i’d be lying if i said that at this point in my life i haven’t pondered the idea of being with someone whom i can imagine spending the rest of my life with. shoot, i was in the 5th grade when i imagined myself happily married to _________ with two kids who’s made up names elude me at the moment. my point is, love is nothing foreign to me. i’ve been loved and have loved, even if i didn’t know what it was at the time. was i in love in the 5th grade? most certainty not, but there were people in my life who i would have done anything they asked of me for the simple reason of it feeling right.

you wouldn’t be running from it in the first place if it wasn’t dark and scary but you have to come to terms with it. for some, you might not even know there is anything to come to terms with. for me, it was dealing with the fact that my dad was never really around. whenever i was asked about him i would say i didn’t care until one day i sat down and wrote a poem about him and all the hurt came gushing out. i realized that i had never spoken my truth out loud. i never claimed it as being real.

from an early age we are told, “do not steal,” “be kind,” and “do not lie.” the conviction weighs heavier as elementary aged children any time we found ourselves in a situation that tempted us to go against any of the three. in fact, when it came to honesty, we were so brutally honest that we said whatever came to mind, then were reprimanded later on about why it was mean to tell our teachers that their breath smelled. with age, the initial conviction begins to elude us as we start telling little “white lies” to get a day off from work or to preserve someone’s feelings.

the coming of spring usually means a few things: the end of many failed new year’s resolutions, it the gym is suddenly less packed and your favorite healthy snacks are no longer sold out. spring also means allergy season; for those who suffer from allergies it translates into the most annoying months of the year. most of your days will be spent buried into a tissue or running to a bathroom to put in eye drops. for those of us who don’t suffer, it translates into enjoying air from both nostrils... but let's not leave out the infamous spring cleaning!

“we all learn to be by imitation or indoctrination” a quote from the jackie hill perry herself in her poem, “what is a woman”. simply put, you are who you are today because of who someone else was yesterday. if i were to take a walk down memory lane and revisit those people who contributed to the christina you all see before you, i would return to you with the stories and lessons i picked up from all the great women in my life.

there is a timeless quote and negro spiritual written by the great philosophers, the wu-tang clan that goes: “cash rules everything around me, c.r.e.a.m., get the money, dollar dollar bill y’all.” it is an undeniable truth that money makes the world go ‘round. whether it be politics, business, sports or academia; the person with the deepest pockets has the largest voice and the most say in what is going to happen.