefits of going to college. All of my friends are college grads and most of us, including myself have two degrees. We often complain about how much student loan debt we have and how much life would be easier if we didn\u2019t even go to college. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n Incidents in Missouri Mirror Civil Rights Era<\/strong><\/p>\n Several black students walk hand and hand amongst a crowd of white parade goers at the homecoming parade for the University of Missouri. They each step out of line one by one speaking into a megaphone to the now former university president Tim Wolfe about the incidents of racism and discrimination that they have encountered while attending the school. The students are a part of the organization Concerned Student 1950, <\/em>which was named after the year the first African American graduate student was admitted to the university.\u00a0If you were reading about this situation in a book you would think that the time period was during the civil rights era not in the year 2015. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n How Many Dating Partners Should A Person Have?<\/strong><\/p>\n We have all heard the saying \u201cdon\u2019t put all your eggs in one basket\u201d and I believe this same phrase should be applied to the number of dating partners that a person should have. Now before you give me the \u201cside eye\u201d I\u2019m not saying that you should have sex with everyone that you date but I do think that it is okay to casually date several people at one time. Continue reading<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Matrimony<\/strong><\/p>\n I think growing up most girls fantasize about their perfect wedding day. I can remember being in elementary school and discussing with my friends what color my bridesmaids dresses were going to be and how I would wear my hair on my special day. Now that I\u2019m at the age where most of my peers are starting to get married or are already married I question if marriage is something that I really even want or am capable of.\u00a0Divorce rates seem to be on the rise and the idea of living happily ever after seems to just be an unrealistic fantasy. Continue reading<\/a>.<\/p>\n You Don’t Know My Name<\/strong><\/p>\n I was feeling a little nostalgic the other day so I started listening to music and watching some of my favorite videos from a few years ago. \u00a0Alicia Keys \u201cYou Don\u2019t Know My<\/em> Name\u201d<\/em> was one of the videos that came across my playlist. Now that I\u2019m older I can appreciate the story-line in the video more than when I watched it for the first time. While I was reminiscing watching the video it made me think about how almost extinct phone conversations have become. I can barely remember what it feels like to get excited when someone you\u2019re feeling hits you up and ya\u2019ll talk for hours. We are definitely living in the social media era so instead of communicating verbally most of us communicate through texting, Facebook, Instagram, twitter, Snapchat and the list goes on. Continue reading<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0Tinder 101<\/strong><\/p>\n I recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where I don\u2019t know anyone so I decided to join Tinder. Tinder is known as a hook up site so I definitely wasn\u2019t looking to fall in love; I joined more so to meet new people that could help me get acclimated to the city and to have a little fun.\u00a0Well if you\u2019re not familiar with Tinder it\u2019s a dating app mostly used by young professionals in their 20s and early 30s. To use the app you set up a profile and tailor your dating search criteria by selecting your age range and location preference.\u00a0 After you set your preferences you can start seeing dating potentials. If you\u2019re interested in a person you swipe to the right and if you\u2019re not interested you swipe left. Read more about my experience here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Societal Despair<\/strong><\/p>\n Last week was very tough for many people especially for people of color. \u00a0Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were added to the rapidly growing list of black men killed at the hands of police officers. A few days after both men were killed five police officers were murdered in retaliation for their deaths. It\u2019s so hard to believe that incidents like these are actually happening in 2016.\u00a0<\/span>Sometimes I can\u2019t bear to watch the news because it seems like there is always \u00a0something tragic going on in the world. Continue reading.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n It’s Beauty In The Struggle<\/strong><\/p>\n Two years ago I wrote a blog post called \u201cPursuit of Happiness\u201d <\/a>\u00a0regarding my decision to quit my decent salary paying \u00a0job with benefits to set out on a journey to find my purpose in life. \u00a0I didn\u2019t expect my journey to be easy but I also didn\u2019t expect the struggle to be so real. Initially when I left my job I didn\u2019t have a plan in place; I just left on a limb. Shortly after I found myself living in South Carolina with my brother working at a call center barely making enough to pay my bills. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n Should A Woman Pursue A Man?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re a single female I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard the saying, \u201cLet The Man Do The Chasing!\u201d For many years I believed this to be true and thought that it was the man\u2019s responsibility to pursue a woman, now my view point on approaching men has changed for many reasons.\u00a0One reason in particular is that women out number men, which means that men have plenty more options when it comes to choosing a partner. Ladies you could possibly be a great catch, you can have a great job, good credit, be very attractive and educated but for each one of you there are 20 more women just like you for each single man. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0Is There A Shortage Of Good Black Men?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a never ending conversation when it comes to a woman not being able to find a good man; more specifically a black woman trying to find a good black man. Based on the statistics that are constantly being forced down our throats, \u00a0most black men are incarcerated, homosexual, not interested in black women, or just not worth dating. Not to mention the single fact alone that women outnumber men. From talking to several single black women it seems that when you wean out the men that don\u2019t fall into those above categories, most of the good ones are already taken and the ones remaining worth dating are slim to none. Continue reading.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Institutionalized<\/strong><\/p>\n Last year after Mike Brown was killed by a white police officer, I remember watching the riots on television and thinking once again \u201cus\u201d black people are making ourselves look ignorant. I just didn\u2019t understand how rioting was going to solve the problem.\u00a0 I\u2019m usually hesitant about posting my thoughts on Facebook but I decided to vent my frustrations on the issue that day. A few people agreed with my sentiments but one person in particular responded to my status by saying I was being ignorant for ignoring a hurting people.\u00a0 I was annoyed by her comment but I shrugged it off and thought to myself to each his own. Continue reading<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bad Bitch<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cInstinct leads me to another flow<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a hoe<\/strong><\/em> These are lyrics from Queen Latifah\u2019s 1994 single \u201cU.N.I.T.Y\u201d which spoke out against the disrespect of women in society. Back in the early 90\u2019s and prior decades calling a woman a bitch was an ultimate form of disrespect. Today, for some people the word bitch has turned into a term of empowerment more so among African American women. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is The Tassel Worth The Hassle?<\/strong><\/p>\n After I graduated from high school I wasn\u2019t given the option of not going to college. My parents told me that earning a college degree was a necessity in order for me to have a successful future. Now after finishing college and grad school I beg to differ. I believe that a college degree does make a person more competitive in the job market but when you end up graduating with more student loan debt than you make as an annual salary, a college degree isn\u2019t all that helpful. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sexless<\/strong><\/p>\n When I tell guys that I\u2019m abstinent the most common response that I receive is, \u201cHow do you do it!?\u201d \u00a0<\/em>No, I\u2019m not a virgin but believe it or not sex is something that I really don\u2019t have a strong desire for. To be quite honest a large part of it is due to the fact that I\u2019ve never just had great sex! \u00a0When I talk to other women about my lack of good sex they look at me in pity. The most common response that I receive is, \u201cGirl I feel so bad for you! I love sex!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Men on the other hand take my predicament as a challenge in hopes of being the guy that will make me change my mind. Continue reading.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n No Kid Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s hilarious to me when I ask guys how many children they want to have and they start blurting out numbers like 4,5, and 6 like they are the ones who have to carry the child for 9 months! I\u2019m at the age where women are starting to get married and have kids, but my desire for children just seems non-existent. \u00a0I\u2019ve been told that when I meet the right guy my feelings will change, but I\u2019m not sure that they will. I have never really been maternal and sometimes I even get awkward around kids, especially around a group of them.\u00a0I believe some women are born to be mothers and some women are not. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0Not Settling Or Being Too Picky?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been told two scenarios when it comes to being in a relationship and getting married. One scenario is that dating and marriage aren\u2019t about love but about what you can deal with in another person. The other is that marriage is too hard to just settle because you have to really love someone to be able to put up with his\/her flaws.\u00a0I haven\u2019t been in a relationship in a\u00a0while but I do date, and I\u2019ve been told by some people that the reason I\u2019m still single is probably because I\u2019m too picky. Don\u2019t get me wrong I do want a nice guy but if I\u2019m going to commit to a person I want it to be with someone who I really like and who excites me. Keep reading here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE DARK SKIN VS LIGHT SKIN DILEMMA<\/strong><\/p>\n I attempted to watch Dark Girls<\/em> a while back but after ten minutes of listening to women in tears talking about how they hated their dark skin and wanted to bathe in bleach to lighten their skin tone, I just couldn\u2019t get into it. Maybe it was because I couldn\u2019t relate to what the women were talking about. I\u2019ve been referred to by some people as light skinned and I have also been referred to by some as dark skinned. When I look in the mirror I see a brown skinned woman and I like my complexion. I can\u2019t recall a time when I desired to have lighter or darker skin. My mom has a very light complexion and my dad has a brown complexion but growing up we never discussed skin tone and I never questioned why my mom\u2019s complexion was so much lighter than ours. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n IS CHEATING INEVITABLE?<\/strong><\/p>\n When most people think about what it means to cheat in a relationship, they automatically think about having sex with another person outside of their relationship. But cheating is so much more than just sex. Have you ever made a strong connection with another person outside of the relationship with your significant other? What if the connection became so strong that it got to a point where you thought about the other person frequently and started to develop feelings? A lot of people say they have control over how far they will allow a situation to go, but eventually after spending so much time with another person that you are attracted to and have a connection, emotions tend to get involved. Continue reading.<\/a><\/p>\n WORKING 9-5 JUST TO STAY ALIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n I can\u2019t count how many times I\u2019ve seen comments and memes from people flooding my social media pages, expressing how much they hate their jobs and how they can\u2019t wait for the weekend. I\u2019ve posted a few memes myself regarding my frustration about working a job\u00a0that I hate because bills have to get paid. I had a conversation with my sister about how the thought of going to school for so many years just to prepare to work for someone for the rest of your life is depressing.\u00a0I do realize that in order for the average person to sustain a lifestyle,\u00a0that person\u00a0has\u00a0to work to\u00a0earn\u00a0an income.\u00a0We\u00a0have bills to pay, food and clothes to buy, families to support, and with whatever is leftover\u00a0we\u00a0want to try to somewhat enjoy life within the madness. Continue reading here<\/a>.<\/p>\n When it comes to starting new romantic relationships, most of us have some baggage or skeletons in the closet from previous relationships that we are carrying with us into the new relationship. I mean at some point we\u2019re all going to be someone\u2019s leftovers unless you are one of the lucky ones who fall in love and stay with the first person you are seriously dating. \u00a0About 2 months ago I was watching an episode of Shonda Rhimes\u2019 new hit show How to get away with Murder<\/em> and it focused on an interesting topic. Law student, Michaela Pratt discovered that her fianc\u00e9 Aiden had sex with one of her classmates when he was in high school. You might think, ok that was years ago and everyone has a past, BUT the tea is that her classmate is a man. That changes the situation completely. Keep reading here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I Forgot To Live In The Moment Life shifts so quickly from one moment to the next and at times even though we may be present in the moment, we may not be living in the moment. Social media doesn\u2019t help with this because we are so busy trying to capture our life through photos … Continue reading “Lifestyle”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1762","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1762\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"live-in-the-moment-2\"](\"http:\/\/thedoublescoop2.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/live-in-the-moment-2.jpg\")
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\nThe Coldest Winter Ever: My Battle With Depression<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nTrying to make a sister feel low<\/strong><\/em>
\nYou know all of that gots to go\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
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\nHIS PAST AIN’T PRETTY<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n