Kelly KleinThere she stands. She doesn’t know it yet, but she is destined for great things. The only thing holding her back is fear. Fear of what others think of her when she dares to be different. She doesn’t want to settle for the status quo. She knows there is more out there, just waiting for her. That first step is a difficult one. It isn’t easy breaking free from the mold of everyone’s expectations of her. She wants desperately to forget the past and all the words said to her. She is told to ‘Get over it,’ but how do you get over something that’s been ingrained deeply in your soul for over forty years?
She stands alone, on the edge of a cliff. She steps forward. Will she fall to her death, or reach great heights? She tries to forget what other people think – what do they know? They don’t have to live her life. She stretches out her arms and feels the breeze in her hair. She forgets people saying she’s ugly…she’s stupid…she’s unworthy… She forgets how people treat her like she’s below them. She forgets her shyness, and ultimately her fear.
In amazement, she watches feathers grow from her arms – green, blue, purple – all the colours of the rainbow. She is a late bloomer. She closes her eyes and steps off the ledge. And then she is soaring. Higher and higher. She is not ugly – those shadows of the past were wrong! She is a beautiful bird who had it in her all along. She just needed to be herself. She is worthy – she has a right to be as good as anyone else. And she is showing the world that she can fly – higher than the naysayers of yesteryear. She just needed to let go of the fear that was holding her back. It just took a little time for her to discover who she is and let it come out for the world to see. And still she is soaring ever higher, looking down on the world.
She has discovered that giving up fear means inviting freedom, and oh, is she free! The feeling of the wind through her wings and the sight of the world far below. If she knew this was what freedom would be like, then maybe she would have taken that step sooner. Yet she feels no regrets because her journey is what made her who she is, and for that, she is grateful. She loves who she is and for once in her life she doesn’t feel the need to change just because one person – or many – want her to. She is a beautiful human being worthy of love, and she can fly!
Be awesome and may your life be passionate!
