Have you ever had a revelation at an otherwise mundane time?

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I mean something that normally wouldn't have been a big deal -- except that something about it gave you a true "eureka" revelation about yourself and/or others.

I just find it interesting that such small times, which others might not have seen as important, became an integral part of our lives.

Here's one of mine that I've been thinking on (let me know what you think):

This was a little over a year ago. Four friends and I got together for dinner and clubbing on a Thursday night. Three of them I knew from school, and the fourth I was meeting there. I hadn't wanted to initially (it was a school night) but my friends Pavie and Andrew, whom I'd met at the GSA, convinced me to go out.

Dinner went rather well. We all joked, though since we could speak Spanish (and did), I think we freaked out some of the other people at the restaurant. At about 10 p.m. we walked to a local Salsa club. We got in after some issues with IDs (Pavel and Andrew are both immigrants from Mexico) and started dancing.

It took me some time, but Laila and Britney, managed to teach me how to Salsa dance (albeit horribly lol). They're both Spanish majors, though Laila actually speaks three languages: English, Spanish and Arabic (Laila is a Muslim.)

After more than an hour and a half, we took a break, exhausted from the swirling, bobbing and countless other things we did to our poor hips. We sat down at a table lit by a candle and proceeded to chat for another half hour.

Pavie had just finished a story about a jerk professor (every student has a ton of them) in his African-American history course and we we're laughing. From him, my eyes panned around the table, across Pavie, Andrew, Laila and Britney's faces -- and that's when it hit me.

I was the only white person at the table.

Britney and Laila are both African-Americans, and both Pavie and Andrew are Latino. I myself am a genuine, blond-haired, pale-skinned, green-eyed Polak. (Seriously: my last name has five consonants in a row).

I'd ridden to and sat with them for an hour-and-a-half-long dinner. I'd walked with them to the bar, joking and laughing along the way. I'd danced and talked for over two hours with them, and it never hit me.

Then, I went back to talking with them, and we enjoyed the rest of the night, though I didn't say anything.

Please, understand that I come from two racist families. My brother and my uncle both use the n-word constantly (despite my protests). Both sides constantly blame "minorities" and "blacks" for most of the country's ills. Even my dad, someone I respect greatly, has used it in front of me once. I had always worried that I could be prejudiced, that I hadn't escaped my bigoted upbringing.

But then, I didn't even consider their races. It's not that it didn't matter to me, or that I took note of it but ignored it, or even that I saw them and said "I don't care." -- it's that I didn't even notice.

For me, that was a telling moment.

Especially now that we see so many youth embracing Obama as a great man. I honestly think that the fire of racism, though not extinguished, is truly dying, smoldering, in our nation.

What do you think?

(Note: I'm studying for exams also. Wish me luck!)

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1. self kick n/t

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2. Once more

self kick

[flying rabbit]

3. I think you are right.

it may never go away completely, but it will crawl deeper under its rock.
Good luck on the exams!:hi: