Hiding from myself Creative corner post #2

The weather outside is less than pleasing, but I find that days like this are the best to try and hone my skills. This is the second installment in creative corner. Hiding from me Growing up differently from most people, I was always careful though not too careful about fitting in with others. In an effort to make some of the bullying and teasing stopped, I tried my best to fit in with anyone. Truth be told, though, I am not the type to form cliques or the type to gravitate towards a certain type of person. I am nice to whomever is nice to me., whether they are the popular kid or not. Making friends had never been a particular challenge for me. The challenge I was facing was with my inner being . I did not like myself at all, and I certainly did not trust myself at all. It would be months even years before I realized that I was essentially the problem. I had zero confidence. I was too afraid to look in the mirror because I didn’t like the person staring back at me. The saying that you have to love yourself before you love anyone else is so accurate. However, liking yourself and living your life to its full potential isn’t something that comes over night. It takes a ton of confidence, learning how to love yourself, accepting your flaws, and your disability, if you so happen to have one. This will take some months, others days and some people years. It took me 17 years to fully accept myself. Depression had me buried in misery with no escape. Fourtunately, I had awesome friends and family members who showed me that my kindness and compassionate nature would be the trait that many would come to admire. Learning to live with confidence, which I most certainly gained over the years, taught me that my strength also played a key role in who I was. After all, living with a physical disability that makes simple movements nearly impossible was always going to require me to have a ton of strength on a daily basis. Accepting my disability was a difficult task. Even though I am almost 33, it is sometimes still a struggle, especially now that I am older & my body is showing signs of deteriation and wear. Strength is needed now more than ever before. This is when I thank God I now quit hiding from myself. I have accepted the fact that I am not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I have accepted the fact that I am different and am going to require medical care (some intense) for the rest of my life. Over time, I have realized that trying to blend in was one of my worst mistakes. Please do me a favor and just be who you are. We are all unique with a branded purpose in this crazy world. We all have something to offer this world. If you don’t know what your unique trait is yet, don’t worry! Just keep on your mission of soul-searching…..