Would You Call The Cops On Me?

Hi, I’m Doyin. Here are a few things about me:

1. My name is common in west African countries and it means “royalty, or son of the king.” It’s pronounced “doe-ween.”
2. I would eat mangoes all day if I could, but they’re so damn high maintenance and messy.
3. I had a horrible speech impediment as a kid and a teacher told me that I better learn to be good with my hands because I wouldn’t be able to talk to customers for a living. Now I make my living as a speaker helping companies and colleges identify and address mental illness at work and school. Funny how that works.
4. Speaking of which, I tried to kill myself two years ago due to my mental illness. Now I’ve dedicated my life to ensuring others don’t make the mistake I almost did.
5. I love basketball. I mean, I LOVE it. I usually go to parks just to watch people play.
6. To date, I have exercised for at least 30 straight minutes for 389 straight days - and I’ve hated those 30 minutes each of those days.
7. I am an identical twin and he has always been my best friend.
8. My playlist includes Tribe Called Quest, Duran Duran, Linkin Park, Garth Brooks, and Public Enemy to name a few artists.
9. I’m deathly afraid of frogs.
10. I love naps.
11. If a spider is in my house, I’ll bring it outside instead of killing it.
12. I love Swedish Fish.
13. I care about the well-being of others more than I care about my own (that’s not always a good thing).
14. I love being in the kitchen (cooking and baking), and there are few things that make me happier than making meals that my family enjoys.
15. I cry a lot. Sometimes it’s a byproduct of my depression, sometimes it’s when I witness injustice, sometimes it’s when I’m moved by something.
16. I love to hug people - and I give damn good hugs, too. The kind that will make you light up a cigarette and text a friend immediately afterwards. Post ‘Rona, I’m not sure how I’ll handle not being able to do that as often.
17. I had a bad drinking problem and I quit cold turkey in September 2016. I haven’t looked back.
18. Shawshank Redemption is my favorite all-time movie.
19. I know the words to every Frozen song from both movies.
20. Despite (or because of) it all, I still manage to smile A LOT. More than the average dude, so I'm told.

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Do we have anything in common? I’m sure we do. So why are you afraid of me? Would you call the cops if I walked through your neighborhood? Would you look at me and automatically think I'm unqualified to speak for your company because of my skin color? Do you think my life matters just as much as yours? If you took the time to know me, you’d realize we aren’t that much different. ???