Please take your shoes off at the door

Written by: Ju'Jaraw Z.

Wait! Can you please take your shoes off at the door before you enter? I ask this out of respect for the house that it is now well kept. See this house you're about to enter isn't just a place neatly swept. Instead see it as a place battled for with many tears, prayers, confrontation, and sweat. Many nights I cried out for the breath to be taken from my lungs - only to wake up disappointed. Swollen eyes from crying myself to sleep- it was at that moment I'd again began to weep. Because living is not what I wanted. See this house you see now was not always well kept. In fact, it's foundation was molested which bred a lack of trust and protection like a place that's mold infested.

See the house you see now wasn't always well kept. There was much more damage from those who inhabited it's space. Wreaking havoc on its frame- this house wasn't standing the same. From the time built opposing investors waged war on a house that was already brought. So this house became an uncontrolled clutter that wasn't worth anything- or so I thought. Trying to escape every chance I could get only to once again find myself awake. At one point I began to believe suffering in this cursed house with such a damaged infrastructure was my fate. In that house you would have kept your shoes on, because the house you see wasn't always well kept. I even began inflicting my own damage to the frame thinking it would help me sustain. Of course, we have to turn up with some weed and liquor to help ease the pain. Everything in the house was tormenting- literally driving me insane.

Since I couldn't demolish the house- I decided to work on the frame. The same damaged infrastructure and unstable frame I once couldn't tame. If I wanted to be sane I knew it couldn't stay the same. So I began to address the pain. Following the trail of smoke to the hot, fiery, flame. I can formulate this into words today without being ashamed. I'm not inviting you into my house for notoriety or fame. I'm inviting you in because we are the same. We both are houses with either sturdy or wobbly frames. Just like I told you, the house you see now wasn't always well kept. I found the cornerstone (Yahweh) and built off of it, so now my house is standing strong. I found the right architect so I'm not building my vision on my own. See, this house has undergone some serious rehab. It took a lot of work to build a sturdy foundation, and it continues to take intention to keep it sturdy and the floors from getting dirty. See now, this house you see-is very well kept. I invite you on this journey to do the same.

So please, before you enter- take your shoes off at the door. In respect- of a house that is well kept.

---

Thank you for checking out our first blog! The style of our blog will often be infused with poetry. For more insight into the art and as an overall reference on our passional use of the art form please check out this Ted Talk video: https://youtu.be/pfcNIpBL_e8

The purpose of this blog is to discuss topics on lifestyle, faith, and mental health. I will be sharing my personal thoughts, experiences, and facts with you every week on Sunday and Wednesday. Our hope here at GLO' Unplugged, as it is stated on our about us page ( https://www.glounplugged.com/about-us ), is to inspire you to prioritize mental health through three principles: self-growth, self-love, and self-care. I hope you enjoyed! See you soon!