DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

I was sitting at Hopeland Gardens by one of my favorite spots just meditating

I opened my eyes after meditation just looking at the flowing water

My eyes became naturally drawn to this one leaf

It looked different

My eyes could not pull away

Why? I wondered to myself

I just kept looking

It is so unique

So different

3/4 of it is opaque

The other quarter not

I just kept looking

It stood out because it is different

Different is not that bad is it?

But yet so many of us are afraid to be different

We have been conditioned to move through life a certain way

To be different also means to stand out

And some of us are afraid to stand out

Why? I wondered to myself

You are seen more clearly when you are different

To be seen more clearly also mean you can be judged more easily too

And that is scary

So for most of us, we choose to merge

Merge with our environments

Merge within societies

Merge within our relationships

But truly

We are born to be our unique self

To really own the parts of us that makes us …….us

May you have the courage to be your unique self

Peace,

Sok Hwee