Tag: matt d talford

The Wizard of Oz: A Lesson in Life Purpose and the Journey of the Soul

Matt Talford

Lions and tigers and bears OH MY! ANYONE WHO HAS EVER SEEN THE AMERICAN CLASSIC FILM, “The Wizard of Oz,” is going to be familiar with the above phrase; but did you know that the film quite possibly goes deeper than the singing, dancing and feel-good narrative it presents? Watch my breakdown of how the movie, “The Wizard of Oz” just might hold the keys to unlocking the mystery of why each of us came to earth.  One thing’s for certain: you’ll probably never look at the film the same…

The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Why Nobody Came for Us

Matt Talford

The explanation for the title of this article is so simple that by the end of it, some of you reading may wonder why I even wrote it, but I’ll carry on anyway… What happens when citizens of countries are kidnapped by foreigners?  What happens when a nation’s warriors are taken as POWs?  To answer that, let us use for an example the Iran hostage crisis, where for nearly 15 months from November 1979 to January 1981, 52 American diplomats and citizens were held captive in Iran.  Without going into…

2020 America: A Spiritual Chernobyl

Matt Talford

WITH ALL THE INCREASED AWARENESS… and media attention regarding incidents of police brutality and their subsequent protests (both nationally and internationally), “Matt, what can I do to help?” is a question I have been asked by a number of my “White” friends a lot lately.  I am not alone in fielding that question either, because several of my “Black” friends have shared similar stories of being asked the same question (and by the way, I utterly despise human color classifications, which is why I’ve used quotes with them for some…

The Parable of the Extraordinary Bicycle

Matt Talford

Question for my parents out there (or you don’t necessarily have to even be parents to answer)… Your teenage son… comes home with a shiny new bicycle that he told you a friend sold to him at a huge discount.  It is an extraordinarily beautiful bicycle, unlike any you’ve seen before.  You look at your son with great pride for being a smart shopper. Your son rides the bicycle around for a few months, showing it off to everyone he knows. One day, while your son is out bike riding…

FitBit Challenges and Apple Watches

Matt Talford

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? If you answered, “The ‘smart guy’ wearing TWO devices that sort of do the same thing Matt,” you hit the nail on the head! So I’ll begin by saying this… It’s not every day that I give away million-dollar business ideas for free; but on rare occasions, I’ll do it for products or companies that I like, and only for the purpose of solving a problem (which I happen to be very good at—not bragging, just facts based on experience; but I digress). Now, what…

It’s Your Narrative; *You* Should Tell It

Matt Talford

EVERY PERSON AND TRIBE ON PLANET EARTH…  has a narrative—a detailed story about who they are, where they’re from and what they’ve done.  Even places have their own stories.  With those things in mind, the question arises: who better to share a narrative about a person or group than the person or people themselves?  As a lifetime writer and lover of non-fiction, I find truth to be the most important element of storytelling, especially when it comes to describing “the people who lived it,” which brings me to why I…

What Are You Pouring Into?

Matt Talford

Fact: Your daily energy stores (physical, spiritual, mental, emotional) are limited, and rest is required to replenish them. So what does that mean to you and me?  It’s simple.  If we’re dealing with a resource that is finite, it is imperative for us to be mindful of… pay attention to… or closely examine what and whom we pour our energy into.  The question is… are you pouring into people or situations that give back?   If you and I are pitchers and what’s inside of us is water, tea, lemonade,…

Privileged? – A Response to An Article on The Players’ Tribune

Matt Talford
Matt D Talford, Author

Before I proceed with my response to the article “Privileged” by NBA player Kyle Korver, let me install a little framework… First… for those of you who have never heard of “The Players’ Tribune” (I didn’t even know it existed until I encountered it this morning), it is a media company founded by one of my all-time favorite New York Yankees: Derek Jeter.  According to their “about” page (which you can see here – www.theplayerstribune.com/about), the site serves as a vehicle to allow players’ voices to be heard from a…

Them Old Silver Cars

Matt Talford

Imagine having a fleet of shiny silver cars… Some Mercedes, some Aston Martin, some Bentley, some Cadillac, some Porsche, some Jaguar, some Lexus… being sent to a giant chop shop, having all their interior and exterior badging removed; leather interiors swapped out for old cloth; wheels removed and replaced with cheap rims and hub caps; high-grade rubber tires swapped out for cheap replacements; radios and navigation systems taken out; and finally, rear bumpers taken off and replaced with truck bumpers with big trailer hitches. These “luxury” vehicles are then loaded…

What “Black” Isn’t; What “Black” Is

Matt Talford

This original piece (by none other than myself—apologies for being redundant there), in my opinion, should be a topic of discussion at the dinner table in every (so-called) African-American home this February and beyond. The piece begs the questions: Who were they? Who are we? Who am I? Please enjoy and as always, leave your comments in the comments section below. –MT Matt D. Talford is a writer, narrator, and author of three books: “Stuck In An Elevator” – a fictitious tale of passion and self-discovery; “Captain’s Mate: A Practical…