Hello everyone, thanks for coming to see me in person and as always, thank you for your continued support.

Have you ever felt like you got a gift from the gods?

Maybe you got it at birth.

You were always the athletic one, the tall kid, the genius. 

Maybe you discovered your gift later in life. 

You found a hobby you were naturally good at and turned it into a career.

Maybe you got a blessing so wonderful they call it a miracle, your child especially if you felt like you were never going to be able to have one yet it happened.

Some of us have not been so lucky, scratching and clawing for anything we can get. Maybe some of you saw that part of you in me and you came here to learn from my struggles. We will get to that but first let me tell you about a story about the one time I felt like unathletic, short, average intelligence, child-free me got a gift.

I thought I was above needing blessings, I’ve never needed much especially once I earned a good life then I went to the humane shelter to volunteer like I normally do. I usually just cleaned up, fed the animals, helped however I could but one day when I was about to leave, I saw a Dalmatian someone just dropped off without telling any of us.

He was a puppy but smaller than most, the size that instantly gives away they’re the runt of the litter. He reminded me a little of myself but I didn’t think I had the time to take care of him so I brought him in and hoped a good family would take him.

I started driving home but he couldn’t leave my mind, the way he ran to me like I was a lost friend, the way his tail wagged when I held him, the way any pain I held just melted when he was with me. I turned right around and signed adoption papers the moment I could.

I thought I was above needing more than what I had to fulfill my life but Spot filled a hole in my heart I didn’t know was missing. He was the friend little me needed and the child adult me swore to take care of.

Spot made his journey on the rainbow bridge last year. He’s why I wear a white and black suit these days. Even though he’s no longer with us, I carry him everywhere I go.

You see, when you don’t get many gifts, you hold on tightly to the ones you do get. That’s why I’m making Pixel give me his. When you’ve been blessed with countless abilities, a gift is nothing and you won’t defend it. For people like us, it’s everything.

I want those nodding fervently now to be like me, knowing they still have to fight for what they have but when they do get a gift, protect it like your life depends on it. Your whole life, you’ve learned how to defend yourself, now use those skills for what matters.

Fight for your Spot.