Layered
image via gina sabatella
revealing THE CORE
There is always a shocked facial expression followed by a shallow gasp when I reveal that I'm a cigar smoker and scotch drinker. Both vices happened by accident - but is anything really an accident? Opportunities show up in our lives and it’s up to us to expand or collaspe the teaching moment which are the building blocks of our personalities and quirks. For me, this was an experience that almost slipped away which is unthinkable now because having a cigar and scotch is a way for me to reconnect with myself and open the portal to my waterfall of inspiration.
Years ago, I was invited to a scotch tasting by a client. I wasn't into the idea at first since I had just experienced my first beer at age 27 - scotch definitely wasn’t next on my “drinks to try” list but then I decided to attend at the last minute. I entered a grand ballroom filled with white men wondering how this works but at the same time intrigued by the set up and the world of scotch. I remember the first smooth sip (and burn) as it trickled down my throat searching for a impregnable place to settle. The taste seduced my palette to yearn for more and that was the beginning of my scotch habit.
Cigars came a couple of years later when I was in Puerto Rico and teetered into a cigar shop. I was with my friend and her husband who was "somewhat" of a cigar smoker so he was my first teacher. I was overwhelmed by the plethora of choices - different sizes, flavors and regions. I ended up with a cherry flavored cigar - it wasn't that great but I loved the ambiance of the shop and the character I was playing “in my head” that enjoyed smoking cigars on hot humid afternoons in San Juan. Once I got home from that vacation, a snowball effect of researching and intrigue took over and before I knew it, I was apart of a cigar club and a subscriber to Cigar Aficionado.
Exploring all of your layers is the thumbprint to your uniqueness. Over the years, I have excavated quirks, preferences and traits that I never expected to surface. Through my journey of learning the map of me, I’m able to nourish myself and embrace all that is Angela Mayhoe - the good, the bad and the unwanted. I have finally accepted all of me and can now mold myself into the Black woman that I want to represent with no apologies. I am a cigar smoking, scotch sipping, bohemian bathing, kinky coily crown wearing, rose gold accessorized, tattoo bearing creative that wants to share her gifts with the world.
