Yesterday, I was sitting at the park watching my youngest son playing with some other little boys. At one point in the day, another little boy began to get bossy toward my son. He tried to tell my son where and how to play, when to run and walk, and who he could play with on the playground. Full of uncertainty, my son paused and turned his gaze toward me. And silently, I nodded my head for him to play as he wished. With a smile, my son climbed up the plastic rocks where the other little boy could not. Screaming as he went down the big kid slide, my son watched as the other little boy stood in fear. When my son ran away with the older kids, the bossy little boy fell on the ground; crying and thrashing because my son would not yield to his demands. As the little boy became more and more inconsolable, his mother promptly scooped him into her arms and left the park.
Watching the freedom in my sons eyes as he realized that he could enjoy his own path was freeing for me. I realized how sometimes in our lives, people in our vicinity become frustrated with our progress. They want us to remain on their level. They want to attempt to control our outcomes, not because they don't want it for us, but because they can't see it for themselves.
In moments like that, it's important to remember that we are individuals: set apart for a unique purpose with an extraordinary path to wholeness. When we embrace who we are, hope and joy fills our lives because we live in truth. Understand that not everyone is meant to change when you do. And not everyone is meant to go where you are growing to. Simply pause, smile and forward to life's affirmations; climbing beyond the present moment toward your purpose.
Adapted from Story told by: M. Angela, 22 y/o
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