Shoe Personality of the Week: 4/11/2011
Duality (noun)-an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something.
The seasons, at least where I am in Chocolate City, haven't made a decision on what to be yet. It's April, & while the showers are expected, I really think I should be done with scarves, hats, & coats. Yet, today long sleeves & a sweater were required. Tomorrow I can expect to perspire while museum hopping with my students.
This is not the only place where dualities exist. I straddle many fences in my life, as we all do. Professional vs personal. Friends vs lovers. Afrocentrism vs American sensibilities. Spirituality vs physicality. Mother vs daughter. Dualities are everywhere & cause me to be very aware of which aspects of ME I bring into each scenario. How much of ME is necessary from situation to situation? In this era of keepin it real, some of us have taken that to mean that we should be all the way live all the time. Not so. Take a moment to consider how much of who you are is actually required as you show up for work & play. Spend some time reflecting on your interactions & determine if the people around you wish you well, mean you harm, or are just hangers on. Remove the spigot from your life & stop others from sapping you of your essence, stealing parts of your identity to boost themselves. Determine when you need to be covered & careful:
& when it's OK to be open:
Same shoe. 2 sides of the samesoul sole. Duality.
Watch me move.
The seasons, at least where I am in Chocolate City, haven't made a decision on what to be yet. It's April, & while the showers are expected, I really think I should be done with scarves, hats, & coats. Yet, today long sleeves & a sweater were required. Tomorrow I can expect to perspire while museum hopping with my students.
This is not the only place where dualities exist. I straddle many fences in my life, as we all do. Professional vs personal. Friends vs lovers. Afrocentrism vs American sensibilities. Spirituality vs physicality. Mother vs daughter. Dualities are everywhere & cause me to be very aware of which aspects of ME I bring into each scenario. How much of ME is necessary from situation to situation? In this era of keepin it real, some of us have taken that to mean that we should be all the way live all the time. Not so. Take a moment to consider how much of who you are is actually required as you show up for work & play. Spend some time reflecting on your interactions & determine if the people around you wish you well, mean you harm, or are just hangers on. Remove the spigot from your life & stop others from sapping you of your essence, stealing parts of your identity to boost themselves. Determine when you need to be covered & careful:
& when it's OK to be open:
Same shoe. 2 sides of the same
Watch me move.
Hey Aweezy,
ReplyDeleteThose shoes switched it up on me and even though I knew you were talking about duality I wasn't expecting that. I was like I get it this shoe is both a shoe and a sandal I likes it and then bam totally cut out on the other side.
But to the meat of this post....I think we're all walking dualist (is this a word?). I struggle the most with my duality when it comes to my personal life. I've struck a decent balance in my professional life but when it comes to everyday interactions I am always on guard. Lately I've been working on being more open with the folks closest to me IRL.
One of these days...
Well, then it was the perfect choice, it got you. I honestly don't even know how all this comes together when I look at shoes, but...
ReplyDeleteWe are all trying to navigate multiple worlds. If you aren't, there isn't enough happening in your life. Our personal lives tend to be the trickiest for just the reason you stated. I've always been the 1 called on so when the time comes & I'm in need, I can't figure out whose number to dial & so I go it alone. Affairs of the heart are a whole other beast. It's not easy but it's possible, especially if others are committed to opening up as well. If not, it just leaves you exposed. Nobody wants to be the only 1 naked on the beach.