Reverb10 / Dec 8 / Beautifully Different

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

Whenever I hear the word “different,” I think of one of my 7th grade teachers.  Anytime a student muttered about something being stupid or silly, she would say “it’s not dumb, it’s just different.”  I can’t actually remember what subject she taught — history, maybe? — but I remember the saying clearly and remind myself of it often.

I suppose I could write about how I like to run and do triathlons.  Or about how I’m an engineer who (not so) secretly wants to be a graphic designer.  I like to sing along really loudly with the radio in the car, especially when I’m alone.  I dislike all forms of melon (yes, even watermelon).  I could even write about really superficial items, like the fact that no one else looks exactly like me.  Or how my 4th toe curls toward the toe next to it — although you could argue that’s not actually different since my dad’s toe does the same thing.

Each of those things makes me unique, certainly, but here’s the thing — I don’t really believe that I’m all that different from anyone else.  At the end of the day, we all want the same things.  Family and friends.  People we love and who love us.  To be happy and healthy.  To leave the world a little bit better than we found it.  To keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter what happens because that’s what we do.  I figure we’re all doing the best we can in life.  I know that’s not always true, but I like to think that it could be.  Maybe I’m too optimistic, but I can live with that.

When Ellie meets the alien in Contact, one of the things he says is: “You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you’re not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we’ve found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.”  I guess what I’m trying to say is that even though we’re different, we’re also the same.  I truly believe that, and it comforts me.

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This month, I’m participating in Reverb10, which charges you to “reflect on your year and manifest what’s next.”  There’s a different prompt every day.