The Waiter...

They say an elephant never forgets...well I was at Elephant Bar today, and I didn't forget that the waiter didn't bring me my change! I sat and sat, and he went to go over and sit with his friends, stick out his tongue, and play with his iPhone. When he came back my way. he was giving people their plates and looked dead at my table empty handed. Not a speck of change! Just because I gave you a coupon, you can't keep my change. That wasn't your tip yet. Patience is a virtue. Mr. Waiter, if you want the tip, gimme my change! You can't just take it and run with it!

Not Enough Hours In The Day!

Lately it seems like I have been running at full speed, go go go with no time to rest very much. This has been a big change for me, and such a busy schedule takes a lot of balance, determination and focus. These were attributes I didn't have a lot of, but they are skills that you learn from the world and people around you. One thing I am truly trying to master is the art of "biting my tongue." Sometimes, you can't always make a big fuss out of things, and when the people around you obviously have ideas that don't click with what you know is right, it can pose a problem. My challenge is letting those things roll off my back like a baby duck!

Sunburnt Feet!

Yep, the top of my feet got burnt up while I was working the flea market this weekend. My shoulders got pretty burnt too...they feel like sandpaper. The last time I got a really bad sunburn was in my face, and it peeled bad! I looked like an eggplant! I was in 5th Grade, and I was stupid enough to think that I wouldn't get sunburnt because I'm Black! Well let me tell you, it happens to everybody if they let it! I tried sunscreen, but it's too much work, and it leaves a slimy, greasy look on my skin. The spray-on gags me...I try to stay in the shade as much as I can. But that's what I get!

My Mom's Birthday is TODAY!!

My mom would have been 64 today. I miss that crazy woman so much, and I have so many things to say to her. I see so much of her in myself. If you have your mother in your life, be grateful. Don't take her for granted. I lost her when I was 20. The last year she was alive, we grew really close and wrote letters back and forth. It's been 11 years since she passed, and sometimes I pick up my cell phone and think I can call her. What makes it hard for me is the fact that she really wasn't present for me when I was growing up. I choose not to put her on blast on the Internet, but I am finally beginning to understand her struggles, and why they live in me.

I miss her so much, and I wish that she was here next to me. I would have taken care of her even up into her age. Sometimes I try to picture what she would look like now, and how the family would be. I'm not too sure what that would look like now, but the love and hope for her happiness wouldn't have changed one bit

What Happened...

It seems like children are getting  more and more outta pocket these days. No respect for adults, no respect for teachers! I guess the time are changing, but the base level of respect & manners has flown out the window. I was always taught to respect adults and use my manners. I had good "home training." But it seems like the roles have reversed! Children are the parents, and parents are the children! With fewer and fewer role models and good examples, the foundation for respect and courtesy starts at home. I know that you have to give respect to get it, and not every adult is a saint. But, if you want good kids set the tone when they are small, and not when they're 14!

Second Guessing...AVOID IT!

It's so easy for us to try and please other people, make sure everyone else is happy, and always put others before ourselves-especially women. We never question having to go out of our way for that friend, bending over backwards to make sure that the family is ok, and being the sacrificial lamb at the job. But do you ever stop to think about making time and space for your OWN needs and wants? When something good happens in your life, do you ''second guess" or talk your way out of a blessing because you don't feel "good enough?" We have all done this.

It's so common to want the best for all the other people in our lives. Do we want the best for ourselves? The "best" doesn't mean the most expensive, the newest, or the most popular. The "best" means what makes you smile, feel joyful, comfortable and confident. When you get that unexpected reward, promotion, or positive opportunity, CLAIM IT!! You know when it feels right, and sits well with your soul! Don't interrogate and question the yes/no/who/what/where/when/why! Accept that blessing, give thanks, and pay it FORWARD! Stop underestimating your potential!

Models: Brainless Beauties or Living Art

I tell my designer: "I dress plain because I want to be a canvas." Growing up I never wanted to model. It never crossed my mind, and I always thought that modeling was just for white girls who didn't eat on a regular basis. I knew about Tyra, Iman, Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek and all of the other Black models but I always thought they were just "lucky." In the past year, my life has been changed in a real way. I began to see that modeling was a way to express myself, and learn about all the aspects of fashion. I couldn't have been happier.

All my life I have been a "jeans and t-shirt" girl. I was never really into fashion, and still try to keep a basic, toned down wardrobe. I find myself enjoying clothing, shoes, and make up now more than ever. Vintage, thrift stores, and yard sales have turned out to be gold mines for me. Sure, I would love to have a closet full of Cavalli and Louboutins from here to the moon and back. I would die for a vanity full of MAC, Nars, and Urban Decay. But lately my survival and my essential needs have become top priority, and always will be.

Your body becomes a billboard, a blank piece of paper, or a mine field of color. The image creates a dream for its viewer. Light, shadow and posing become mediums, just like charcoals, pencils and paints. It's melting and molding to the environment, and pushing yourself to creative heights. Modeling is making a way out of no way, from garments and accessories that you don't have to spend a dime on. Modeling is transcending into other worlds and spaces that come from your mind, through your body, and flow through a lens. I am not just a spineless, emotionless, starving body. I am breathing, moving, adaptable art...

Naima Mora