The Story:
“It’s not that you’re not…uh, less or anything. It’s just that you’re, well different.”
That was the last phrase I heard before I was scooped up and away from my friends and family and grouped with the others- others like me. Those first few hours were the hardest I can remember enduring. But as I slowly came to grips with my new reality I started to realize that maybe things were not as bad as I thought. The others around me also seemed to be taking their lot in stride. Some of them were even smiling and joking around with each other.
As I continued to look around I began to feel a sense of belonging, it appeared that we were all a little different- some were two or even three times larger than normal, some were rounder, some were so small they only came up to my middle. All sorts of shapes and sizes surrounded me and no one seemed to notice that they weren’t ‘normal’. Had I finally found a place where everything wasn’t dependent on being perfect?
As I joined the group next to me and introduced myself, I reflexively braced myself for some sort of negative reaction due to my obvious disfigurement. It never came, everyone smiled and greeted me warmly and didn’t even give me a second look. Relaxing, I joined the conversation easily and found that I had many things in common with just about everyone in the group. I chatted for what seemed like hours and for the first time, I felt comfortable with my own shape.
Hey guys, mind if I join you?
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The Not So Fantastic Reality:
The above story was inspired by the following tidbits I encountered today:
ONE: Another successful trip to Big Lots this evening. Successful mainly because they had one of my all-time favorites back in stock, Belly Flops. Belly Flops are basically all the messed up Jelly Bellies that didn’t make the ‘perfection’ test and end up being packaged together for a much cheaper price. Being a maniac for sweets and currently on a budget, Belly Flops, in my humble opinion, are A-freakin-mazing. Who cares if they aren’t the perfect ‘bean’ shape? Who cares if two somehow melded into one? Who cares if some of them are a little smaller than usual or are one big gelatinous blob? Not this girl, nuh uh, I love them just the way they are.
Love & Squirrels.
Guess What I Did Today? 