Unapologetic

I'm a scientist and a Christian. I am a woman who loves fast cars and yawns during chick flicks. I'm a 12-year old trapped in a 40-year old body wrapped around an old soul. I wear a mohawk with ripped jeans and a business suit with 4" stilettos.

I'm a dichotomy. I don't fit in and I don't blend in. I will not stay inside that little box of yours and I won't wear your label.

I'm not here to win your approval.

Society doesn't like the outsider, the rebel, the outlier. These people are scary...uncertainty unnerves us. We like normal. We like safe.

Rosa Parks was tired of safe. Thomas Jefferson was not about to go with the political flow. Ghandi had had enough of compliance. Wilma Mankiller was beautifully unconventional.

Those who dare to step outside of the neatly painted lines are the ones we remember. The history books are not filled with stories about those who complied with normalcy. Go ahead, take a step outside of your comfort zone and just drink in the freedom.

I'm not advocating chaos and anarchy. I'm advocating finding your passion and your voice...working out your dreams even if it means breaking boundaries and stepping on the occasional toe.

Life is a gift so live it every moment of every day and don't stop until you are out of dreams. Stop listening to the critics and shut out the voices that disapprove of you. You don't need them..if they don't get you, then move on and find someone who will. And someone will...God already does, and it won't take long before those around you begin to recognize your uniqueness and love you for it.

Growing up I was a very shy child. I conformed out of fear, obeyed the rules out of necessity because to stand out was to be different and being different meant a lack of acceptance. I wasn't brave enough back then.

Now, I am unapologetically ME. My bravery comes from two distinct sources: my faith and my friends. No matter how badly I screw up, I will always be loved unconditionally by my God. He has given me a passion for life and I will use every sweet and precious moment I have to fill up on love and laughter until my very last breath and proclaim the truth that He is my strength.

My beloved friends also give me courage. Looking past my flaws, they have found the good in my eccentric ways and have embraced the insanity that is my life. Their devotion bolsters my heart against the pressure to conform and their love is the song that I dance to when I'm waiting on the outside looking in.

And I can never thank them enough. Not ever.

The moral of the story is to rejoice in your differences, to embrace the things that are unique and cherish the unexpected qualities in yourself. It isn't an easy path to walk...it can be lonely and often confusing, but the rewards are amazing.

Don't you owe it to yourself to really BE yourself?