LaToya M. Davidson-Perez

Two years ago I wrote a web-exclusive article about my abstinence from social networking. I can’t help feeling the need to drag it back out, polish it, and put it back out there. What’s different now? Well, rather than abstain from social networking for a week, which had previously been my goal, I’m going to do it for the remainder of the month. Thus, I’ve dubbed this my Social Networking Abstinence Month. Why? Because much like taking a shower or brushing my teeth, it’s become something that is among the long list of things I feel I’m to do in the course of an already very busy day. At times I feel like being on Facebook, Twitter, and other networks is like a second job. It can be quite exhausting and I just needed a break. I assure you that it’s not forever. How can it be? Social Networks have become something that you can’t get away from no matter how hard you may try. So much so, there are some companies that use social networks rather than having an actual website. And, for as many bad things there are about using them, it’s hands down the easiest and fastest way to keep in touch with the people you care about. Read the rest of this entry »

As adults we’d like to believe that we’ve done away with the fears and worries of our youth. To some extent we’ve grown old enough to see that some of those earlier worries were irrational and were truly a result of us not knowing just how the world works. In other cases, youth has a naivety that we often wish we could still have in our adulthood. We look back at old photographs of ourselves and try to remember what it was like to be that person again. We wish we could eat what we once ate, were as active as we once were, and sometimes, we wish that we had remained just as ignorant. The thing is, I believe it’s okay as adults for us to admit to ourselves that there are still things that we’re afraid of. Read the rest of this entry »

For what now seems like only a brief moment of time I had a different moniker. LaToya Cotton or, am my GMC cadet peers called me, Mrs. Cotton. For the total of two plus years I was married to my first husband. It’s a period in my life that has taken me almost a decade to get past but I’ve had occasions recently where I’ve found myself giving it a great deal more thought. When is divorce really the right course of action?

If you asked me that before and during my divorce I would have told you never. I would’ve naively said through my pain-filled tears that you never break marriage vows. Even now I believe that that is as it should be. However, I also know that we make the choices that we do in life not only because they’re the right ones, we make them out of the fear of what the other options may bring. Sometimes we feel that a bad decision may somehow work out to be the right one or that there is no sunshine after the torrential downpour. Even though we may have the best of intentions, the one thing you can count on in life is that it never goes the way you plan. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s often said that you don’t truly commit to losing weight or changing something in your life until you have a moment of epiphany. I tend to agree with that. When it comes to losing weight that’s definitely the case. I’ve seen my weight balloon over the past few years. It’s easy to place blame. In my case, my weight gain is because of several of the medications I have to take. However, I have to also take ownership of my careless food choices. I’ve used excuses upon excuses to justify being lazy about the extra effort that is needed to change. It’s been easier simply to allow my medical situation to conveniently compound a situation that I should take better control over. Nothing is accomplished by merely speaking about the changes I wish to make. Action is always necessary in order to facilitate real change.

My moment came just a few hours before writing this article. We had a very severe storm that caused the power in our house to go out for about two hours. Really, it’s that simple. The loss of power made me so angry that I said, “LaToya, you’re unhealthy and fat and you have to stop with the excuses and lose weight.” Really, the dialogue in my head was far more colorful but that’s the gist of it. Read the rest of this entry »

Summer vacations are certainly not what they used to be. In my case, it’s no vacation at all. Sure, I’m an adult and the luxuries afforded to us as children just aren’t the same with the shackles of adulthood. Additionally for me, this was the first time since I’ve been remarried that I’ve had my stepchildren stay with us for more than 3 days. During this time I’ve gone through a plethora of emotions ranging from anxiety to excitement. It has also reassured me that my decision not to have children of my own was the right one for me.

While we were still dating I had a handful of experiences around my stepdaughters. Precocious, hyper, exhausting, these are all words that did and still does describe the now nine and seven-year olds. However, there is a vast difference in having them for a weekend versus having them for two weeks. It’s the difference between hanging out and living with someone. I’ll admit it, I’m very set in my ways. I like order. I like quiet. I relish all the things a life without children brings. These past several days have taken me completely outside of my comfort zone and I know that I’ll never be quite the same. Read the rest of this entry »