This week on MyXXFLY we’re in East Hialeah visiting with friend, rapper, and full-time dad Felix. I was introduced to Felix nearly 4 years ago by MyXXFLY photographer (and boyfriend) Frank. This was one of those “when you meet your man’s boys, shit’s getting serious” type of situations. Y’all know the drill. Frank is wonderful all by himself (and someday soon he’ll muster up the enthusiasm to model for MyXXFLY), but the close-knit group of friends he came with, are a definite bonus.
Felix is from Dominican Republic and is one of those people who instantly makes you feel at home; I loved him right off the bat. To this day, he continues to be one of the most attentive and selfless motherfuckers in the room. On the surface he’s all Batman and Street Fighter, but he’s got so many more layers than people give him credit for.
Felix is a full-time single dad to his 9 year old daughter Destiny. Whenever you see them interact, you can tell that she’s what keeps him going. When asked about Destiny, Felix had this to say “I deeply cherish the time I spend with my daughter. Especially at her age, she needs to have a real close friend who will guide her on the right paths and help her make the best decisions she can possibly make. Who could be a better friend than her Dad, who she trusts and is comfortable sharing anything with?” Through tumultuous times, Felix perseveres, and I know that his love for Destiny is a big part of that.
Felix busts his ass full-time at a metal recycling company, helping the world make the best out of reusable metals. He aids in their transport, driving tractor trailers and 18 wheelers to make sure the metals get to the right places where they go through the meltdown process to make them reusable. Since starting MyXXFLY our goal has been to encourage shopping small and shopping thrifted above all other types of consumerism. We all can’t work at recycling companies like Felix, but through our purchases (or lack thereof) we can make a difference on an individual level, and one that compounded, will result in a lesser environmental impact. If the environment is something you could care less about, and are more of the individualist lot, shopping small is helpful on a personal level as well. If we become blind consumers, buying shit because it’s cute, on sale, or simply because we want it, we are forgetting the root of our humanity. Someone, somewhere, is paying for our privilege.
Aside from his example as a hard-working dad, Felix is a poet at heart. Freestyle battles and recording sessions at his home are nothing out of the ordinary, and are always ridiculously entertaining. Self-taught, creative, and an eternal optimist, Felix is a dream-chaser through and through. I’m a deep believer that each of us has a gift to share. Our societies have advanced technologically, but are still severely lacking in our development of humanity. I’m a firm believer that a life is meant to be shared, that our journeys on Earth are for our spiritual development, and that community is the cornerstone of that. We all have influence, our actions resonate far beyond the scope of what we know. Felix’s gift? If he had the opportunity to share something special with anyone, he would hope to inspire success. No matter the obstacle, or size of the problem, Felix is rooted in faith. Something he is proud of? Through better or worse, he has always stayed true to himself and what he believes in, “everything else becomes an opinion compared to your self-will for it to be, or for it not to be.”
We often use things, objects, as panaceas for emptiness. We “treat ourselves” when we have a shitty day, but this is masking the root of the problem, a society that values profit over people. We look to things to feel complete, instead of looking at self-fulfillment. We strive for upgrades when we should strive for self-improvement. By changing the way we shop, we shift the focus to what’s really important in life, people. The less physical objects we are bogged down with the more time we have to spend with loved ones and to make a meaningful impact in the world. We were not born to shop and pay bills. If you don’t know what your gift is, trust me, you have one, work relentlessly to find out what it is. In the meantime? Start with kindness. We want to thank Felix for being a source of inspiration, during good times and tough ones. We do not strive for perfection, we all falter, and fuck up, but that is the essence of being human, no? Dust yourself off and try again. Until next time. Stay MyXXFLY.
