For those of you have been around for a while, yall already know because of my background in counseling and the fact that I am blunt with my answers, I get a lot of horror stories from women. Some of them I share on here, others on my website and my newspaper column Ask Neo, and a lot of them are actually coming out in two of my upcoming books. But some are so serious I can’t even print them. Just understand that on any given day one of you shares something with me so deep and messed up that I am on the phone doing what I can trying to keep a situation from becoming a tragedy. That is the part yall never see and why I have to remain prayerful every time I open my messages. I am fortunate to have lots of friends in crisis management or I would be a mess over the stuff that is shared with me on a daily basis from women who are just so stuck that it is a wonder they are alive.
So excuse me when I get a little short with you over some trivial booty bull that I ain’t even thinkin about after stayin up half the night with a mama who son is out on the street with a gun or a young man or woman ready to end their life because they been molested by their own pastor and don;t know how to tell their parents. Yeah the shit gets that deep. And a lot of it from people who go to church every damn Sunday surrounded by a bunch of judgmental hypocrites they can’t even trust with their problems. Don’t get me started because you have heard me say over and over again that the church is WHO WE ARE and not no preacher or building. The church is the fellowship we share even in a place like this. The church is ANYWHERE we choose to be used by God.
Anyway, based on some serious matters that I recently had to deal with I thought it was time to give another common sense shout out.
1. Stop taking pictures in front of your valuables or taking wide shots of what is in your house. You are telling people you are worth robbing or getting with just for what you got. We are all guilty of it.
2. Do not take pictures in front of your license plate. People can look up your car and stalk you.
3. Stop taking pictures with your minor children, especially your young girls in poses they ain’t got no business being in. All you doin is putting out bait for pedophiles.
4. Stop posting when and where you going. You are telling people when it is ok to break into your house or how to stalk you.
5. Do not open email attachments or click on links with your phone from people you don’t know. The newest viruses allow someone to track you using your phone as well as turn on the microphone and camera on your phone or computer to let someone watch you anytime they want.
All five of those pieces of advice were part of VERY serious situations I had to deal with from people on my friends list over just this past year. Yeah I am a real hard ass son of a bitch most of the time, but it’s because most of yall never had a daddy to kick yall ass into listening. But in the end, I love each and every one of you and I just want you to be alright.
-Neo