Growing up I spent most of my time at my Grandmother’s house. Her house had this peculiar odor to it. This odor gave off the scent of a dead skunk, when they’re run over lying on the side of the road. The skunky odor for some reason always comforted me. Whenever I was tired or didn’t feel good I would lie on my grandmother’s couch and relax. Her house was filled with smoky gray air. The lights were rarely on, candles were always going and she always had the radio on, set to the jazz station. It has been almost eight years later and I can still remember exactly how my grandmother’s house had the odor of a skunk and smoky gray air.


Tattoos are your expression
Growing up as a child I was always curious and interested in my mothers’ tattoos. I remember counting the number of tattoos on her arms, back, shoulders, thighs, and chest area as a child. Seven all together I counted. As I became older I counted my mothers’ tattoos again. This time she had 10. I wondered what they each individually meant to my mother. I asked her what the meaning to them is. She replied, tattoos are your expression. You can modify your body and add art which has meaning. Each piece of art tattooed on me has a meaning. From that day I on, I grew up learning that tattoos are your expression.

Your Body Is Your Temple
One quote I’ll always remember from my child hood is “Your Body Is Your Temple”. Usually this is the part where you’d say your grandmother, your father, or your mother always used to say this. But in this case it wasn’t my grandmother, my father or my mother. It was myself. As a child I observed my surroundings and the individuals who were around me. I noticed that they were mostly over weight, strung out on drugs, or too drunk to focus. I always told myself “treat your body as a temple” because what goes in to your temple is what powers your temple and from what goes in must come out and what comes out is what your temple looks like. I made a promise to myself as a child that I would treat my temple rightfully. Now as I’ve grown older I can proudly say that I am still committed to my promise.

My True Love.
The gym is my true love. Whenever I’m upset, having a bad day, or have a lot of energy the gym is always there for me. I don’t have to worry about what I look like, or if I’m sweaty. Gym doesn’t judge me, or laugh at me. Gym motivates me. Gym understands me and for that I am able to step into my world where I focus on myself and let it all out.

Stick hit the windshield.
Every family has that one story in which they tell over and over again. Well in my family the story that is told over and over again isn’t your typical family story. This story is something I can never live down and never hear the end about. I remember when I was 5 years old I asked my mother if I could wait outside for my older sister to get off the bus but sadly she said no. But I didn’t care I snuck outside and saw this stick sitting in the yard. I thought as a 5 year old what a brilliant idea it would be to throw this stick into the road. Little did I know that as I threw the stick it would hit the windshield of a cop car. I darted inside and layed on the couch pretending to sleep. I remember lying there, trying not to laugh as the cop entered the house and had told my mother what happened.