Demetria Reads

The mind is the battlefield and when it comes to unlearning, our thinking and mindsets can become horrific dictators to our lives. However, before one can choose to change their thinking, they must become aware of their thinking patterns.  Mai Pham shares how she learned to question what she was taught by her family and society that no longer served her best interests.   As you listen, reflect on the thinking patterns you hold to and if they are serving you well.  And if not, are you willing to let them go?

Like everything else, women hold the monopoly on even time limits for sex.  And according to this author, men would be wise to heed.  When she starts thinking about checking on her roast in the oven....dude, you're done.  Enjoy!

Could you live without everything you felt you needed?  Your apartment, car, credit cards, clothes...could you just walk away from all the upkeep and appearance of things and live a simpler lifestyle?  This author gives us a quick look into how he's shedded all he didn't need in order to live the life that matters. 

Does your significant other allow you to break wind in front of them? Or do you hold it in from fear of what they might think?  In a world where image outranks reality, I'm sure there's many of us who would clench rather than release.  Benjamin Davis gives us a funny and unashamed peek on how he had no choice but to tackle this painful hurdle with his girlfriend.  

No one can teach you how to live.  Life is an experiment, a melting pot of recommendations, fighting against ingrained patterns and leaping by faith, even if you don't believe in a higher power. Wouldn't it be wonderful to receive yearly reviews from Life?  To sit down with Life and go over the choices we've made and be guided away from pits and towards higher planes?  But Life doesn't provide such feedback, it simply demands that we trust that it knows and that we let go.....of ourselves.  Even let go of what we thought life would be and what we planned.  Can you let go?  Can you trust life to know better than you and submit to its guidance?   Jonas Ellison encourages us to die to ourselves, our ego and let Life win.

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you hate first dates?  Well, if you didn't hate first dates, you will now.  Listen to the funny and shocking tale of this author's unforgettable experience with a first date gone horribly wrong.  It could happen to you...

We may not admit it but a crucial part of our wardrobe is the mask we wear everyday that hides our true selves.  This mask is more familiar to our friends, family and colleagues than our true face.  Why is it so hard to be ourselves?  Why are we content to hide that which is authentic and full of clarity?  Is it that we are strangers with our true selves? Have we assimilated so well that we believe the mask is real?  And when we do find glimmers of our true selves, why do we apologize for it?

Today's featured author, Darius Foroux challenges us to discover what is unashamedly true about being ourselves and embrace it wholeheartedly.  

Favoritism. Humans do it but what about the artificial intelligence we bring into our homes and lives?  Does Alexa, Siri or even the voice of your car's GPS seem to show a predilection for you despite the angst of others around you?  This is the dilemma of the three voices sharing a household in this humorous article where one voice is favored and the other is undermined.  

Music has a universal language that connects us beyond the barriers of language, culture and even personal differences.  Music is a power that can move us suddenly from one emotion to another without warning.  And music is never more powerful than in our pre-teen and teenage years when we are in the chaos of figuring out who we are and carving out our lives.  In this love letter, the author gives tribute to the role music has played in her life.  Her words reminds us that without music, life wouldn't have been as impactful or even as memorable.  If you had to write a love letter to the role music has played in your life, what would you say?  

The relationship between mothers and daughters is classically one of love and hate. It 's also a tug-of-war of individuality, identity and dependency.  Both parties are guilty of the pushed upon sculpting of the other.  A daughter trying to make her mother understand what age is blind to, a mother trying to make her daughter see what youth keeps her in ignorance of.  And for many, by the time both sides can finally "see", time has passed and opportunity lost.  Enjoy this quick invitation of the author to experience the complex, rich and rewarding quagmire that was the relationship with her mother.