A few friends of mine and I have been pretty diligent about
our mall walks one of our friends organized a little earlier this Summer. Three days a week, we do our best to arrive
between 8 am and 10 am to get in as many minutes, or miles, as we can. It’s
been fun, and been a great idea, being that with the Phoenix heat, it’s almost
impossible to get and remain motivated to work out at all.
Over the last several weeks, I’ve been very observant,
watching others as we pass them, or they pass us by. It’s been interesting to
watch their smiles turn into frowns or frowns turn to smiles. Mind you, it’s a
family walk, but mainly mommies participate, and most of us come with children
in tow. We are of various backgrounds – African and a mix of races, especially
our children.
As my sister and I walk by, we get surprised smiles, stares,
and even the occasional glare. We are fairly dark-skinned, especially my
sister. I’m a creamy blend of mocha and carmel myself, so when the elderly,
which is the majority of the walking folks that early in the morning, get a
glimpse of either of us and her daughter or my children, the responses are fun,
and I get a kick out of all of them.
Today though, there was a rather interesting lady. She and a
little boy, who I can’t but assume was her grandson, were walking in the
opposite direction of my daughter and I before my sister and friend joined us. I
greeted them, as I often try to do with passers-by, but unlike most, she
scowled and grabbed the little boy, hastening her pace.
I was a tad upset, as my daughter had waved at the little
boy, but he was not given an opportunity to respond. I began making up a story
in my mind about her, as I tend to do from time-to-time, as a woman of reason.
Funnily, we passed her once again, and being that I tried to convince myself
that she had not heard me the first time, I smiled at her. Yet again, my
gesture was met with a scowl, and she looked in the opposite direction.
While I hate to bring up the race card, I will, because I’ve
noticed that even though we live in a very diverse world, there are still many
close-minded individuals. They still hold onto ideologies and beliefs of the
past and have them spill into the lives of their innocent children and
grandchildren.
I’ve witnessed elderly couples change sides of the store they are
walking on because of us. I’ve seen individuals smile at other loud and unruly
children in a store, yet, when my children pass by much more quiet and wave or
say, “hi”, they are obviously ignored or glared at.
My daughter is unfortunately very sensitive to this and
asks, “Why didn’t they say “hi” to us? We said “hi” to them.” I’m not sure I
answer in the best way, but my response is usually, “Not everyone is nice. Just
keep saying “hi” to people though; it’ll make someone smile.”
While mulling over this morning’s experience, I realized
that it’s not just when it comes to race that we hold others captive based on our
beliefs or ideologies. As humans, we tend to judge people in general, even if
simply based on our past experiences, what others have told us, or what we deem
right or wrong. We make prisoners of those around us, resulting in
insecurities, loss of freedoms, and often depression.
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