I am excited to introduce our readers to amazing and caring people who live, work, play, and do business in our community and city. Learning about people of all lifestyles, talents, and personalities who I think would be interesting for our readers to enjoy. San Diego has a wonderful diversity of individuals that make our slice of paradise the greatest place to live and enjoy each other’s uniqueness.
How did you end up in San Diego and what do you love about it?
I ended up in San Diego in 2014 from a year in Orange County on the tail end of my personal styling retail career working at Nieman Marcus in Fashion Island. I realized through a long chain of events that I needed to turn my once manageable life around drastically or else I was going to really mess things up. Found the LGBTQ geared inpatient rehab here in San Diego, Stepping Stone of San Diego. I’ve been on the straight and narrow now for just over a total of seven years, if your math is good, you’ll notice that there was a little hiccup after rehab and in fact they were gracious enough to allow me a “double dose” of rehab and by the grace of God the rest is history.
What gets you most excited about life?
What gets me the most excited is that I’ve never known that I could be as happy, well balanced and healthy as I am right now in my life at a proud 41 years of age. If I feel like this now and considering I truly feel that I’ve found my personal “happy life formula” I’m so excited for what the future has in store for me. This upswing in life is something I’ve never felt and the sky’s the limit.
In your professional life what makes your business stand out and how has it changed your life?
After working retail from mild to wild, Food service and hospitality I was given the true honor and handed on a silver platter the distinct pleasure of landing my lifelong dream job of being the business assistant to the owner of one, if not the, most popular and historic “landmark” Gay owned and operated bar/restaurant/nightclubs in Southern California by the name of Urban MO’s Bar and Grill. A position that speaks to every single asset I have in my personality and I love everything about my place of employment. I literally feel that working for this gracious hardworking Gentleman in this magical land is as if I won the lotto. Talk about “love what you do and do what you love”…..in spades!
What small act of kindness were you once shown that you’ll never forget?
I truly feel that, after many a trial and error, that the small act of kindness that I was shown was the act of sobriety. A small act you ask? YES! Sobriety is a simple, however tough at times, formula of passed along suggestions on living life as a balanced, healthy and kind person. Not to mention one’s own eventual discovery, from said act of kindness, that the infusion of one’s own concept of spirituality, personal action, accountability and passing along the small act of kindness to others as it was once passed along to me all make up something that I truly will and can never forget.
If the universe could grant you one wish, what would you wish for, and why?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and be a little selfish on this one. My dream in life is to find that mate in life that I feel I deserve and who feels deserves me. A Man who makes me feel like I want to be an even better person and who I make feel the same way in return. A monogamous relationship with a man which will someday, somehow bear the fruit of a child, a son specifically… little girls scream too much lol.
If you were given the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world, and were able to take one person with you, where would you go, who would you take, and why?
Thanks to two loving hardworking parents and being an only child, I’m pretty well traveled by being taken on many vacations as a child and younger man growing up. This trend of travel somewhat continues in my current life but to pick a place I’ve always wanted to go is Egypt to see those incredible fantastic ancient sites now with Cairo’s newest museum. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) which houses the largest collection of any ancient civilization in the world including all of Tutankhamen’s treasures and is an architectural marvel in and of itself. Oh, and if I had to choose ONE person to come, I would take my Mom, for taking me on such magical trips early on in my life.
If you had a chance to spend one million dollars on someone, or any group of people, who would it be and how would you spend that money to better them?
Sadly, one million dollars doesn’t get you too far these days, however I would spend it on an organization that assisted in the recovery of injured U.S. Veterans. Regardless of one’s political views or beliefs there is something, many things, so admirable to me about someone fighting for freedom or in some cases simply following orders because of unadulterated duty and becoming injured in such life-altering ways. The courage and honor is awe inspiring and the fact that they know they might be injured terribly or even killed in our name as a country means to me that we should take care of them to the fullest extent.
If you could give someone advise about your art, hobby, or business, what would you tell them?
As I previously mentioned, if one is lucky enough to do what they love and love what they do, that truly is a gift one should, if possible, give themselves. This holds true in all aspects of life, work, art, hobby etc…
Loving yourself is so important to becoming the best of who you are. Please write a couple sentences to describe your loving self and how you want to live your best life?
Loving one’s self is all about perspective. I used to be horribly self-obsessed, internally homophobic and at one point for many years truly did not like myself. After being taught to change my perspective and attempting to achieve personal balance daily I’ve found that I really do love myself finally.
Gratitude is so important in each of our lives, what are you most grateful for, and how do you pay it forward?
I’m the most grateful for receiving a second lease on life, this new lease started in San Diego and boy did I latch on and run with it. I’m 3rd generation Palm Springs born and raised so my heart understandably will ALWAYS be with Palm Springs but having such immeasurable gratitude for San Diego and what the local community has so freely given me, my head will always remain in San Diego and I’ll do everything in my power to freely give to others what was given to me.
