That quote is but ONE of the quotes about Denzel Washington from his wife; taken together, Pauletta’s accounting of her life with her husband is a balanced, loving one. Remember: she is not describing Jesus Christ; a balanced accounting of any human being would involve some things that are not pretty. Nor is she more than human either: it may not have occurred to her that people with an overactive imagination would take her so completely out of context if she did not think to guard every single word. But she did well; she gave no details, but also did not paint her husband as perfect. He is imperfect, and she loves him anyway… and vice versa. That is what a 30-year marriage should look like.

Consider it another way: 30 years is a long time to be in a mere marriage of convenience when both parties are accomplished and attractive. But, to this point, the article gives a sense that both are enjoying life together much as they were at the beginning — Mr. Washington even speaks of things having come full circle, and enjoying some of the things they did when first married. There is nothing in the totality of this article to suggest that they are anything but still in love, and still committed to each other.

Let me just put something out there for consideration. I realize that Black men have been getting publicly disrespected on every hand for 400 years, and in the last 40 years or so, they have also been getting it on “the homefront” as well from some Black women. That is a fact. On the other hand, there is still no need to create an offense when there isn’t one; every comment about the human reality of Black men by Black women is not an attack — and vice verse. Sometimes, truth is just truth; we’re all human, and none of us are perfect. A little humility (and in the article, the Washingtons showed a lot) spares us all from having to feel like someone else is humiliating us anytime they happen to mention that we are, in fact, only human.