[mommychem]

I live in the gray too. I feel like an oxymoron. And often, I can cite examples of extremes -

Like being a rural black girl attending a private 90% white, episcopalian school and being treated with such grace and kindness though it was obvious I didn't "fit", except for doing well academically. But I can also speak to the time I witnessed a threat of my father being shot, in his country club, for "appearing" to be in the wrong place or that time my high school friend was drunk and told me I reminded him of his black maid.

Most of the time, I'm the quiet onlooker. And I try to really listen and empathize because our range of experiences vary so, so much that I'd really rather not tell someone that what they are saying is unlikely. It has taken a long, long time to cultivate this in ME as I am scientifically trained and lived life as if there was a "right answer" to almost everything