May 2024

May Thought of the Month

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's a sad fact of life that other people will try to pigeonhole us, telling us what life paths we should follow and which dreams aren't for us, all without bothering to take the time to know us. Our desires and preferences take a distant second place to their opinions. We waste time, in some cases years, trying to be what we aren't to make others happy.

When I was in grade school, I had a teacher who thought my printing was too small. She insisted that I re-write my assignment in bigger letters. I tried, but my handwriting kept reverting back to the size that was natural for me. We can try to be someone we're not, but eventually our own natures will push us toward the path we are meant to travel.

There's a short cartoon that I saw many years ago called The Bear that Wasn't. It's a modern-day fable about being yourself despite external pressure. When the bear is found inside a factory, everyone assumes he's a man in a fur coat. No matter how many times the bear tells them he's a bear, he is told that he isn't and after a while he believes them. But in the end he finds his own truth and returns to the woods. The last line is "The bear that wasn't...was."

So whenever someone tries to convince you otherwise, remember the bear's lesson. Believe in who you really are, stick to your own path, and pursue the joy it will bring.

[Thought and image design by Elaine C. Oldham]