I’m Just a Country Boy

I love how we add an s to grocery store names.

I love the respect we give the letters r and u.

I love how “up the street” is such a subjective unit of measurement.

I love how our grandmas hold on to funeral programs for years.

I love that smell of grandma’s house.

I love how we run in different directions when something is hilarious.

I love how we point and snap at the TV when we’re trying to remember “whashisname.”

I love how we think we don’t have an accent.

I love how Christmas dinner is the same as Thanksgiving dinner.

I love how a word or phrase can mean different things just by changing the tone of how it’s said.

I love how fly we get on Easter…even if it’s the only time we’re in church all year.

I love how we wear out trends on social media.

I love how social media shows me everyday we’ve all had very similar upbringings.

I love how we have that room we never sit in and own those nice plates, cutlery, and glasses we never use.

I love how Black music makes us feel and love.

I love how intentional Gen X and younger is about undoing generational trauma and bucking the status quo.

I love how Black intersectionality is being represented on screen—for the most part.

I love how we’re tired of the same songs DJs play, but we still dance anyway.

I love how we make jokes about any and everything.

I love how outrageous some of the R&B music videos from the ‘90s were.

I love how we play Tems’ “Free Mind” over our brunch videos completely oblivious to the lyrics.

I love how creative we are with nothing.

I love how we created and founded virtually everything.

I love how resilient we are.

I love how at least one of our aunties has a gold tooth.

I love how grandma made us cut off all the lights in the house and sit still when it was thundering outside.

I love the sugar- vs. salt-in-grits debate. (It’s sugar by the way).

I love how we love Hayley Williams, Teena Marie, Reba McEntire, Bob Saget, Tom Hanks, and David Bowie.

I love how many of us didn’t know a white man sang “Open Your Eyes” until we looked it up.

I love what self-care; a fresh fade; getting our eyebrows, hair, and nails done do for our holistic wellbeing.

I love the different ways our bodies move when we take a bite of amazing food.

I love the faint mustache some of the church hat ladies have.