Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1337092
64 ASCP Skin Deep March/April 2021 ˆ‰Š‹ŒŽ‹ 'Ž‰'Š‹ @ˆ'Ž‰'Š‹"•–Ž—Ž'‰Š•–˜ "Yes, Mama, I'm OK," he answered, as he looked over his shoulder to see the dust clearing. "Our car was facing the wrong direction as the high-speed train continued down the tracks," Bonner recalls. "We almost got hit! Surely there is a reason I am here to tell this story now." DETERMINATION Ms. Rosie was Bonner's favorite sitter. "She was so smart," he recalls, "and she always knew how to settle me down. I will always remember her sweet, loving, and kind personality. At the delicate age of 4, I was already attuned to the caring nature of people. This would go with me through life." According to Bonner, Ms. Rosie worked hard caring for children for many years, but it became challenging as she got older. So, at age 5, he was taken to a new sitter, but the "vibe was all wrong," Bonner shares. "I didn't sense the same love." Bonner missed Ms. Rosie so much, especially when it became evident that his new caretaker was "lazy and prone to sleeping on the job," and he realizes now that—even at age 5—his "work ethics were already astute." To remedy his unpleasant situation, Bonner decided he needed to make a plan to escape while his new sitter was sleeping. "Every step was in my head," he said. "I had a plan, and it was going to work. I just knew it." When escape day came, Bonner was a little nervous as he unlocked and stepped out the door to begin his journey. Starting from one end of the south side of town to the other, Bonner made his way to Ms. Rosie's house—more than a half hour away. "Looking back, this was [another] pivotal moment in my life," he says. "I realized this small-town African American boy can put his mind to anything that may seem impossible, and no matter how far oŒ it seems, I can make it happen. The spirit God put in this little body was a force to be reckoned with, I'd say. "I truly believe God knew I was predestined to help others in life. It was a miracle we missed that train. Many miracles happened in [my] life, as if I was being watched over all the time. I realize now [that] everything that happened was preparing me for life and all the obstacles, trials, and accomplishments I would face. That purpose and plan is still being unraveled." INDOMITABLE SPIRIT As an African American male forging his path in a predominantly female- oriented occupation, Bonner was forced to adopt a tenacious, indomitable spirit in order to succeed. Not only did it take him three separate tries to even get to massage school, but Bonner failed his ‡rst attempt at the exam before passing. And, even after he made a name for himself in the massage industry, his decision to add esthetics to his resume brought even more hurdles to clear. Bonner says being a male in the ‡eld of massage was hard, but being an African American male in the esthetics ‡eld was "very, very hard." He says that living in Mississippi may have played a part, but he's not sure. "I don't know," he says, "I can't speak for anybody else, but nobody would hire me." As Bonner reŠects on his journey, the motivational force of rejection is not lost on him, but he maintains he wouldn't have it any other way. "It hurt to be rejected," Bonner says, "but I was so excited to be able to do massage and esthetics—even though I was in an industry where nobody would hire me. Rejection forced me to open my own door." TEACHER "I will say, I've inspired a lot of people," Bonner says. "There are so many more people who look like me now who are getting into esthetics and massage therapy." But that wasn't always the case. "A lot of times, I'd go into a [class or seminar], and I'd be the only one in the room that looked like me," he shares. "People would look at me crazy,