The second decade of the 21st century is here despite the fact that it seems as if it were just yesterday we were celebrating the exhilarating year of 2010. Though we are welcoming the New Year with new opportunities for personal growth, utilizing advanced technologies, and considering new methods to better our approach in the way we do things, we are beginning to feel a similar sense of déjà vu – that we have been, once before, somewhere like where we are now. We now distinguish that we have arrived, yet again, at a moment in time where we can begin again.

The expression “déjà vu” is noted as the phenomena in which a moment or event has been previously experienced. There are several theories regarding the causes of déjà vu; some believe the “encounter” to be quite prolific. People all over the world in all walks of life have experienced a sense of déjà vu at some time or another during the course of their lifetime. I believe in intuition. I believe that intuition plays a powerful role in what we see, how we see, and what we feel from day to day. It is likely for us to meet new people or visit a new place, wondering when and where we have met this person or visited this mysterious place before; we are often left with a surreal feeling and no explanation to follow. It is equally common for us to dream during the night, only to awaken and not remember the dream at all. A prophetic dream offers the subconscious mind insight on a future event, but awakes it with no recollection or resolve.

I’m certain a sense of déjà vu will at times, both conveniently and regrettably, remind us of the year of 2010. We endured everything from natural disasters and catastrophes to hunger and homelessness, positive activism and political shams, a high rate in lost jobs and unemployment, families forced to foreclosures and friends without accommodations, deaths – and births within many of our circles, to an overload of unpredicted chances and personal calamities. The months of January through December showed us how to develop more humility, find our purpose and find our balance, exercise activism and personal choice, grant grace, exhibit resilience, and be more patient, forgiving, and appreciative for those we love.

January mournfully awakened us with a 7.0 – magnitude earthquake in Port-au-Prince Haiti, confirming a death toll of 230,000. February graced us with the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP – in commemoration of African American History Month, the Library of Congress launched a new online exhibition about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. March showed us just how resilient Washington’s Iconic Cherry Trees could be. April 2010 marked Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary, where millions of environmental activists gathered on college campuses around the world. Mother’s Day in May brought us the loss of American legend, singer, actress, civil rights activist, mother, and dancer, the phenomenal Ms. Lena Horne. June entertained us with the 2010 FIFA World Cup that was held in South Africa and won by Spain. July cleverly gave us the completion of the first 24-hour flight by a solar powered plane. August declared the H1N1 influenza pandemic and the unfortunate return of typical seasonal patterns in worldwide flu activity. September afforded us a chance to take a stand by way of voice vote – The House of Representatives passed the bill for The Diabetes in Minority Populations Evaluation Act of 2010. October made available a season for the finance ministers of the G-20 to agree to reform the International Monetary Fund by shifting 6% of the voting shares to developing nations and countries with emerging markets. November brought us historical results in the 2010 Midterm Elections, from the first Hispanic female governor of New Mexico to ever be elected – to more women in Congress than at any other point in American History. And in December, Liu Xiaobo, Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist was the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize of any kind while residing in China. He is the 121st Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. December also sadly brought us the loss of one of the greatest American, iconic singer/songwriters ever revealed – the unwavering Ms. Teena Marie.

The Ivory Queen of Soul, also known as “Lady T” was a vivid part of my young adulthood. Her magic infused by her music inspired us all and introduced to us a new sound in R&B, Soul and Funk. Hit releases like “It Must be Magic”, “Square Biz”, “Lovergirl”, “I Need Your Lovin”, “Ooo, La, La, La”, “Portuguese Love”, “Fire and Desire”, “Cassanova Brown” and “Spanish Harlem” continued to climb to the top of the charts from 1979 to 2009. La Dona, her comeback album, released in 2004, became a gold-certified success and the highest-charting album of her career, peaking #6 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Marie released her thirteenth and final album, Congo Square, in January 2009. The album was to be a reflection of her early life inspirations of which she dedicated every single song to some musical giant of whom she loved and admired. Some of these included Rick James, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, the Gamble & Huff sound and Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

One of my personal favorites Déjà vu always seemed to surface to my inner consciousness. “The soul feels like the Universe/It’s vast and never ends/Stars to me are the Children/Babies are my friends/God is like a galaxy/Within my spirit flies/Felt this way a million times/Please don’t ask me why.” Hindsight, I believe Déjà vu was Teena’s personal interpretation of life here on earth – and life after death. For me, déjà vu means that each day may bring a repeated occurrence, but with a new discovery. This isn’t our first visit. It’s not that we are necessarily entering fresh territory, but simply starting to see our existing situations in a different light.

In some respect, déjà vu provides us with another chance to get it right. That’s what I cherish about new days and new years – they give us HOPE. Try not to feel bad about something you feel you should have seen before. Instead, make an effort to be glad of what is being shown to you now, and make full use of it. Another year has been applied with new aspirations, set with new agendas, and oh yes…followed by new adversities to come. What’s more important now is to examine how diligently we will manage these adversities. The opening weeks of 2011 bring us inspiring discoveries of how we can learn from past errors, draw on the confidence that only experience and time can bestow us, and start trying once more to put right things that have seemed to go wrong. This second time around, if our efforts are sincere, the likelihood of success is high. After all, we’ve ALL been here before, and like Teena Marie, we will undoubtedly exit again. Let’s make our lessons count.

Love for your Tuesday and your divine steps into a dazzling new year!