I had an interesting experience this weekend as I texted various friends Christmas greetings. I have a good friend from high school who is openly gay in California. We didn't talk for a few years but then a couple of years ago, through facebook, we started communicating again. He doesn't know about me, at least not that we've discussed, but it's been great rekindling an old friendship. As any of you that know me and know where I'm from can appreciate, I'm from a very small town that I don't has had much experience, or I should say much positive experience, with homosexuals. Anyway, back to my friend, he sent me a reply to some messages saying, "I have to say...you are the only person I have really kept in touch with! I am glad we have! You are a good guy! Thanks for being so accepting!". Now, I wonder how accepting I am based on my appreciation for his struggles and life or how accepting I am because that's just who I am (I hope the latter would be true regardless) but it caused two emotions: 1. I felt sad that more people aren't allowing themselves to be friends with this great individual and 2. It made me proud of him for being such a great individual. I simple replied, "Thanks man...I think the same about you. I feel lucky to have you as a friend for many reasons but mostly because you're an all around great guy. More people will feel the same as they allow themselves too. Thanks for being you." and that is the purpose of this blog post.
To you, the reader of this post, thank you for being you! You, my friend, are incredible just by being you. The owner of the company where I work has always told us that everyone merits respect simply by being a human being and that's so true. You are enough just as you are. Please continue to be you.
Now, along the same lines of my previous thought, if you, the reader of this post, are being someone who you are not, please take a few moments to identify the aspects of your being that are not you. You need to change these. God made you who you are for a very specific reason and of that I have no doubt. Please don't get me wrong, I do not want you to make a list tonight or today of the things that you need to change and wake up tomorrow disregarding those things and just being you. People won't like that. However, you do need identify those things and work to gradually change back into the amazing, incredible, inspired person you were put here on this earth to be. If you're afraid that by changing back to who you really are will cause people to not like you, you shouldn't be afraid of that. It's a reality. Some people won't like you but guess what, that doesn't matter. You, my dear friend, need to be you and not a fake someone else. If you doubt this, please send me an email as I'd love to discuss this further. If you're pondering this and are worried about not having any friends by being you, email me. I am always open to having more friends and though I may not have hours and hours to spend hanging out, I will promise you that you'll have a friend who appreciates you for who you are and wants to help you be a better "you".
Here's to being you and not being someone else.
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