To be or not to be…

I am MISSING MY LOVE!!!!! And I have been thinking about him A LOT. Sigh…

Before I left for South Africa, I joked with my husband and told him: “You know, when we go to South Africa, I will finally be in the majority.”

We were originally planning to take this trip together had become informed enough to know that he may be considered “Coloured” and not “Black” in South Africa. Here, we may be different races and people may appropriate different characteristics and expectations toward us.

Isn’t that something? His experience would most likely be different than mine based on the hue of his skin… And we may be considered an interracial relationship based on where we lived… Interesting…

I guess this is intriguing to me because Gene and I have always been as different as night and day (no pun intended). He was a cit📷y guy and I was a country gal. He played grew up in Chicago and had a granny who  owned a boutique and a tavern and other grandparents who were entrepreneurs in the city.

My grandparents were from the south in Alabama. My mother’s parents lived on a farm where she grew up. Me and my sisters spent our summers shelling peas and cutting collard greens and canning vegetables. Gene spent most of his time in at the YMCA and community centers playing basketball. We have always been as different as different can be.

In my mind, I cannot help but believe that there must be more to compatibility than race and culture. Gene and I have always taught that unless people have the exact same understanding of their roles in a marriage relationship and have agreed to a common expression with their partners, then there will be considerations that need to be made in any relationship.

So… my guess is whether it is considering our differences coming from the city or the country… or being labeled and having distinct experiences based on race classifications, any two individuals who come together will have to find common ground.