R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

So I was thinking about the musical icon that the world lost yesterday. Aretha Franklin was...IS the Queen of Soul and unarguably one of the greatest voices of our time. She was loved and revered by many who were touched by her voice and her pen. And, as much as Ms. Franklin is recognized for her contribution to music, she is known just as much for the sassy flare she had when it came to speaking her mind. 
With that being said, upon reports of her death, emotions were understandably on TEN. Whether it was our parents/grandparents who "grew up" with her and introduced us to The Queen, as her catalog (along with the other greats) became the soundtrack for the Saturday morning clean up or those of us who recall her singing one of the best theme songs ever on A Different World, or even the millennials who got to know her after she performed for the 2009 inauguration, we were all grieving a great loss. Feelings ran so deep that arguments were happening all over about things as minute as who played/should play Ms. Franklin in a biopic. A person was shot in Suffolk, VA over such an argument (prayers to the victim)! 
Thankfully not as tragic as the aforementioned story, but I had my own Aretha beef yesterday too. Check it out:

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That's something, right?! I was really thrown off because he had never addressed me in such a manner. I'm friends with his brother and was acquainted with him that way. We weren't "friends" but always cool, so I thought. So, in case you're reading this right now, kind sir, I say a little prayer for you as I type. I hope that you were able to rock steady on the freeway of love last night and as a result was able to wake up on the RIGHT side of the bed this morning, thank God for his amazing grace, and go about your day with a coffee/smoothie/Coke and a smile! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh-man.

Okay. Since that's out of the way, I can share with you the 3 lessons I gathered from this experience:

1. Don't allow anyone to knock you off your square. That lil exchange had me PISSED! Ya know, I try to keep my interactions on the world wide web light and fun, humorous and sweet, positive and uplifting. It has been at least a year or two since I ditched the aura of Negative Nancy and left behind the spirit of Passive Aggressive Peggy. But, I felt the anger flowing through my chest, down through my arms, and inching toward my fingertips. All types of insults and cuss words were seconds away from that thread, so instead, I kept it pretty classy and settled for the nice-nasty sub-post. Luckily for everyone involved, I stopped to think before I typed (although I feel like I could have gotten a pass in memoriam of the snarky Queen of Soul and Shade, lol!). Next time I won't even respond, I'll just un-friend and lay them down like a bridge over troubled water...
2. Social media is for being sociable. Meaning to talk, engage, communicate, respond, etc. Do not put anything on social media that you do not want anyone to comment on! Everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone's opinion is not going to match yours. As adults, we should be able to share our thoughts respectfully and agree to disagree when necessary. Otherwise, don't post on social media. 
3. Watch how you treat me, or you could be the subject of my next blog. Enough said. ;-)