I believe at some level, we attract those who are like ourselves …
There is some connective tissue between us – it might be our common desire to save the planet, or the homeless animals. Or the homeless people. It could be our children knit us together through play dates and tears; hand-me-down clothes and swimming lessons. Sometimes it is the working out of our relationships with God – our worship, our prayers, our love. Often times, it is our tears.
There is comfort in the same-ness. It is a coming home, because you are like me.
But our differences …
They are grating, intimidating, annoying, inspiring, exaspirating, dare-I-say-it?-wrong! But, oh-I-wish-I-could-be-like-you.
I recently became reaquainted with this TED talk by Sarah Kay:
http://www.TED.com/playlists/87/spoken_word_fireworkshttp
(the first talk in this list) … If you have 18 minutes and want to be amazed, humbled, drawn in, spun around, blown away …
The thing I kept thinking while I watched this was: What an amazing use of words! What an incredible use of air! What a tremendous use of gesture! And, oh, how different she is from me.
How charming, adoreable, full of life, exuberant, EXPRESSIVE. It made me want to sit in her class and learn how to infuse my words so that others could feel so ignited. Even if you don't want to watch the whole thing, watch the first three minutes, so that you can be drop-jawed at how unique this woman is – and how un-like the rest of us – in such a good way.
Somehow, I think we each have that same (but different) not-like-everyone-else-ness. Sarah has just done a better job of finding hers and living out of her authentic-isms than the rest of us have.
However, I haven't given up on me yet- I'm still working at it.