Checkerboard Pigeon Discus Fish

Growing up in the Northeast, it wasn’t often I was able to stretch out under the sun on warm sand beaches. Between work and family responsibilities all in my hometown urban jungle, my life was more than a little hectic. One placid summer I was able to step away for a moment and traveled south to a secluded white sand beach. It was there, stretched out on a shaded lounge chair, that I ordered my first Tequila Sunrise. It was the first time in a long time that I finally got to kick back and empty my mind of any worry.

Now a fond memory, I like to think back on it when life starts to get busy again. The gentle blend of tangerine orange and grenadine red on the Checkerboard Pigeon Discus laps me back to that first sip of my Tequila Sunrise on that warm southern shore that seemed so detached from real life. A paradise tucked away, inviting me to return to it when I want to forget my worries once more. The bright, undiluted white spots of this fish pour my thoughts back to the soft, flour-like sand I sunk my toes into for hours.

Now back in my apartment with a Checkerboard Pigeon Discus peacefully gliding around my white sand tank, I can mix myself another Tequila Sunrise, spread out on the couch, and daydream back to the beach I loved so much.