Self Acceptance & Kindred Spirits

 This is a life lesson that has taken me decades to really be able to grasp and understand on an emotional level.  I have always been a very self-conscious type of person.  I have always felt that the ways in which I am atypical are something to be embarrassed about that make me flawed and in some ways inferior or less than as compared to others.  I am now learning on an actual emotional level to see myself in the way that I would see others.  Different isn’t bad.  It is just who people are and the world is full of people who are unique and different as compared to that which is typical in others.  We aren’t all cut out from the same cookie cutter and we just are who we are.  I wouldn’t look upon others in a negative light for being atypical or unique and I shouldn’t do this for myself either.  This is not an attitude of acceptance or of valuing others for who they are.  The world would be a boring place if we were all alike and not fitting into typical molds is what makes people unique.  People hold gifts of uniqueness behind their differences that others might view as imperfections.  They may see and appreciate things that others do not see and appreciate.  They may have gifts of value and uniqueness that others may not readily see or appreciate unless they have a mindset of observing and appreciating the unique qualities of others who don’t fit into typical molds.  And if others can’t value and appreciate people for being who they are, and if they see the uniqueness and differences of others as an opportunity to poke fun at and be unkind to others, then this is their problem.  They are the ones who are missing out on the opportunity to appreciate and value people and what they have to share and contribute in their own special and unique ways.  They are missing the opportunity to see and appreciate the beauty and worth of others who have different and unique qualities.  These are the kinds of qualities that will be perceived and valued the most by others who are kindred spirits.