lessons

(PT 2)Police, Through The Eyes Of A Child👮🏻‍♂️👧🏾💭…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

Continuing from where I left off…

I never wanted to distrust, dislike, hate, or fear the police. I never wanted to witness first hand how violent and aggressive they can be towards a complying citizen. I never thought of the police in terms of “race”, I never thought of the police as an enemy….. they were just men, in uniforms, with a gun, that were supposed to protect ME.


I saw a side of the police that I had never seen before. I saw them hurting someone, they were hurting my father! We were right outside of our house, it was so bizarre. Everything happened so fast, I was already shooken up by having to abruptly leave my house. I didn’t understand why they had to do this???
He was not resisting arrest by any means, and I did not hear him saying anything to the police. My father is far from perfect, but I had never seen him be violent towards anyone. He most certainly hadn’t been violent towards me, or any of us kids. Did he deserve this treatment??? Why is this taking so long??? Why hurt him, aren’t they supposed to put handcuffs on him on take him away??? Why do they need SO MANY COPS TO
BE ON HIM???
My father is a very tall, lean man, and as he was being draped up by about four cops, he looked like a rag doll being tossed around. I disctinctly remember the backyard area of the house next door had long stairs going down. They brought him down there, I did not see what they did to him though. I was so confused and disgusted. I wasn’t even crying, none of us kids cried. I was trying to process and understand what was going on. I wanted to go back inside of my house! I wanted this all to stop!

I’ll never forget hearing my mother pleading with them to let us go, let us leave the area, so we wouldn’t have to witness any violence. I always Thank God that my mother was a very calm and logical woman, because she properly addressed the police in a non-aggressive manner. She always spoke eloquently in any situation. I’ll never forget hearing her pleading with the police to please let us go! She didn’t want us to have to see any violence but her pleas fell on deaf ears.
I did not understand why we were not allowed to leave the area and get away from the scene. We were not doing anything wrong…..

Even writing about this incident is upsetting to my soul. My life, my world, ALL that I knew changed forever after this incident. I will continue in another post.


Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.


Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely

Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W

All Overnight☀️💭🙄⏳…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment
I was meaning to post this blog earlier last month, it seems as though time is whipping by and we’re trapped in an hourglass…

I walked outside in the afternoon, to what felt like a different country. It was as if summer literally arrived overnight, the tempermental weather finally chose summer!
Overnight it seems as though the virus has disappeared, and is no longer crippling our lives. I walked outside in the afternoon, to what felt like a different country. Folks strolling by were wearing shorts  and t-shirts, and most definitely were not  wearing masks!
I was happy to see and feel the sun, not covered by clouds, pure sunshine, bright and warm! It’s about time that my body gets a nice dose of vitamin D, but it sucks that I’ll still need to wear a mask…I really need to breathe some fresh air, and soak up a little sun before it goes away!
Okay, so the majority of pedestrians are not wearing masks. I’m not one to follow the crowd, but I want to make sure before I walk any further, I am prepared. I want to make sure I am allowed to enter the businesses that I need to go to. I don’t know if the rules for masks have changed because there hasn’t been any new announcements.
The question is, to mask, or not to mask?
I need to breathe, so I’ll walk without wearing one, for once, and do my best to “social distance”. I’ll try my best to avoid crowds as usual. Thank God everyone is pretty polite around here, we’re all staying out of each other’s way. We’re all trying to take advantage of this beautiful weather. Look at how happy those children are riding their bikes! Some folks are even trying to catch a tan, as though the sun will never come back out again.

Collectively we’re over it, the news said the virus can survive in hot weather. I know I’m not the only one who is questioning what is really going on???
No conspiracy theories, just simple observations.
We only get about three months of summer out of the year, and we’ve had autumn-like temperatures in between. It doesn’t feel natural, there is no balance.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it hailed tomorrow, but I would be happy to see tomorrow.

Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.

Love and Respect,
~Dawn Lovely

Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W

Just Some Thoughts: In The Meantime…. 💯🤔☝🏼

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

I had to put the continuation of my last post on pause, there’s some thoughts I need to share…

Depending on where you live, the social climate outside may be different, it’s been calm over here, and I’m fortunate for that. Keeping up with the local news, the worldwide press conferences, ALL of the “unrest” of the people, the misleading mainstream media, the controversy, the chaos, the blatant lies, and the truth can be overwhelming.

I one hundred percent understand the anger, frustration and pain of the folks who are peacefully protesting, in general, folks are fed up! Covid-19 quarantine stress, money troubles, many other factors have come into play.
I’ve been keeping a level head for the most part, but I did have a good long cry after watching a woman cry because her local store was destroyed. She wanted to purchase groceries for her children, and had no where else to go. There was another elderly woman who cried the same, because she had no clue where she would get her medication from…

The fires really blew my mind, I was gazed, lost in the blaze. I have seen buildings on fire in real life before, but I have never seen a whole neighborhood on fire. I have only lived in Western society, and have been fortunate to never have had to experience war. Watching these events on livestreams, is the closest I’ve ever been. I especially worry  for the children and the elderly, they are defenseless. Can you imagine being  a child, walking past the local grocery store in your neighborhood that you love to go to with your mother, and seeing it has been changed over night to a pile of ashes???
I understand history, and these events are supposed to happen, the children will live through it, as they have in the past.
The difference for me with 2020, is there’s so much conflicting information, and agendas being pushed at once.

I saw a little girl be scolded by her mother in the store for touching her mask, then touching her face by mistake. Meanwhile, only approximately thirty percent of people in the store were wearing masks, and on the street mid-town street. Don’t they say that children are less susceptible to catch the virus?

I felt sad for that little girl because there’s so much confusion and mixed messages coming from adults. On top of it, these children will not be going to school apparently until autumn. I forsee that school promise may not go through, I would not want to have to explain that to my child.

Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.


Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely

Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W

Police, Through The Eyes Of A Child👮🏻‍♂️👧🏾💭…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

My first experience with police was at five years old, when my house was raided, and my father was assaulted before my very eyes.

I shied away from sharing this story, partly because it’s not just my story, it’s my family’s story too. I was apprehensive because this incident changed our lives as we knew it. We’ve never really discussed the trauma aspect of it, but collectively, we saw police in very negative way that day. I may have mentioned this incident in a previous blog, but not in detail. I’d like to take you back in time with me, I want to share this story through my eyes as a child.

As I grew up, I understood my father’s mistakes and illegal activities are what lead up to the police raiding our house. He is accountable for that. The problem was, that WE the children were NOT handled in a sensitive manner, considering we had nothing to do with the problem. When I look back on this incident, I know it molded my view on law enforcement forever. It cemented negative expectations from them in my mind, and I lost my trust and faith in them, also part of my innocence.

Before this incident, I thought the way most five years olds do. I thought police were the “good guys” that always helped and protected everyone. I trusted the police.
That’s what they taught us in kindergarten, right? They come into our classrooms and talk to us, and teach us about safety. They are friendly and approachable looking, with their shiny badge and neat uniform.
I had no reason to fear or question the police, and my parents never spoke ill of them….On television, kiddie shows, Sesame Street, in cartoons, they were always the good guys.

I never wanted to distrust, dislike, hate, or fear the police. I never wanted to witness first hand how violent and aggressive they can be towards a complying citizen. I never thought of the police in terms of “race”, I never thought of the police as an enemy….. they were just men, in uniforms, with a gun, that were supposed to protect ME.

Well, I will continue in my next blog.

Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.


Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely

Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W

I Can’t Help But Think💭🙄😥…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

The very unfortunate, heart-wrenching, senseless murder of  George Floyd(RIP) captured on camera by a bystander has shook the world. I tried to avoid watching the footage, because I didn’t need the picture in my head. I ended up watching one of my favourite YouTube journalists covering the story, and the clip was included.

The footage of him, terrified, fighting for his life, laying on the ground with a cop’s knee digging into his neck deeply upset my spirit. I felt an erie vibe, seeing George “passing out”, I was very upset, and the stress started getting to my head. I pictured myself standing there, and then becoming very agitated, watching the policeman kneel on this grown man. I pictured myself running up, attempting to pull the cop off of him, and then being manhandled by the other cop who stood guard. I witnessed my father be brutalized by a gang of  police right in front of me, outside my house at I five years old. I think I told that story in a previous blog. This situation brought back that helpless feeling…

I rarely post on world trending topics, because I feel there are so many people repeating the same words, that my words will hold no power online. As a writer, I try to be sincere and write from a pure place, and if I’m unable to, I simply don’t. I want you to know that keep I up with the news, all current events and trending topics in Canada, and worldwide. I try to keep up with the real people, the independent journalist online who speak the truth that the news will not.
The aftermath has been truly disturbing to watch. Since it is all being livestreamed across the internet, my eyes have been glued to the screen.
I am very aware, and completely understand the reasons behind the actions of the people, however I’m flabbergasted and deeply saddened by it all. I have shed many tears, since this pandemic hit, and these recent events have had me weeping. Some tears shed on others behalf, not all for me.


My spirit, my intuition has been telling me that we all will be left stranded in the same boat when this insane chaos is put to an end. There will be immense, irreparable damage that will have a trickle down effect to the majority of the population. You don’t have to be “woke” to see that the rules will shift very quickly and the new virus rules will look like a cakewalk in comparison. I’m going to leave it at that for now. I’ll continue in my next post.


Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.


Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely

(PT 3) Do You Really Need🍫🍫It?…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

Chocolate is my weakness when it comes to sweets. I always crave a little bit of chocolate throughout the day. I am trying to cut back though, and I must say, I’ve cut back tremendously from the start of the year.
I have tried to eat only certain forms of dark chocolate, for a healthier choice, or specially made chocolate with less additives and sugar. That hasn’t worked to curb my craving, I end up craving the good stuff.
I used to feel the need to always have some sort of chocolate on deck, chocolate covered almonds, chocolate candy bars, chocolate covered raisins, brownies, you name it. So, I decided to use hot chocolate to satisfy that daily craving, which has has helped curb that craving. I limit myself to one mug, and I don’t heap 2-3 tablespoons into the mug like I used to. A little almond milk is nice to add sometimes, and one mug leaves me satisfied for the day.

I don’t know if I’ll ever not like chocolate, and it’s hard not to glimpse at the chocolate candy isle when I am shopping. Force of habit. When I do catch myself looking off towards that isle, I tell myself that I don’t need it, and I already have some at home.
I don’t know if I’ll ever reach a point where I won’t
like chocolate.

I am weaning myself off of chocolate because I know that it is the sugar that I’m craving. The less of it I eat everyday, the more I realize that the need to eat it, is more in my head! And by the way, I did eat a little chocolate today, but it was just a little, for flavour. That’s all I really needed.

I have more to say on this sweet topic but I will continue in another blog.


Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.

Love and Respect,


~Dawn Lovely

(PT 2)Do You Really Need🍬It?…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment
Continuing…


I’ve improved since last month by a long shot, I find myself not craving candy as much, but my sweet tooth is still well and very active. I know that I will continue to crave sweets, but it’s just about sticking to a good substitute. Over the years I have tried many different healthier/natural foods to ease my cravings which has helped. Dried fruits like, prunes, apricots, and raisins are a good substitute for candy. They are very sweet, and jammed packed with nutrients as well.


Regardless of your financial situation, we are in the best time to  moderate our diets. We all know that there is some form of sugar in practically everything we eat. Now is the time to make room for the foods that do your body good, that help to strengthen your immune system. You will be amazed at how much money you save once your try cutting out what is not really needed.
The money that you save by cutting back, you can put towards the “marked up” prices to purchase fruits like strawberries, blueberries, avocados, pineapples etc. Those fruits tend to be pricey, compared to a large pack of skittles. You can also consider supporting your local fruit markets in your neighborhood, to help them stay open.

Regardless of how healthy I try to keep my diet, I still feel it necessary to indulge in a daily snack or dessert.

I am now focusing on what types of sugar I choose to eat through the day, and the times of day I crave sugar.

I’m glad that I am able to walk past the candy section without feeling the need to grab a box. The artificial glucose syrup candies are not as appetizing to me now, but I’ve had to fill the void with something.

As much as I love fruits, I still need something different as a substitute when the usual won’t do.

One of the reasons that I adore living in the city is, even during this shut down I’m  still able to find one of my all time favorites. I finally found one of my carribbean favourites at a local fruit market, tamarind balls. They are made from natural tamarind, but processed with some sugar, and chilli. There are different types of these candies some are spicy and hot, some made to be more sweet. They definitely satisfy my sweet tooth. I don’t find myself feeling a “sugar high” after eating a few. That is the beauty of them filling in  for my candy cravings.

I hope this post helped in some way! I’m going to grab a fruit before I start getting ready for bed.

Take Care, Stay safe and  Stay tuned.


Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely
Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W

Those Quarantine Dreams🌛💭…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

I was meaning to continue on from my last blog, but I felt the need to share this with you, regarding dreams. Since the beginning of this quarantine, I have been having short weird dreams. Sometimes during a quick unexpected, drop asleep type nap. Sometimes after a long much needed proper sleep. My body clock has been off it’s usual schedule for obvious reasons, and the weather isn’t helping.
I know these dreams are coming from a lack of  consistency, but I still want to understand what it is I’m seeing. These dreams are more difficult than usual for me to read, because they are so short and random. I have to think a little deeper to figure where the ideas came from, and why they suddenly showed up.


Have you ever fallen asleep with the TV on and had influences from the program playing, enter into your dream? We’ve all been there, and sighed in relief when realizing it was just the TV, not actually ME.
Well, these dreams are ALL me. The other day it hit me that the scenery, and the atmosphere outside has brought many of my actual dreams to life.

I have had this reoccurring dream of walking around in a large spacious vacant store. I am usually all alone, and there are barely any products on the shelves. Sometimes the stores look abandon, with old broken or used products on the shelves. Sometimes the store has everything, but what I really need.
The worst is when I awake, upset and afraid of what I couldn’t find in the dream.


I have dreamt those “Bargain Harold’s” warehouse stores, that you will only know if you are from a certain era in old school Toronto. I used to love walking around with my mother and siblings in that store. 

In real life, the streets are vacant and quiet, some stores have been boarded up, and through the windows some are a literal mess. I feel uneasy seeing this, but there isn’t anything that I can do.
My dreams draw upon these feelings that I need to feel, and now I have no choice but to accept what’s going on outside.
I don’t think I’ll be having those type of  dreams anymore.


Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.


Love and Respect,


~Dawn Lovely


Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W

(PT 1)Do You Really Need🍭It?…..

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

On a tight budget, time limit, and limited stock, simplicity is the key to grocery shopping in these times. You may have to wait outside an hour longer than you anticipated.

There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring regarding rules and regulations for essential stores. Shop as though your life depended on it, without the stress. Pick up the essentials first, the basic staples, the most nutritious foods the body needs. Consider the rest extras, to supplement your pantry, or add-ons you could live without.

This thought process used to be challenging for me, when I used to rely more on snacks. You will improve over time, and there’s no better time than now.

There are many items in the grocery store that you just don’t need, omitting them from your list is a good start. Bunkers all over the store are packed with boxed snacks, full of sugar, salt, and preservatives. I haven’t seen a shortage of boxed snacks in a grocery store yet, and the prices are pretty good on those items. I don’t forsee an upcoming shortage of those packaged foods anytime soon. The news has yet to report on any possible shortages on chips and cookies.

If you have a favourite not so healthy snack, pick it, choose one and buy it in bulk. Ration it, create portions for the week, and have it as your main “guilty snack”. I eat pretty healthy on a daily basis, but I can admit to my borderline sinful sweet tooth, that I’m still working on curbing.

This quarantine time has put my sweet tooth to the ultimate test, for obvious reasons. I have found myself buying my favourite candy of all time, “hot tamales” to carry me through. As of now I haven’t felt the need to buy them, my cravings have subsided with work! I will share more of my tips in my next post.

Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.

Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely

Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W

We’ll Have To Adapt🙄☝🏼🍞….

~ dawnlovely ~ Leave a comment

Continuing…

We have no choice but to adapt, because we don’t know how long this will last. What used to be a simple trip to the grocery store, is now a trip you really have to prepare for.

Yesterday was the first time in almost two weeks that I was out and about in the morning to shop. I was taken aback by the long line outside of the store, especially at that time of day. I hadn’t seen this outside of a store around here, and the gaps in between made it even longer. The “social distancing” and monitoring of the line is different in the busy daytime hours. That’s why I’ve been trying to avoid the crowded stores, and was only going out after dark right before closing. I need to get fresh air and sunlight, and I used to love to do my errands in the daytime. Standing in that line, I heard many people’s worries. I could’ve put on my headphones and plugged into my google play list, but no. I find it’s best to listen and take in the vibes of what’s going on around you. I felt sorry for the senior citizen who asked the grocery line security, “Are there senior citizen hours??” The reply was, “Yes, Monday and Wednesday.” I could hear the slight desperation in his voice, and I felt kind of bad for him. Some of the older folks don’t have any help, and have to shop amongst the general public. Another man ahead of me had to step out of the line to use the payphone that was two steps away. In typical “Canadian Manners” fashion, he turned around and told the man behind him, sounding slightly worried. He didn’t want to lose his place in line, even though we tend to be very understanding and polite. I usually would have offered him my cell phone to use, but I couldn’t, due to the virus situation. I barely touch my phone in public.

When it comes to hunger and food folks tend to act impatient, regardless of the circumstance. Folks are generally worried, in the span of weeks, how to access basic needs, has changed tremendously.

We have to adapt, and help each other through this, by polishing up on our newly learned outside etiquette.

I am Thankful for the caring, polite, aware folks of Toronto. I will continue in my next post.

Take Care, Stay safe, and Stay tuned.

Love and Respect,

~Dawn Lovely

Follow me @:https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely, https://t.co/wfctLWHJ1W