Living In a Bubble

As the mother of a mixed child I find myself not fitting in to certain circles.

As a family we don't necessarily fit into the white community or the black community but not because we don't have things in common with either. It is what they don't have in common with us all of the time. The ability to see past one's color or ethnicity and the ability to surpass the fear of asking questions they may not know or are scared to ask. Tolerance of other people's beliefs is a very hard concept to achieve for some people. I strive for it. Although for me it is hard to tolerate a belief that may be damaging to another human being.

So I find myself living in a bubble, trying to steer clear of certain groups of people who I know are haters and just outside the reach of everyone else who tries to understand but cannot. I don't mind though because when I meet people who are like us we are just fine. However, it is few and far between. Not many have Nigerian babies. Though the African-American community is very accepting of us.

Not many white women live the way I live. Some of the things I do are considered "black" but to me it is just foreign to some people and they are afraid of breaking their norms. I say, if it works for me, I do it. I like my hair braided, so I do it. I like listening to rap, so I do it. I like listening to rock and some country (very little), so I do it. There's nothing stopping anyone from doing things from other cultures than our own that are not damaging. I don't understand what the big deal is. It doesn't mean I am not proud to be who I am or that I am ashamed of where I am from. It just means I am open to the world. There is a vast world of ideas and things to do and I do not want to limit myself because of a fear of rejection.

I live in a bubble of understanding. Some people are afraid to go outside of their comfortable zone but I try to do it everyday to expand my horizons. Fear is only a concept. If you believe in it, it will become you.