I am from my silky, lavender frosted, booger infested blanket
to climbing out of my bunk bed and galloping, noisily to moms room
in the middle of the night after having bad dreams.
From tinkling in the bathtub to always getting Pantene in my eyes while
mom washed my long, course hair. From being aggravated to not sitting still
as she put in piggy tales.

I am from my Strawberry Shortcake night light to early morning episodes of
Little Bill and The Berenstain Bears. From spinning in circles until I couldn't tell
where I was and seeing the world upside down.

I am from sizzling summer days spent at the pool
and running through the sprinklers
at Grandma’s house. From playing school with my
stuffed animals to playing hours of Mario Cart
hoping to eventually win.

From trips to the grocery store, spending most of our time in the toy aisle begging
mom for Polly Pockets or Bratz dolls.
And that time I threw a tantrum in front
of everyone. That was the last time I ever did that.

I am from dried, black mascara-filled tears on my pillow
and unanswered cries. From kissing mom goodnight to
singing “Now I lay me” prayers before bedtime.

Soy de la familia de Lopez y Mc-Dowell.
Of construction workers, CEO’s, bankers, hair stylists, realtors.
From arroz con pojo, fried plantains,pina coladas y tres leches to fried chicken
corn bread, mashed potatoes, collard greens and sweet tea.

From “ Never come home with a bad grade.” to
“Be confident in your own skin.”
I am from a small town surrounded by a big city.
From driving down the road and passing nothing but farms
to huge skyscrapers in the city.

From trips to Barnes and Noble, getting lost in Junie B. Jones’s
adventures to blasting loud jams in the car and dancing with my mom.
Life is too short. This is just the beginning.