Today I decided to sleep in a little late. I planned on doing two of my neighbor’s hair at home and going to the studio to create some amazing music with my cousin. Yesterday was a busy day. I did laundry, cleaned, and then cooked dinner with one of my neighbors. I fell asleep at her place and came home at 5am. There are several stories and realizations that I could share based on yesterday, but when I initially got up I was starving. Of course, I knew all the food I cooked downstairs was still there, because for some reason after I cook my appetite never really kicks in until long after I’ve finished.
Anyway, I was greeted by brown water running in my kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and toilet. Surely, something is wrong. I immediately call my neighbors, search the building to look for a post about maintenance taking place, and finally sent my super a text. Nothing. No replies.
I’m at a pause. In the middle of a pandemic and after Flint, Michigan someone else has to have brown water and someone has to know why the water is brown. After contacting property management and getting no information, I just happen to see the super in the lobby. He has no phone on him and I’m like,”Hey, I text you. The water is brown.” Then I am informed that there was some leak on the 8th floor of my 13 floor building. Let the water run. It should run clear in a short while.
So, here is my concern. Had I not noticed that the water was brown on the white surfaces in my home, how many others hadn’t noticed at all. How many had ingested this water, made beverages for their children, and bathed in this brown water? Is it sewage? Is it rust? Are people aware that water is not an option? We have to have clean water. There are so many people with compromised living conditions. I’m certain that water not being clean could prove problematic and even life threatening in certain situations.
Immediately, I feel isolated and alone. I feel like awareness is low. Not just for those around us, but for ourselves. I’m one of the unfortunate people who will definitely do better for myself if it means everyone else will be better too. Opposed to those of us who don’t really care about others as long as they are good. I’m at a buffet and living off the fat of the land, while my neighbor is starving is not a recipe for a good meal for me. I’m scared for the future. I’m scared for the lack of accountability. I hand wrote a note in English and Spanish and taped it in the lobby to inform people. It took all of five minutes. Why is it so much to ask that of another who has chosen to be responsible for the well being of others. I understand that none of us are usually paid for the work we do. But, certain communication isn’t about payment, but about the well being of people.
I’m tired of being sad all the time. I want to to be amazed at the efforts people put into just being good and right for tomorrow. I am certain that this emotion will be transferred into lyric soon. Hopefully the story this song tells or the picture that this song paints is one with a beautiful sunset and a heart at peace.
About the Creator
Kendell K. Lee
I am an artist. I don’t look like what I’ve been through, but my voice reveals a constant devil’s advocate that can sometimes seem hypocritical, but to those who reward themselves for not knowing everything I hope that entertainment is 🔝
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First Time
This is my first entry on vocal. I find it fitting that I am a person who celebrates my first of most things. After reading through just a few of the amazing post here, I feel my voice may seem a bit different from most. The image above is my first time at Botanical Gardens. It’s amazing how many first we can have in a lifetime. I often say that it is my goal to be appreciated more with repetition. Every experience is better than the last. I am so excited to share some of my simple truths. I hope that my post will be received as a day in the life of who I am today. I have always loved words. In fact, I call words my first true love. Truthfully, it was an arranged marriage orchestrated by my father as a form of punishment that proved to be reward. When I was growing up, I survived a lot of trauma. Most people don’t know unless we actually engage in a conversation where my experiences must be disclosed for understanding to be achieved. My mom used to tell me that I was supposed to be dead three times before I was born. The fact that I am alive, meant I had a purpose. I’m going to try and navigate through this as best I can. I’m so excited and eager to tell the right stories and post them in the right places to enable someone, only God knows who, to read and exhale.
By Kendell K. Lee5 years ago in Families
Autonomy Is The Real Privilege
Good morning, freedom-seekers! Today we’re gonna be looking at autonomy. A strange word, I know; one many would probably look at blankly and run away from on sight. We’re gonna figure out what it actually means, consider how it’s achieved, and decipher just how deeply most of us are tangled up in dependence without realising it.
By That ‘Freedom’ Guyabout 13 hours ago in Humans
I Changed My Morning Routine for 7 Days. The Results Surprised Me.
For years, my mornings have been… well, predictable. A frantic alarm snooze, a bleary-eyed scroll through social media, a rushed coffee and maybe, maybe, a piece of toast before bolting out the door. I always justified it as “being efficient” and “squeezing every last minute” out of the morning. But deep down, I knew this chaotic start was setting the tone for a day filled with stress and a persistent feeling of being behind.
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