I Used to Think I was Ordinary, But No More!

As a black woman raised in the South in Tennessee, I thought that I was an ordinary person, nothing special about me. I was told that I would probably live my whole life in the South, never going beyond the boundary of my hometown. I was also someone who loved books and how you could “see” the world without ever leaving your front porch. I believed that reading about Paris, Amsterdam, and Portugal was as close as I would come to experiencing the world.

But when I retired after working for 23 years at the telephone company, one of the first things I did was a 13-day, eight-country European tour. When I walked down the Champs Élysées in Paris for the first time, I wondered how that young girl raised in poverty in the South ended up eating at the McDonald’s in Paris. I realized then that I was pretty extraordinary, having beaten the odds and left poverty and my hometown behind me.

I am not a garish person, as I like simple things in life and do not like to draw attention to myself. I don’t mind being the only black face I see when I travel, although at first it made me uneasy thinking I made other people uncomfortable with my presence. But that was their problem, not mine, I finally realized.

I am not a dangerous person, for I believe in seeing the humanity of people and thinking that, overall, most people are like me, just trying to survive in this broken world where hate often is greater than love. I know I must be vigilant when traveling, as there are predators, and as a senior citizen, I may seem like good prey. But they would find that while I look sweet and easy, I have the courage and grit of the strong black women who raised me to survive and thrive in a world that sees me as less than women of other races.

Once while traveling alone to Madrid, a group of beggars targeted me as I exited a supermarket. One woman asked for money, and when I refused to give her any, she grabbed me by both of my forearms. I looked and saw her “crew” coming up behind her, and I was scared. Yet, I looked her in the eye, and I said, “Take your hands off me. You haven’t seen anyone act a fool like a black woman.” I couldn’t speak Spanish, and she didn’t speak English, I assumed, but she understood my body language. I never took my eyes off of her. She let go, and with my head held high, I walked through the group as if I was Superman, Black Panther, and Wonder Woman combined. I didn’t look down until I reached my hotel room, and then I nearly fainted.

So, while I thought of myself as ordinary growing up, someone with simple dreams that wouldn’t likely come true, as I walk the streets of European capital cities on my travels with my husband, and as we prepare to move to Portugal until things are better here in America, I realize that I am extrordinary and one of a kind. We need to teach every child that they are unique and utterly priceless!

Ragtag Daily Prompt is Garish. The Daily Spur Word of the Day prompt is Dangerous.

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