LaToya M. Davidson-Perez

In just a few months I’ll go from divorcée to married woman. In a small family no-fuss ceremony I’ll be marrying for the second time. And while that in itself is exciting, it does pose a dilemma. What should my last name be? We are often identified and defined by our names. For women it can be even more difficult given the tradition of taking their spouse’s last name.

My first marriage was brief. However, in my youth I thought nothing of dropping my maiden name (I don’t agree with dropping middle names as we already sacrifice enough). In hindsight I wish I had given it more thought. My mother and others suggested then as they do now to hyphenate my name. However, given my aversion to again removing my maiden name, an already long full name will lengthen beyond the number of letters in the alphabet. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, as I talked with my mom in the family kitchen, we started discussing my grandparents. Specifically, she reprimanded me for not calling my grandparents in Jamaica more often. She then informed me that she was no longer going to pass along information about them to me. For the rest of the day I continued to think about the issue that I’ve long dismissed. Why is it that we can be so detached from the people we love the most? I’ve concluded that I deliberately do it.

My childhood was spent growing up with both sets of grandparents in Jamaica. For several years I saw more of them than I did my parents who, during that time, lived in New York. Now, don’t feel sorry for this fact. It’s a common cultural occurrence in the Islands, having a relative raising your child. In my case, for health reasons, it was best that I was in that climate rather than that of New York. Additionally, the school systems there are more challenging than those in the States. All that is to say that for quite some time my grandparents were the center of my universe. To this day the love I feel for them fills my heart with warmth. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently had the ‘pleasure’ of air travel. I consider myself a seasoned traveler. In my lifetime I have flown over sixty times. It’s honestly not my preferred method of travel despite it being among the safest. I do it because I have to. However, since my travelling began in the 1980s the entire industry has changed and not for the better. What ever happened to flying the friendly skies?

A slogan used by United Airlines from 1965 to 1996, flying used to have an allure that has long gone. Global economic changes has forced an industry to change. I never thought that I’d have to pay for so many things for air travel. For those who’ve never flown, and even those who have, flying in the past meant that you’d be fed in some way, may have entertainment, and the flight attendants would be the cream of the crop (depending on the airline). When I was younger growing up in Jamaica it meant something if you were able to become a flight attendant. Albeit a bit discriminatory and sexist (I was a child and we’re all guilty of believing stereotypes), it usually meant for men and women that you were beautiful, slim, professional and poised. When you’d see the group of them walk by you’d dream of becoming one. Read the rest of this entry »

Every morning I literally travel down the same roads. I drive the same routes to and from work. At times, though I hate to admit it, it’s as if the vehicle is on autopilot. It’s so easy to become lost in thought as the familiarity of the path becomes white noise. Gone is the amusement of taking in the scenery and marveling at the beauty of the area. In its stead I have now been wondering more about the roads that I pass daily yet never travel down.

I’ve lived in the Milledgeville area for over a decade and each morning as I drive to work I pass by the many roads that I’ve never traveled down. My Milledgeville is the only one that’s known to me. Thus, the roads I’ve never ventured down don’t feel like they exist. Similar to life, we often pick and choose the things we want to see and the paths we will travel. There are times when I am tempted to take a detour in order to see the parts of town that I don’t know. However, I ultimately choose not to meander and faithfully keep my course.

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