Exhaling Narratives...

There's not a lot of pictures of Black men breathing on the Web as calm as this!

It's good to exhale...You breathe in, hold your breath, then breathe out.  You whole body responds to the fact that what you've taken in, finally comes out.  Our bodies are not made to keep things in.  What comes in, goes through our system, then eventually comes out.  We are told that breathing is something we can't really control, but in some ways we can.  We can control the length of time we hold our breath to a limit, then we have no choice but to let it out...

As a Black man in Iowa City, who has lived here on and off since 2000,  I've had to inhale many experiences, with no exhaling.  Somebody follows me in a Walgreens when I'm wearing dickies and a dark blue sweat shirt, making sure that I don't steal anything; I breathe in and hold it.  With my sociological mind, I decide to change my clothes the next day and dress up in "Iowa Wear;" khakis and a t-shirt supporting some random gas station, pat my Afro down and go to the same place to notice 2 things, 1.) I don't get followed in the same store and 2.) None of my black friends talk to me...I breathe in and hold it.

Every compliment for being articulate, I breathe in and hold it.  Every time I'm assumed to be another Black person, I breathe in and hold it.  Every time I'm asked to be a Black Encyclopedia, I breathe in and hold it.  Eventually, I have to exhale.  I have to let it out, unless I'm want to become emotionally and culturally asphyxiated, then I'm no good to anyone. Believe me, I'm getting blue in the face.

"HELP ME! Be my Heimlich's!"

You understand right?  We all have to breathe sometimes, no matter what the consequences are.  Maybe people won't respect us anymore, maybe there are those around us who will begin to fear us.  My question is, if I was really struggling to breathe physically, who in my community would just watch it? Most likely, someone would perform the Heimlich maneuver on me.  This is no different. In fact, I'm grateful for your responses and willingness to read and be willing to allow me to exhale narratives. You're my Heimlich's!

That's what this whole experience is for me on this blog.  If you had the question, "What inspired you to start blogging?"  It's because I need to exhale, to breathe.  I feel like God has given me a deeper call to stay in the fray here in Iowa City.  I love my city, but I've felt the stretch and damage of being in a place that's not the most open...they might believe themselves to be forward thinking and evolved, but I like to call my city "Progressively Backwards."  Hmm...I'll write a blog about this...interested in hearing about it?

I'm also noticing from folk I know who have read this blog that my story of being a Black Man in a White World can be applied to others as well.  I welcome you to imagine, but I would caution you about putting yourself in my shoes, that may prove itself to be difficult and counter to the purpose of this...experience.  Look at things and she how they apply to you, but what I'd want to do first is fully absorb the narratives.  Let your empathy grow, ask clarifying questions to yourself and even to me!  After you feel like have understood the current narrative you're reading as much as you can, then began applying it.  Breathing is a lifelong process, slow your breath, focus on your breathing, allow yourself to hear the heartbeats then breathe out.

P.S. I don't know how often I will continue to post up.  Right now, I'm doing it as I feel the urge, and I have a lot of urges right now.  I'm exhaling and loving it.  Potentially, I might blog like weekly, or I might feel the need to not do it anymore (I don't expect this).  Let me know what you think.  Are you interested in posts that come:

A. Weekly, or
B. As The Urge Comes?

Reply back and let me know.
Breathing...