Welcome to #KLowInspires

Last month I celebrated 3 years of finding out my status. This month I will celebrate 4 years of being infected. I can tell you that because I went back through my life and mapped out the times when the symptoms first started & the person I was sleeping with at the time. Roughly, 1 in 6 people in the U.S. don’t know their status. The date most ppl celebrate as being diagnosed is the date that they were informed of their status.  It takes HIV antibodies around 90 days to start showing up in the body. That’s why it’s recommended you get tested every 3-6 months. It’s still a lot of people out here having condomless sex. Condomless sex is the new term for people who like to have sex without using protection. I am in a much better place than I was when I found out 3 years ago. I still experience depression & dark days but I don’t dwell in them. I find ways to bring myself out of them. Whatever storm you are going through it’s only that, a storm. Storms don’t last foreve...

I hate I must tell you this, but women are emotionally driven during sex. If you aren't meeting her needs or handling business outside of the bedroom, she's not going to be as excited in the bedroom. The little things matter to us. If you know bills are due this week don't come home with a sob story and expect her to comfort you once y'all get in bed. She's running through her mind different scenarios and possibilities of how she can keep the lights on and have food on the table until you deliver. If she keeps catching you in lies or sticky situations, she's not going to get sticky for you. It's as little as may be cooking dinner one or two days a week since you get home first. We as women just want to matter to you as much as you matter to us. There are some that expect diamonds and gold or the world but the majority of us just want quality time, attention, and for you to show us how much we mean to you while you put in the same amount of effort to this...

Shhhhh... don't tell anyone I admitted this. It feels good to have people coddle you with love and affection after feeling so isolated and alone growing up.  I felt like an invisible person as a child. I normally stuck to my books and schoolwork. I was like a shy quiet nerd and I wasn't popular in school nor sports, so I kept my head in the books. This continued as I grew older where I started to blossom, and I became a bit more comfortable in my own skin. But after this tough life lesson where I had to learn self-love, you can't tell me I'm not the sugar honey ice tea. Your opinion doesn't matter. I know I'm beautiful and I show it often.  It's sad that it takes trauma or a hard life lesson for us to learn our worth, but... YOU ARE SO WORTH IT. That storm was sent to reinforce what you already know. You are it and can't nobody tell you sugar honey ice tea or rain on your parade. Take that lesson and find the rainbow at the end of it. If yo...

After my diagnosis, I was searching for some support to see how young black women like me were living and surviving life with HIV. While on my search, I found a new family within a secret online group of women from all over the country living with HIV. The group is based out of Atlanta so I could meet some of the women in person. We laugh, cry, and shout together. We support and pray with one another in our time of need. We occasionally meet up for dinner, movies, bowling, and we attend educational events in the community. We are always sharing love and support to one another in the group.   There are always conferences for people living with HIV (PLWH). This summer I got a chance to attend my first one. Positive Living Conference held yearly in September in Fort Walton Beach, FL. I got my whole life that weekend. We networked and added new women to our online support group. I met new people just from sitting around the pool, listening to karaoke, a...

When you look at the picture you see a smart, beautiful, kind, caring educated black woman. I see an exhausted and frustrated broken black woman. My bestfriend said it best when he said I sounded defeated because I was. You ask me what's gotten the best of me and I'll tell you life, and the only way you give up is to be 6 feet under. I'm not ready to go for I still have work to do here on earth. I had just left my therapy appointment and cried myself sick. I left feeling like nothing was better even though we covered a lot of ground and she gave me tips to work through this stage of life I had found myself in. I still felt broken because I have never felt this down and out before. I didn't know how or where to start to pick myself back up and that frustrated me even more. I told myself this too shall pass. Don't be afraid to admit defeat or ask for help. Even Jesus had 12 disciples watching His back. Remember, I LOVE YOU!!!

People are always telling you to do what's best for you, but they judge & criticize you when you do. I stepped out on faith & moved to Maryland. Me, the girl who said she was a DSGG (down South Georgia girl) for life. I was tired of my job & I needed a new start. When I received not 1 but 2 job offers in D.C. & Virginia, I knew this was the fresh start I had been praying to God about. I did everything that was necessary to make this move as easy as possible. If you know me, you know I HATE MOVING. And moving to another state is a whole other type of headache. Well after a few months of living in Maryland I felt myself slipping back to my dark place. I had promised myself I wouldn't let anything or anybody take away the peace I had found within. While I loved the different events, the DMV offers & the different cultures blended in the area I was not at peace with myself. So, I started planning my escape route back to Georgia. Yes, I was only gone...