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Dear Reader,
When the comedian asked, "How many of you out there are black and white people?" I immediately raised my hand. No need to think about it. I grew up thinking it's good or bad; yes or no; they're ok, they're not ok. There just wasn't much room for in-between. Personally I blame it on Crayola--they must have left the gray crayon out of my box of 64.
If you have kids, check their crayon boxes immediately, because growing up without the color gray can cause all kinds of confusion and can severely limit your options. I did realize at some age that other people were frequently using the color gray, but it wasn't until I was married that it really sunk in.
Early on in my marriage, when my husband and I were in the middle of our first real disagreement and our exchange of words didn't seem to immediately offer a solution, I grabbed my car keys and headed for the door. When he asked me what I was doing, I told him that it looked like we weren't going to be able to agree on this issue and obviously the marriage wasn't going to work, so I was going to a hotel.
"What is wrong with you? Don't you know how to have a disagreement and work something out? There's always an in-between, a middle ground to explore where you can find a solution--a gray area."
Ah, there's that missing color again. I explained to my husband that when I grew up I only colored with the black and white crayons and never learned how to mix the two.
Guess what my husband bought me that day?
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PROPHET, by Kahlil Gibran. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.
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