HUMANS OF BELLAIRE – Owen Bell

“I remember I did two things during my childhood: I played a ton of LEGO Star Wars, and I remember going outside with my friends. We liked to traverse down the bayou and just mess with weird stuff that we probably shouldn’t have touched.  I remember these bars across the bayous. We’d parkour across them. I also really enjoyed watching cartoons. ‘Special Agent Oso’ and ‘The Backyardigans’ were my favorites. In the mornings, I would be with my dad, and we would only have time to watch one episode before I went to school. It was a different time, and it just reminds me of when my dad and I were closer because now he lives in Georgia, so I don’t see him as much. That was a good memory.

When we were moving into our new house from an apartment, my dad, my sister and I were in the car. My dad was just like, ‘Let’s go to McDonald’s.’ So we got McDonald’s, and he was like, ‘Let’s find somewhere more fun to eat,’ so I thought we were going to go to a park or something. Then, he just randomly pulled up to this house. We went inside the house we’d never seen and were like, is this legal? This was someone else’s house, and the inside was completely empty. After we entered the house, he revealed this was our new home. Then, we had McDonald’s there. It was just so wholesome, and since there was no furniture, we just sat on the floor and ate. 

I loved going to the beach. I assume the first time I went to Galveston was in elementary school. I remember there was seaweed everywhere. It was a deep part of the beach, not the shallow part like the piers. I remember running around a bunch and then hurting my Achilles tendon. It was really painful to keep running, but I kept running anyway. I loved the beach so much, and it was so much fun. I remember in eighth grade, we rented a jet ski. Before that when I was younger, like fifth grade, I had the opportunity to go on a jet ski with my aunt, but I was too scared because it was loud. And so I didn’t do it, which I regretted. This time, I was so down to commit, and it was genuinely the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. That’s not even hyperbole. It was so much fun, and I remember I wasn’t even strong enough, but I still went as fast as I could. I mean, I don’t want to be cliche, but it goes faster than you think it does. I could not piece together the events between now and when I first ‘spawned into life.’ 

Definitely appreciate every day for what it is. I want to appreciate younger me for just being who he was because I’m so proud of who I am right now.  If it wasn’t for younger me doing what he needed to do and then continuing slightly older, I would not be who I am, so just appreciate yourself.”