Founder of KNOCKED UP NOW WHAT?, #1 Essence Magazine Bestselling Author HuffingtonPost.com Blog section
I was born on the Fourth of July... 31 years ago. When I was little my mom told me that all the red, white, and blue shenanigans were just for me. The fireworks, she confessed, were a gift from President Reagan, and he had called every American, on my behalf, to celebrate. July 4th, as I had known it to be, was special only because I was born. Can you imagine what all the family reunions, BBQs, and parties can do to a little girl's ego when she thinks that the only reason you're having a great time is because she is alive?
Well, I can tell you firsthand that you feel like a star. A queen. Untouchable. And then one day, somewhere in between me learning about the tooth fairy and my beloved Santa Claus, I found out that my life was all a hoax. That the Fourth of July was actually America's birthday. And the 40th president? Well, he had no idea who I was! My life as I had known it was all a scam. And it all came tumbling down from there. The invisible crown I wore disappeared, and the life that once filled me with the feeling of being special was now replaced with the cold reality that I was normal like everyone else.
And because I believed what seemed to be a fact, I settled into a life of mediocrity. Because it was easy. Comfortable. Safe. My fireworks within had fizzled and I was officially... ordinary! But something funny happens when you get older. The time flies by and the fear of not going after "that dream" -- the one that keeps you up at night -- starts to sink in. Reality becomes your enemy and you realize that the life you sat back and watched happen... sucks!
Well, my friend, I had had enough. I chose to design a lifestyle that would capture the beautiful, jaw-dropping firecracker that I am and it all gets done with no apologies!