Every Day, A New Lesson

Guys, do you love chocolate? If you do, then we share a taste for sweet snacks. Though I know they are not the healthiest snacks to indulge in, I sometimes find chocolates irresistible.

Yesterday, I intended to share with you a story about a custom once practiced in my country in the preparation of the cocoa seed, a key ingredient in the manufacturing of chocolate, and that is the practice of dancing the cocoa, but then I discovered some things that's been happening in my writing journey that I was blithely unaware of.

My work on another platform was being plagiarized and shared here and God knows where else. I don't know how long this has been taking place, I don't know how prevalent it's been. A reader was kind enough to bring the issue to my attention and I absolutely appreciate that, but let me tell you, I was devastated. It felt like a gut punch, and because I overthink so many things sometimes, I spent a lot of the time last night... just thinking.

Anyways, I thank God sometimes for elasticity, and so, I'd like to discuss a few things today, if you guys will indulge me, but first, let's talk about dancing the cocoa.

In years gone by, before the advance of machinery, cocoa production, like sugar production, were major industries in my country, Trinidad and Tobago.

In the case of chocolate production, the cocoa bean is extracted from the cocoa seed, fermented and dried, and then ground into powder which is used to make chocolate. It was an old practice in my country to dance on the cocoa beans, and in that process, to air dry the beans. Here's a video which captures the process.

A moment with a cane farmer

And before I move on to the main theme of today's post, here's another picture I took on a journey to the beach pre-pandemic.

Full disclosure: The above is my picture which I posted briefly and deleted from noise cash. I trust that it's okay to share with you guys here.

This picture represents a throwback to years gone by when, again prior to the advance of machinery, it was common practice to see cane farmers sitting atop bundles of cane piled on carts like these, riding through the streets on the way to have the cane measured and sold at the cane factory. As children, we were like little bees drawn to the sugary cane syrup, and we would run behind the carts pulling at the cane stalks.

With that said, my friends, let's chat for a bit.

Every New Day, A New Lesson

If I've learned one thing on life's journey, it's that every day, there's a new lesson. Some lessons are pleasant, some lessons are tough and heart-wrenching. We don't get to choose which lesson we're given, and so, I believe that the key to success is applying yourself to learning the lesson that's before you.

For me, today's lesson was a bit of a reminder, and it is about understanding that even on this blogging journey, even when doing the thing I love the most- writing- there will be challenges that I must overcome.

I've been blogging on blockchain type platforms for a relatively short time- just a matter of months- and in that time I've enjoyed a lot of success which has made me really excited.

Truth be told though, I've been blogging for years.

Prior to creating a profile on Publish0x, I've had profiles on Wordpress, Mylot, and at one time there was this platform that I wrote for called Bitlander. These are just a few sites that come to mind. Many of these efforts were not successful, and sometimes, I'd put the pen down, regroup and start again because, among many things, I love to write.

Writing isn't a pastime for me, it's a profession. I love what I do, but I also live by what I do, and so, as a writer, it's important to me to be authentic and engaging, and I put in a lot of work and hours in the creation of the pieces I post. I'm not flippant about it at all. Oftentimes, I do a lot of research to get an article out every day, and the tabs across the top of my screen are very often so tiny, I am confused sifting through them.

I am prepared to earn a very small return for my work as I continue on the journey to build relationships, to build a brand, and to build a presence online. However, it's heartbreaking to have my work appropriated, copied and pasted without my consent, and claimed by an imposter who proposed to earn from my efforts. This is unacceptable to me.

There is a lot of sacrifice, a lot of shared sacrifice in my family, that goes into my work, and so, I had a really vulnerable moment when I learned of the blatant theft. Thankfully, another blogger brought the matter to read cash's attention while I continued blithely and blindly on writing, and I believe the thief has been removed from this platform.

I am thankful to the team behind this platform for their vigilance and fairness in promptly addressing the issue, and I am thankful to God for elasticity, for heartbreaking though it was to learn about this incident, I refuse to be shaken or daunted. And so, guys, I am committed to continuing to bring articles and stories to my audiences and to share both stories and earnings across any platform that I write, and I will do so until I am told that I cannot.

Here's the thing that I've learned: As you grow as a content creator, you will attract attention, both positive and negative. That's life. You have to be prepared to navigate, to remain constantly focused on your goals, to overcome hurdles that are placed in your way, and to constantly strive to remain focused, to remain authentic, and to impart positivity and encouragement to those you interact with. In short, rather than dwelling and marinating in an unpleasant experience, one must keep moving forward. For who knows? The simple act of moving forward despite setbacks might encourage someone else to do the same.

Moving Forward

In the recent past, I shared my own work with you guys and also versions of the same across platforms where I write. I was upfront about that and directed my readers to my other accounts. This didn't stop theft.

Today, I commit to a different experience and a different article on each platform. I suspect that this still may not stop theft, but even so, I will strive to be as vigilant as I can.

I wrote a blog on this platform recently titled Run the Race Which Matters where I shared about the journey of a friend, Nadine, who refused to be daunted by a setback. Over on Hive, I wrote another blog titled Overcoming Weakness where I spoke about my own journey overcoming urticaria. What I did not share about on any platform is the fact that some years ago, following an accident, I did not have control of my fingers for a few months, and in that time, I feared that I would never write again. I thank God for walking with me through that experience and for continuing, even now, to take me on this emotional and spiritual journey.

And here's what I want to tell you, my friends. We each have handicaps that we have to overcome every day. I could get on here and write about every thing being perfect and every day being awesome, but I wouldn't be truthful to myself or to you.

The fact is that some days are hard, and some days you are tempted to give up. Some days it feels like you're walking through treacle and every step forward is heavier, but, my friends, you cannot give up. You have to keep moving forward. How else can you reach your destination? How else will you achieve your goal?

Think of it like climbing steps cut into the side of a mountain. Up at the top, the air is clean and calming and spiritual, down below, there's a lot of noise and traffic and pollution. Imagine for a bit that you're on the middle of the hill. You're tired. Your legs hurt. If you want to be free of the noise and the traffic and the pollution though, you've got to keep walking. Your muscles may ache, and sometimes you may want to rest and that's fine. Pause if you must, but do not stop.

And so, today, I'll be honest, my muscles are aching a bit. I'm having a very human moment. But, like my article on urticaria, I'm pushing past the pain.

A word of thanks to my sponsors and readers. I appreciate your encouragement and I trust 
that my work is aligned with your values. My dear readers, please visit these pages as 
well, as we continue to motivate each other and encourage each other to grow.

And so, my friends, this brings me to the end of my post. Thanks for sharing in this moment with me. Have a great day!