Trouble Don’t Last…But It Lasts Too Long

Hello, Maniacs! I am a day late with my post, but I hope you guys are doing well! The week is almost over. Are you taking care of yourself and doing what’s best for you? Remember, there’s only one of you to go around, so be easy on yourself.

I just got back from seeing this documentary on the life of the incomparable, legendary vocalist Whitney Houston. So raw, powerful, as her family and friends spoke on the traumas and crisis that deterred her mental and spiritual stability.

I won’t rehash all the things that the media and the news have already displayed about Ms. Houston, but I will briefly speak on the demons that trailed her closely all the days of her life. She said in the movie that she always had dreams about running away from this giant. Her mother, Cissy Houston, said it was just the Devil coming for her soul. Talk about shivers and chills tingling the skin after hearing that with seeing how things turned out.

That angelic once-in-a-lifetime voice, poise, beauty, fame, fortune, she was a force! But she was not impervious to the same human struggle that we each experience. From what I gathered throughout the film is that Whitney never got to be herself, and she was searching for who she was her entire life. The leeches of Hollywood, accompanied by the side effects of being a superstar, slowly ate away at every morsel of her soul till there was barely anything left. Her gift would deteriorate and her life spiraled downward with it.

Topics of molestation, bullying, color-ism, infidelity, physical, emotional and verbal abuse were constants throughout the film. The pressure to be someone that she wasn’t shined a light on why she did the things she did. The dynamics of her relationships were so screwy that she felt like she couldn’t do anything but hide and try to please everyone. Unfortunately, she gave all of who she was to everyone else, and forgot to take care of herself.

She had such presence, so much laughter, so much spunk! People never would have suspected she was so troubled with all the money, fancy homes and cars and fancy clothes. But trouble doesn’t care nor does it discriminate. When it comes, it comes to each and every one of us. Her poor daughter didn’t stand a chance, as she grew up also lost in the industry of glitz and glam yearning for her mommy to be there not as Whitney the star, but as her mother.

Near the end Whitney tried her best to show up and be the mom that her daughter wanted her to be, but the demons lurked beside her still, which led to her relapsing to old, destructive habits, which then led to her passing. May God rest both of their souls as her daughter, Bobbi-Kristina would die the exact same way her mother did. Trouble doesn’t last, but it can endure for longer than we wish. I hope they aren’t in anymore trouble or heartache where they are now. 

Remember, Maniacs, take care of you, so you can effectively take care of those you care about. This movie further encourages me to also do the same as I preach to you. Self-care is the best care and knowing who you are and what you stand for will get you there!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Rest In Peace, Whitney; Your smile, your talent, and time on this Earth changed us all.

–CAM ❤