In my early 30s when I had my first successes with getting my poems published in the newsletter I felt happier.

My role as a writer is my favorite role. I enjoyed mentoring at my alma mater Mercer CCC. Money isn’t everything. You need money to live but it’s not as important as friends and family to your happiness. I know my mom has supported me a lot. My grandmother is important to me also. People often fail to realize that you don’t have to be the most beautiful or attractive person to choose yourself and learn to accept yourself more and be more comfortable with yourself the way you are. All it takes is confidence and being honest with yourself. I had gotten teased about my color a lot as a kid. That was really something that was hard for me but after I turned thirty my self image and my life got better. I still have my good days and my bad days but I feel really good about myself as a person. It is different for each person but I was usually the last girl picked and I had self image issues as a little girl. I remember my grandmother and my great aunt saying she loved my eyes and that I was her great niece. I appreciate my life now. I don’t try to change how other people think of me. All the matters to me at the end of a day is that I really like myself and I’ve grown more comfortable with myself now that I’m older. I’m 39.