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The Swirl World

Celebrating and Elevating Black Women - mind, body, soul and spirit!


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Don’t Mess With Texas – Unless You’re Swirling!

August 14, 2016 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

Don't Mess With Texas

Michelle Culp, our Swirling Single of the Week hails from the great state of Texas.

She’s new to Swirling and excited about her decision to expand her dating and marriage options.

Meet Texas Beauty Michelle Culp 

Greetings Swirlers!

Don't Mess With TexasMy name is Michelle. I am a 48-year-old single parent to an AMAZING 23-year-old young man (always my baby).

I have been a public educator in the state of Texas for 16 years as well as an assistant administrator in a private facility. In both cases, I served individuals who face developmental, physical, emotional and behavioral challenges. I also mentor young women.

I’m the baby girl of my family. I am number 6 of 7 children. My parents were married for 62 years so my family is ginormous and I love celebrating life with them!

I grew up in a loving and religious home. I am God-fearing and God-loving. I’m also a PK (pastor’s kid) but I’m the good kind?.

My father is a retired United States Air Force veteran with over 20 years of service. My mother died last July. Everything I learned about love and about being a friend to man, I learned by her hand.

I am passionate and compassionate. Full disclosure: I have always put others first. I am now finally learning to make myself a priority.

Simple Pleasures Are The Best

I love simple pleasures and quiet moments. I love cooking and I cook exceptionally well (I get it from my Momma). However, I don’t cook as often because I am trying to eat healthier and workout.

I enjoy spending time with loved ones, reading, listening to music, attending live performances, and attending sporting events.

While I am still defining what I need and what I want in a relationship, I do know that I want the man for whom my soul longs. I want the man who guards my heart as though it were his own. I want the man who is intelligent, loving and kind with an awesome sense of humor.

Don't Mess With TexasI’m so excited to begin my Swirling journey. Here’s to new beginnings and new opportunities!

To connect with Michelle on Facebook, click here.

 


We love to feature singles (and couples!) in our posts. If you’d like to be featured, please email a nice, high-resolution photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com. Selfies are ok – just make sure they’re not blurry.

Copyright ©2016 Michelle Matthews Calloway, The Swirl World™ LLC, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, The Swirl World Podcast™, The Swirl World Inspiration Daily™, Swirl Nation™, All rights reserved. Photos used with permission.

Be sure to “Like” The Swirl World on Facebook and apply to join our private Facebook Group!

50 Days Of DatingTo catch the latest installment of “50 Days of Dating” click here. Sign up for email updates to ensure you don’t miss a single episode!

 

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Filed Under: 2016, 2016 Posts, Black Women Living Well, BW/WM, Fantastic Fans, Swirling Singles Tagged With: Black women, dating choices, interracial, interracial dating, interracial dating options, interracial relationships, options, swirl, swirling

BIG, HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: The Swirl World Podcast Is LIVE!

June 9, 2014 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

The-Swirl-Word-Podcast (2)

Woot Woot!

The Podcast is here! The podcast is here!

That’s right:

The FIRST iTunes podcast based in the United States devoted strictly and completely to Black women involved in interracial and intercultural relationships!!!

And before we proceed, we want to give a major shout out to interracial married couple Clove and Sherley aka CHO & NILLA of Montreal, Quebec. They’ve been blogging and podcasting  from Canada for years, and to our knowledge THEY are the FIRST EVER to do an interracial podcast anywhere, and The Swirl World is the first in the United States. Be sure to go check them out and subscribe to their podcast. We plan to contact them to try to get them on our show. Woot! Woot!

Whew . . . !

OK, let me calm down and fill you in on the launch of The Swirl World Podcast:

The Back Story

Adrienne and I talked about in early 2013, and then decided to make launching a podcast one of our goals for 2014.

Adrienne, Patrick and I have been busy little beavers behind the scenes: Trying to figure podcasting out, inviting guests, recording shows, learning how to edit – you name it, we worked it.

After lots of Skype calls, dropped calls, technical snafus, learning how to work equipment, scheduling issues and changing of our launch dates, we finally got it together.

Whew! *Wipes brow*

The Purpose Of The Podcast

So, why a podcast? We’re glad you asked!

The Swirl World is extremely blessed to have legions of fans on Facebook, Twitter and here on the blog. We’re passionate about everyone – and Black women in particular – living their best life and achieving the happiness and security in relationships they desire. We believe that in order to do this, Black women must expand their dating and marriage options and open their lives up to quality men of all races and ethnicities.

And because we’re so passionate about our cause, we believe a podcast can serve well as an extension of the mediums we already use to promote our message. We want you to hear the passion in our voices and we want to develop deeper relationships with our audience.

With the podcast, our goal is to entertain, inform, educate and inspire you to live your best life. Why? Because Swirling Rocks, that’s why!

Who’s Going To Be On The Show?

We’re going to bring you a broad range of guests – both men and women – to discuss topics of interest to Swirlers.  Through interesting, exciting (and often hilarious) conversations, we’re going to engage our guests in subjects concerning:

  • Dating
  • Vetting
  • Marriage
  • Parenting
  • Careers
  • Education
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Beauty and Fashion
  • Lifestyle interests
  • Physical Health and Wellness
  • Mental Health

Upcoming guests include Swirl couples, authors, business owners, counselors, well-known interracial bloggers, and educators.

As an added bonus: We’re also going to bring you conversations with Swirling couples who are  in the military.

How Do I Access The Podcast?

Run, don’t walk, over to iTunes and SUBSCRIBE!

Here are the steps from Apple on how to find and subscribe to a podcast:

  1. Open iTunes. If you do not have iTunes, download the latest version of iTunes, free.
  2. In the upper-right corner of iTunes, click iTunes Store in the navigation bar.
  3. Click Podcasts in the navigation bar.
  4. In the “Search Store” field, enter “The Swirl World Podcast.” We should pop right up.
  5. When you find us, you can:
    • Stream the FREE podcast directly from the store by double-clicking an episode.
    • Download a specific episode to your iTunes library by clicking the Free button next to an individual episode.
    • Subscribe to the podcast by selecting Subscribe below the cover art on the left of the podcast page. We want you to subscribe because we don’t want you to miss an episode!

To listen to episodes you have downloaded to your iTunes library:

  1. Navigate to Library on the right side of the navigation bar in iTunes.
  2. Select Podcasts from the Library pop-up menu.
  3. Click The Swirl World to see all the episodes.
  4. Double-click an episode to play it.

If you’d prefer to watch a video outlining the steps, here’s one from Hubspot. Just make sure to insert The Swirl World Podcast in your searches.

A link to the podcast on iTunes will also be available in every post and in the sidebar.

Hey! I Wanna Be On The Show – Or I Know Somebody Who Should!

We’re always on the lookout for great people to feature on the podcast. If you have a product, business, skill or a good story to tell, contact us at Podcast@TheSwirlWorld.com.  We read and respond to every email.

Put A Face With A Voice

Many of you already know us from Facebook, but just in case you don’t have Facebook, let me introduce The Swirl World Team so you can put a face with the voices you’ll be hearing.

MMC TLK

 

Michelle Matthews Calloway – Lafayette, LA & Dallas, TX

I’m all over the place. If you see a woman with her fingers in a lot of pies, that would be me. Check out the About page to learn more.

 

 

Adrienne L LAdrienne London Leach – Bridgeport, West Virginia

Adrienne is co-host of the podcast, manager of The Swirl World’s Facebook page and my partner in crime!

 

 

 

 

Patrick iMix Studio 2Patrick J. Browne – Dublin, Ireland

You’ll hear Patrick’s voice introducing each podcast episode. Patrick is our audio editing guru and technology master. He’s a sweetheart and we love him to pieces.

 

 

 

Mark Custard 2

 

Mark Custard – Buffalo, NY

Mark will soon launch a new column on the blog entitled, “And On Another Note.” His column (and occasional videos!) will reflect his thoughts, musings and advice on dating Black women gleaned from his personal experiences. A father of two, he’ll also share his thoughts on parenting.

 

 

Jeff Lyons 2

 

Jeff Lyons – Oxnard, CA

Jeff is also launching a new column on The Swirl World. His column, “Just Ask Jeff,” is designed to answer Black women’s questions about dating, mating and relating to White men. Inbox your questions to us on Facebook or send an email to aswirlgirl@theswirlworld.com.

 

 

MIKE M - TOMichael Miocevich – Perth, Australia

Mike holds the distinction of being the most tenured of the guys on the team. His “Mondays With Mike” column garners LOTS of readers and attention both here and in Australia, his homeland – so much so that he appeared as a guest on a national television show! Mike is extremely prolific and publishes an amazing literary website, 500and50.com.

Follow Mike on Twitter @500and50 and read his blog at 500and50.com, or message him on his 500and50 Facebook page.

Click here to view Mike’s recent appearance on an Australian national television show.

Be Social – Subscribe, Subscribe, Subscribe!

To go to the iTunes podcast, view episodes and subscribe, click here.

Here’s The First Episode – Head Over To iTunes For More!

If you prefer, you can also catch the podcast on Sound Cloud!

Thanks so much for your continued support. We can’t do this without YOU!
Keep Swirling, and remember: Life Is Better – In The Swirl World!™

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To “Like” us on Facebook, click here

To follow Michelle on Twitter, click here

To follow Michelle on Instagram, click here

To network with Michelle on LinkedIn, click here

Copyright © 2014 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, The Swirl World Podcast™, All rights reserved. Photos used with permission.

 

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Filed Under: Announcements, Podcast, Special, Uncategorized Tagged With: Adrienne London Leach, announcement, Black women, dating, guests, intercultural, interracial, interracial dating options, iTunes, Jeff Lyons, Mark Custard, Marriage, options, Patrick J. Browne, podcast, Relationships, show, subscribe, White men

The White Country Boy and the Black City Girl

January 29, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway Leave a Comment

GENE-LEIGH AND SETH WHEELER

Yesterday we started a series on Swirl Couple Gene-Leigh and Seth Wheeler.

Here’s a bio on the couple: My full name is Gene-Leigh (named for my grandparents and Vivian Leigh the actress) Ziegler (nee Wheeler) and I was born, raised, and currently reside in Pittsburgh, Pa. I’m 32 and ¾ (33 is KILLING me) and Seth and I have been married since 10/11/12. I work as a family therapist for a not-for-profit agency in Pittsburgh, PA.  I have a Master’s degree in counseling Psychology, and I have been in my field for almost 10 years.

Seth Ziegler (my loving husband) is 31 years old (he calls me a cougar, the louse), and works as an MRI technologist for a hospital in Pittsburgh.  He’s attending school now for a degree in Hospital Administration, and has worked in his field for about 8 years.  He is originally from a little town 2 hours north of Pittsburgh where his Mother’s family still lives. 

We love long walks on the beach, candle lit dinners, and romantic getaways.  However, since we are both too lazy and too broke to do any of those things, we settle for strolls to the corner, loud dinners in bars with lots of football, and putting our phones on silent every Sunday while we eat fast food in bed together.  We’re probably two of the most down-to-earth folks you will ever meet although we are both a bit nutty.  We got to live music shows as much as possible, and love every second of it.  Thank you for allowing us to share our insanity with you.

The Back Story on the Bat

Seth is a long-suffering man.  His wife is a punk.  Yeah, you read that right, I’m a punk—particularly when it comes to anything that slithers, crawls, flies, has more than four legs, or lives in the dark corners of our unfinished hundred-year old basement.  As a requisite “city kid,” my knowledge on any and all things wildlife is shoddy at best.  I was never a Girl Scout, and I didn’t go on nature walks (unless you count trudging through alleyways with overgrown weeds popping up through the cracks in the street a “nature walk”).

My experience with animals was limited to alley cats, and those mean neighborhood dogs you were explicitly told to stay away from.  On the other hand, my husband grew up outside of city limits in the country, had friends who rode ATVs in the woods, hunted, fished, and ran through all manner of empty fields on acres of farmland. He learned to make his jacket into a flotation device when he was a Cub Scout (don’t ask).  So you can see and understand how different the dynamic is, right? Okay.

Fast forward to July of last year . . . .

We had decided to move into a house and out of our tiny cramped apartment last summer.  We’d grown out of it, and, as we were going to be married in October, knew that having children was inevitable (Seth’s mother would have preferred to have grandchildren earlier than that, but I digress).  We found a beautiful brownstone house in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood, and I fell in love with it the first time I saw it.  We paid our security deposit, and moved into our new home excitedly.

Here’s where it gets interesting.  See, things are never as they seem, and that is exactly what we got with this house.  We had a few issues here and there, but the biggest issue came in the form of a 6-inch tall furry creature with leathery wings that decided to pay us a visit about two weeks after we moved in.  I wrote the short story below to illustrate how differently the two of us—-the White country boy, and the Black city girl—-handled the same situation.

BAT 1

The Bat Chronicles – Part 1

I’d gone to bed earlier than usual, because I had an early morning appointment with a client, and as I am almost always running late, I wanted to get a fresh start. I was sleeping soundly, but rolled over when I heard our bedroom door creak open.  Seth was standing in the doorway, and I gave him a sleepy smile.

“Hello my lovely man.  Did you come to see me?” I yawned.

Seth shifted from one foot to the other, and peered at me.  “Hi honey, um, we have a bat in the house . . . .”

I sat bolt upright with all romantic pretense gone.  “We have WHAT in the house??”

Seth scratched the top of his head and peered at me with big hazel-brown eyes. “A bat . . . .”

I closed my eyes and prayed he meant an implement used to play baseball or cricket. “Tell me you aren’t serious . . .  HOW THE HELL DID A BAT GET IN???!!!”

Seth opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to form words that wouldn’t send me further over the edge.  “I don’t know it was going nuts flying around downstairs . . .  .”

Wrong thing to say, Bro.  “Where is it?” I asked him, terrified.

Seth pointed toward the door, “Last I saw, it was on the second floor . . . .”

I went into full stroke mode, and fairly screamed at him, “LAST TIME YOU SAW IT???”  I started to hyperventilate, and broke out in a cold sweat.  To his credit, Seth kept calm, and did his best to keep me from leaping out our third story window in panic.

“It’s okay, calm down, let me go look,” Seth said stroking my hair.  He left the bedroom closing the door behind him.  When he returned in 10 minutes, I was hiding behind the door in my nightshirt.

Seth kissed my forehead (a little trick he uses to keep me calm when he’s about to give me news that could potentially give me a heart attack) and looked at me steadily. “Okay it’s across the hall in the computer room . . . .”

Eerily calm, I said to him, “I’m gonna faint….” and sure enough, I stumbled into the door, right before he grabbed me by the arms and held me up.

“Gene, stand up! It’s okay—God your eyes are HUGE!”

I swung my gaze to him.  “A bat . . . .” I said before resting my head on his shoulder. He patted my head gently and said, “It’s okay, just give me moral support.”  I groaned.

By about 2:00 am, Seth had developed a plan of action that consisted of an oversized winter coat, a pair of leather gloves, long pants, shoes, and a bright red bandana that when tied across his face, made him look like gang member.  He glanced at me sitting cross-legged on our bed.

“How do I look?” he asked, his voice muffled by the bandana.

“Like you’re about to commit a drive-by in the Alaskan tundra,” I replied drily.

Seth squinted at me in fake malice. “Quiet you. Okay, I’m gonna go and see where it is. I think it’s in the computer room.”

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “Okay. I’m of no help. You know how I am about spiders, so I’m no good with bats.  I’m a city kid, dammit!”

Pulling the cinches tight on the sleeves of his coat, Seth nodded, “It’s okay baby, just stay here.” He left the room to confront our fanged roommate, and returned a scant 15 minutes later and pulled the bandana off his face.

“Okay, so I saw it fluttering by the window, and I’m pretty sure it flew out. It was under the curtain,” Seth said, sinking into the bed next to me.

I looked at him in confusion.  Sure, I was a bit crazy and sleep-deprived, but I knew for certain that was impossible. “That window has a screen. How did it get in if we have a screen?”

Seth shrugged.  “It’s the only way it could have gotten in. There is no other way into the house; every other window was shut to keep the air conditioning in. And the screen doesn’t reach the top.  It probably slipped between the panes of glass or something,” he said, yawning and removing his coat.

I frowned, but I was tired, and needed to be up in a few hours. “Okay well, at least it’s gone. I gotta get some sleep.”  He kissed me good night and I lay down on the pillows, and was thrust into dreams of Count Chocula and the Count on Sesame Street.

The afternoon after our encounter with Dracula, I was still hesitant about being home alone after work, so I put in a call to Animal Control.  Although I trusted Seth, and believed that our fanged nemesis had vacated and left no forwarding address, I just couldn’t shake that spooky feeling. I was told that Animal Control would be a few hours, so I vegged out on our front steps and read, and then listened to music on the first floor of the house. When Animal Control arrived—which consisted of two pot-bellied middle aged men with cloth gloves—I felt a bit more relieved.  They searched around the house, and came back with their findings.

“Well Miss, we don’t see any evidence of activity. You sure your husband saw him leave?” the first man asked with uncertainty.

I shrugged.  “Well, he told me he THOUGHT it was fluttering and flew out the window. I know that the top of that window slides down and there is no screen in the top, so maybe it came in the top and not the bottom,” I explained.

The second man nodded with certainty. “Yeah Hon, I think he’s gone. We get off at 11, so if your husband comes home, tell him to get a broom if he sees the bat again and try to corral it toward an open door. They don’t like light, so cut on all the lights except for the one in the room they are in. Check for him again around 8:30 or 9:00, when it’s dark out. But honestly, I think he scared him off.”

I tugged my hair nervously. “Okay, will do. Thanks for coming out.”

After I shut the door behind them, I tried to take the advice of the Queen of England—-keep calm, and carry on—-but to no avail. I sent Seth a text telling him the information I was told, and hunkered down on the first floor to wait for him to come home.

Seth got home a little after 10:00 pm, and checked the house again. He didn’t a find single thing. It seemed that we did get lucky—Dracula had made his escape. We settled down into our nightly routine of dinner and conversation before retiring to our third floor bedroom.

I yawned deeply while trudging up the steps. “I’m tired. I didn’t sleep well because I was so worried about that bastard of a bat last night,” I said. I walked into the bedroom, and began to strip off my clothing.

Seth nodded in agreement. “I know Honey; it’s late, try to get some sleep. It’s already 1:00 am now. I’m going to get a glass of water.”

As he left the bedroom, I crawled between the covers, rolled over and closed my eyes. Just then I heard what can only be described as a cross between a cough, and a horrified yelp, just before our bedroom door slammed.  I rolled over and popped up out of bed ready to cuss Seth a blue streak.

“WHAT THE HELL IS—“I stopped short when Seth turned toward me with his eyes as huge as saucers.

“I guess our friend didn’t leave last night,” Seth said quietly.

My mouth dropped open in horror.  “Oh my goodness please tell me you are lying right now . . .  !”

Seth shook his head. “I wish I was. I just saw it flying up the steps toward us.”

———

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Bat Chronicles featuring Gene-Leigh and Seth Wheeler!

Join in the Fray: Are you a “Country Mouse” or a “City Mouse?”

I’m blogging every day in the month of January in Blogher’s NaBloPoMo Challenge. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!

Copyright © 2013 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl, All rights reserved.

 

 

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Filed Under: Guest Blog, NaBloPoMo Challenge, Series, Special, Uncategorized Tagged With: bat, Black, Black women, Black. White, BlogHer, dating, flying, insects, interracial, interracial couple, interracial dating, interracial dating options, interracial marriage, interracial relationships, interracial romance, love, NaBloPoMo, Swirl Couple, swirling

Date Smarter – Not Harder!

January 16, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 2 Comments

Woman given roses

Yesterday our Admin ~all posted an interesting question over on The Swirl World’s Facebook page.

(By the way, if you haven’t visited or “Liked” our page, you’re missing out on a treat: Lots of lively discussions, informative posts celebrating people of color, and spotlights on the fans. What? You’re not over there yet? What are you waiting for???)

This is the question that ~all posed:

Hi Swirlers,
Would like your insight. Some of you have tried or met through on-line dating sites. Some of you have been successful and some have not, so without naming any names of sites, give some helpful pointers? ~all

A number of people – guys and gals – weighed in on the question by sharing their views and relaying what they had encountered. Some of the accounts were positive; others, not so much. Reading the thread made me think not only of my own dating experiences, but also the practical advice I give to those who decide to try online dating:

Just remember that he (or she) should be very willing to come out from behind the computer and MEET YOU IN PERSON. Ladies, if he lives in another city, let him come to visit YOU FIRST. A man should be willing to make an effort to meet/get to know you – HE should be the pursuer, NOT you. Don’t act/be thirsty and desperate! Meet at a neutral place; no way should you go to someone’s home or they to yours until you are thoroughly comfortable and some guidelines/boundaries have been established (as well as a relationship). He/she should not meet your children until you have an established RELATIONSHIP and you have vetted, vetted, and VETTED SOME MORE. Be observant and listen to your instincts; if something feels “off” or “not quite right,” it probably isn’t.

I know this advice may seem “old-fashioned” to some of you in this modern age, but this is my advice and I’m sticking to it. I’ve seen far too many people (especially women) make foolish mistakes and sometimes suffer HEARTBREAKING consequences when they didn’t. I wish everybody well and want all of us to be successful in relationships and love. Peace and blessings! ~ASwirlGirl

Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I’ve heard far too many horror stories from women who were too accommodating, or failed to use plain common sense. I can’t stress enough how important it is to vet a potential suitor. Bohemian blogger Dee Dee Russell, creator of the Black Women With Other Brothers Facebook page and blog, makes a very strong case for the importance of vetting in her post Black Women With Other Brothers: The Five Basic Swirling Rules I’ve Learned. YouTube vlogger Eugenia Berg, who also blogs at Married Girl in a Weird World, extensively discusses online dating and vetting, part one and part two.

Information abounds for the smart, savvy woman (or man) who wants to successfully navigate online (and offline line) dating. What every woman – and Black women in particular – needs to remember is that no prospect should be exempt from a good, thorough vetting. Regardless of ethnicity, men are men (and women are women), and nobody should get an automatic pass based on something as superficial as race.

Be wary of “Catfish” and what Dee Dee Russell calls “Keyboard Romeos.” I can’t say it enough: Vet, vet, vet and then vet again.

The choice is always yours – you can date smarter, or date harder.

Join in the Fray: What dating smarter or vetting tips can you share?

I’m blogging every day in the month of January in Blogher’s NaBloPoMo Challenge. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!

Copyright © 2013 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl, All rights reserved.

 

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Filed Under: NaBloPoMo Challenge, Series, Uncategorized Tagged With: Black, Black women, Black. White, date, dating, dating pointers, dating tips, interracial, interracial dating, interracial dating options, interracial marriage, interracial relationships, NaBloPoMo, smart, swirling, vetting

Why I Refuse to Give Up

December 27, 2012 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 3 Comments

I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make

~from I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz

Have you ever had anyone do something mean, malicious, or spiteful to you – all with the express purpose of sabotage? What about suffering at the hands of people who know they’re engaging in hurtful behaviors – those lovely people who are so selfish and self-centered that other people’s feelings obviously don’t matter? And by all means, let’s not forget what President Franklin D. Roosevelt termed “the vicissitudes of life;” you know, the hardships, bad breaks, and unfortunate circumstances that arise just as a result of being a member of the human race.

Things happen. I get that. Crappy, disgusting, and even heartbreaking things happen. I totally get that.

Some of these things are so crappy, disgusting, and heartbreaking that it seems the sole purpose for the events even occurring is to make you wash your hands of people/life, say “To heck with it!” and go live somewhere on a deserted island far, far away.

Well, guess what? It’s at those times, my friend, that I’m even more determined to keep swimming against the tide and moving forward.

When I was much younger, my personal mantra was, “I’d rather die than cry.” Many of you know about my background as a military brat. As a child, my life was always in flux, and it was nothing to change three schools in one year. I was forever the new kid on the block and constantly had to prove myself to both students and teachers. I encountered racism at a very early age, and my Dad drilled in my brothers and me to never let anyone intimidate us.

That “refuse to be intimidated” mindset carried over into my adulthood, and I can safely say that this mentality is as much a part of me as my name.

So, want me to shine and really show you what I know or what I can do? Want to make me try harder, excel in my endeavors, and otherwise bring life to the saying “Living well is the best revenge?”

Then try to intimidate me.

Want me to dig my heels in the sand, refuse to be dissuaded or moved, and day “Pffft!” to your face?

Then by all means, attempt to bully me.

I learned this week that I face very strong opposition to my advocacy of diversity. Not just strong opposition, but hateful opposition to my message regarding what I believe is the the necessity of Black women opening their minds and hearts to interracial dating, interracial relationships, and interracial marriage.

I’m not speaking of the opposition that comes from some paternalistic, misogynistic, “Power to the People” idiot spouting his hatred for “the man” in a Facebook thread. No; it goes deeper than that brand of petty, juvenile foolishness. I’m speaking of the kind of opposition that attempts to shut down my platform, and thus ultimately silence my voice.

Whelp, it ain’t gonna work.

You see, I don’t just believe in my message of diversity in relationship options, I live my message, and I want other Black women to do the same.    

I don’t want Black women to wither on the vine while waiting for a mate of a particular color or ethnicity – one who may never show up. Instead, I want Black women to come to the realization that they can thrive in the garden of love because in that garden, there’s an entire array of offerings they can select from.

And there you have it.

I refuse to give up, because the message of the viability of interracial dating and marriage options for Black women is much too important.

I refuse to give up, because I know my cause is greater than any jack-leg who wants me to stop.

I refuse to give up, because how can you truly believe in something (or someone) that you’re not willing to fight for?

I refuse to give up – because I’m just getting started.

Join in the Fray: What do you refuse to give up on?

Copyright © 2012 Michelle Matthews Calloway, All rights reserved.

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Filed Under: Announcements, Uncategorized Tagged With: Black, Black women, causes, dating, interracial, interracial dating, interracial dating options, interracial marriage, Marriage, Relationships, white

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Welcome!

I’m Michelle Matthews-Calloway, and I’m A Swirl Girl! Greetings to you from The Swirl World. We encourage Black women to expand their relationship options by dating and marrying interracially. Our overarching mission is to see Black Women live their best life. Come Swirl with us in The Swirl World™, where we celebrate Black women and the diverse men who love us!™

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