Hello my name is KneeShay and I am NOT your ordinary....Ordinary what you ask? Well, stay tuned...
In my world, there is no such thing as ordinary. According to Webster, ordinary is defined as follows;
- ADJECTIVE: "with no special or distinctive features, normal.
- NOUN: "What is a comonplace or standard"
- SYNONYMS: common- usual- normal- habitual- standard- customary
Other definitions go on to state "no special quality or interest, unexceptional"....AVERAGE!!
As a student we always strive for at least the average. No one wanted to have outlier scores. On the other hand, no one wanted to stand out either for fear of being ostracized. Now come to my world where ordinary doesn't exist. where up is down and down is up. Where the world isn't just black and white but instead a technicolor with tremendous magnitude. A world where there are no limits, no boundaries, no doubts but instead endless possibilities.
As a child, I never fit "the mold". Somwhere, Somehow, Someone decided many, many, many moons ago that little black girls were suppose to do certain things. How do I know? Well because I've had the list rattled off to me for years and years. Here's a few:
- What are you listening to? Black girls don't like rock music
- What are you wearing? Black girls don't wear cowboy boots
- What race? Black girls don't run
- A triathlon? Black girls don't swim
- You're going natural? Black girls need a perm
- Who asked you to the prom? You couldn't find a black boy?
- You're a vege-what? Black people eat meat.
- Why do you sound like that? Black girls don't talk like that
and on and on and on... broken record actually...
One would think that all of the statements above were said by black people BUT I hate to bust your bubble, not true. I've heard these things from every skin color. So that goes to show you how "ordinary" I am not according to the person I spoke of before that created the "Ten Commandments of Black Girls". As if it were a big thing that I expand my horizons. I ALWAYS pick up on the one piece everyone else ignores. I ALWAYS find the beauty in the shirt left on the rack. I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS see the world differently. Can't help it. It's like my eyes look for the not so obvious. My world is like a Where's Waldo. you search for the one missing piece and I see EVERYTHING else on the page. LOL #truestory
So why a blog? Who cares? Well I do and that's all that counts #armsfoldedandpouting. No seriously, this blog was sparked by comment #4.
Them: "You're training for a race"
Me: "A triathlon"
Them: That's running, swimming, and biking too right?"
Me: Yes, three sports in one race
Them: "Really?
Me: "Yes" #annoyed
Them: "I'm not sure if you got the memo but ummmm "Black girls don't do that"
Me: "Do what?" # explain yourself!!!
Them: "any of that and especially not swim"
Me: "Ummmm, I'm not sure if you got the memo but we do but whoever you're hanging around may not but I'm not your ordinary..."
Them: "Ordinary what?"
Me: "ANYTHING!!!"
Them: "Yea, you've always been different"
Me: "REALLY?!!" #hangingup
Why is it that doing something uncommon is first judged by who's complteing the task and depending on the stereotype must receive feedback in a negative light? I slept on it and the next morning "She's Not Your Ordinary..." was born. The one thing I know is that I can't be the only one with these experiences. Therefore this blog will not just focus on me and my amazingness because to me I'm a legend in my own head but I want to celebrate the accomplishments of ALL women who go against the grain with PRIDE and declare..."I'm not your ORDINARY..." (you fill in the blank) because we ROCK and if you don't agree go KICK ROCKS!!
KneeShay OUT
