I decided to cook and have people over for Labor Day a day early So, yesterday I cooked up a feast large enough for a King and his court. I had about sixteen people over. Plenty of food, plenty of beer and a few shots of tequila will make ANY conversation appear interesting.
Yet, around the dining room table was a diverse crowd including a few college graduates with differing degrees in psychology, anthropology, hospitality and international relations, a trainer for Panera Bread, a housewife, a police officer, a music university student, a nurse and a researcher of Truth. As we spoke through bites of grilled chicken and potato salad, the 'psychologist' started talking about being a single, educated Black woman. I honestly do not remember how we got to the path of being Black, but after listening to her banter, I interjected and asked "What does being Black mean to you?". As she hesitated, it was decided that we should all answer the question. Each one of us around the table answered this question. Each one of us answered differently. One said "It's me! I am what is Black!" Another said, "It's the way I can connect with anyone on ANY level." I contribute this to having to acclimate to an area that was not natural to us many years ago. " Yet, it may seem as though the uncomfortablility of being out of our 'norm' created a surviving trait that has been passed down for generations.
As the night progressed there were many conversations of being a man and being a woman....however, we were heavy with women aging from 25 to 54 and three men...luckily the men spoke up in a positive manner and our discussions were fruitful. Until one woman brought up Steve Harvey 'because we ALL know that he such an authority of manhood and telling a woman HOW to be a woman'. Steve Harvey is fun to laugh at, yet the premise of his book is laughable. In my opinion, he is not necessarily one to give advice of how women should 'behave'...yet, I digress...
By the end of the night we shared so many tales and experiences that ranged from being Black, to being a woman or man, the food, tequila shots, to how it feels to give birth--I will take the birth question on in another posting--it was good, no, it was great to share ideas with varying people from varying backgrounds and varying beliefs.
The way we as individuals communicate in order to convey an idea, whether it is to persuade us away from our own beliefs or to simply express their thoughts, it is always a great time for me to be in the presence of people who are willing to share. I may not agree with it all, and most of the time I do not, however, hearing the perspectives of different people and taking them in is the beauty of being a budding anthropologist/archaeologist.
Talk is good!
Until next time! (for those who know that I had a great adventure to Ecuador, I am still mentally decompressing..I will post soon about that experience!)
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