Reader Darcey writes about friendship, confidence and daring to be different…
Darcey says:
Where should I start? Let's begin with a question… are you different? Take a look in the mirror and then at the person beside you… what do you see? Whatever it is, I can tell you that you are not the same. Have you ever lain down on the grass on a summer's day and looked up at the clouds? I have. Someone once told me that each cloud has a story to tell; each one is different, just like you and me.
When I look in the mirror I am not always sure what I see, but I know I am not the same as anyone else. That's a fact. I used to put on a mask, try to blend in. I hung out with people who didn't really know me and just fell for the bubbly exterior. Then, when I felt I had to live up to their expectations and be the class clown, they called me names like 'weird' and 'strange' in a jokey sort of way. I laughed it off and it became normal, but when they were upset about something they would use the names more angrily and that would hurt. Rather than fitting in, I felt like I was on the edge. Then we got a new teacher who made us think harder about what was happening; others too were feeling left out, and when we stood up for ourselves we found that we didn't really need to be part of a big group. Now we do what we like.
Be yourself. You will make stronger friendships as people like you for who you are and not who they want you to be. We have a smaller group now… the numbers change as we are free to come and go as we please. We are all different, but that doesn't stop us from being the best of friends! If anyone calls me 'weird' now I take it as a compliment… who wants to be the same as everyone else? I'd rather be strange than a shadow of another person. One person's 'strange' is another one's 'unique!'
Artwork by reader Aine - fantastic stuff!
Cathy says:
I love Darcey's attitude and outlook and totally agree… are YOU true to yourself or do you strive to blend in with the crowd? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!
Darcey says:
Where should I start? Let's begin with a question… are you different? Take a look in the mirror and then at the person beside you… what do you see? Whatever it is, I can tell you that you are not the same. Have you ever lain down on the grass on a summer's day and looked up at the clouds? I have. Someone once told me that each cloud has a story to tell; each one is different, just like you and me.
When I look in the mirror I am not always sure what I see, but I know I am not the same as anyone else. That's a fact. I used to put on a mask, try to blend in. I hung out with people who didn't really know me and just fell for the bubbly exterior. Then, when I felt I had to live up to their expectations and be the class clown, they called me names like 'weird' and 'strange' in a jokey sort of way. I laughed it off and it became normal, but when they were upset about something they would use the names more angrily and that would hurt. Rather than fitting in, I felt like I was on the edge. Then we got a new teacher who made us think harder about what was happening; others too were feeling left out, and when we stood up for ourselves we found that we didn't really need to be part of a big group. Now we do what we like.
Be yourself. You will make stronger friendships as people like you for who you are and not who they want you to be. We have a smaller group now… the numbers change as we are free to come and go as we please. We are all different, but that doesn't stop us from being the best of friends! If anyone calls me 'weird' now I take it as a compliment… who wants to be the same as everyone else? I'd rather be strange than a shadow of another person. One person's 'strange' is another one's 'unique!'
Artwork by reader Aine - fantastic stuff!
Cathy says:
I love Darcey's attitude and outlook and totally agree… are YOU true to yourself or do you strive to blend in with the crowd? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!
I like a bit of standing out and blending in. I stand out from the majority of people as I have a blonde and blue mohawk and a grungy/punky dress sense besides the fact I'm only 5ft tall but I have a couple of friends who also have mohawks (we're the Three Mohawketeers!) and punky dress sense so when I'm with them, I don't feel odd or out of place. It's good to be unique and be yourself, as Darcey says, but I like to have a sense of belonging within a community. In my case, I fit in with the alternative community and the LGBT community. I'm still different in many ways from the other members of these communities but there's a sense of belonging and acceptance - fitting in, not because you feel you have to but because you simply do. But outside of those groups, I'm very much the token weirdo and I embrace that role! Life would be tiresome if I got upset every time someone pointed out that I don't look identical to any other human they've seen.
ReplyDeleteI love your style Blue! Please follow my blog. :)
DeleteI have absolutely no idea how to follow blogs but I gave your blog a read. You're a really good writer!
DeleteThanks! If you sign into gmail and google "blogger" it comes up with a blogger dashboard, and click on that little settings image. then you can add any url and follow the blog! I know, it's so confusing; I had no idea until me brother told me how. They should make it easier!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading what Darcey has said. If I were told to write something like this, mine would've been only half as good as her one! It's amazing - her unique idea of comparing it with the clouds, her brilliant way of putting across her perspective on something like this and lots more! All I can say is that this is a wonderful read, simply wonderful.
ReplyDelete