Saturday, November 2, 2013

On This Double Life

Hello all.  Happy Saturday!

Haven't been blogging much, but I'm always thinking about how I'm going to carve out some time to get back to here.  This is my favorite space on the web.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about who I am as I negotiate my identities as a newlywed, professor, spiritual being, and so on.  I started think about the things that make me, me. When I think of who I am, I think about . . .

A business suit paired with a big pair of Fulani hoops.

Love my big ole hoops! They're conversation starters.

Pinning and cooking new quinoa recipes to my Pinterest boards, all while feigning for Shipley's Donuts.

Loving female empowerment, but still wanting my hubby to get my oil changed.

Contemplating buying a sensible sedan or SUV, all while having an affinity for slabs (It's the Houston in me, y'all; I love the creativity!).

Creative, unique, and all their own. There's no place like home.
Working on a journal article, while daydreaming about Monday's Big Freedia concert. Disagree if you'd like, but twerking is an artform.

Thinking about intersectionality and Black feminist thought, while loving bad reality TV.

Calling a housekeeper when things get out of control around the house, while knowing I'm the first generation of women in my family who don't clean houses for a living.

Loving bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and Lil Kim's Hardcore. 

Knowing long Bible scriptures and every line of UGK's Tell Me Somethin' Good by heart.

Alvin Ailey concerts in February and dropping it like it's hot to Uncle Luke.

They're coming

Solving interesting math problems while reading lots of fashion blogs.

Teaching college courses, and rushing home from class to get to a Pete Rock & CL Smooth concert.

Enjoying academia, but being grounded enough to know that it is a luxury and a blessing to be paid to write about your thoughts.

Extending love and goodwill toward others, but also knowing the power of getting someone together if needed.

Devouring hamachi maki sushi rolls, but still counting down until I can sink my teeth into some good old Frenchy's.

I'm all of these things.  Responsible, yet sometimes frivolous.  Knowing the value of saving a dollar, but sometimes saying "f*ck it" and buying the shoes.  Loving to pour over academic journals, but sometimes saying "to hell with it" and seeing what shenanigans NeNe and the housewives are up to.

Isn't it wonderful learning to love all the parts of you? I almost titled this post "Contradictions," but then I realized that these things aren't.  They only become contradictions when you try to live up to some invisible standard of what is "right" and "appropriate." And now that I think about it, I'm not even sure if "Double Life" is a fair title.  These are all facets of me and my life, and they're all happening simultaneously.  I'm blessed to have such a wide range of experiences and to share my life with so many people from so many different walks of life. All of these experiences make me exactly who I am, and I'm proud of it.

Until next time . . . I'll be bouncing to Big Freedia during my office hours. (I'm joking . . . maybe).







4 comments:

  1. I loved absolutely every single thing about this post. It is amazing to be so aware of the skin you're in and embrace everything about living inside it. I loved this!! I think I feel like a contradiction so much, but you summed it up perfectly in that last paragraph. This was everything!!

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  2. Yessss!! This is me all the way. I know when to pull out each side but I tend to love my not so polished side because I feel free on it! Love my UGK R.I.P Pimp C! It is these different sides that make us truly well rounded individuals.

    Church wave to having to get someone together. My favorite line to tell people is, " I just look like this" many have been unexpectedly read.

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    1. Hi Mimi! LOL at "not so polished side." Love it! Thanks for reading.

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