Just Be You

During my usual morning routine of scanning Facebook, I came across a picture that I found to be rather interesting. 

 

Before today I would have said something like, "Exactly! She's a mermaid, a beautiful, mythical creature that we "lesser" creatures (humans) only ever dream about. How can she want to be one of us?"

However when read this quote today I saw something different, and my thoughts weren't directed to Ariel, but to the person who penned this quote. Why would you want to be a mermaid?

Don't get me wrong, mermaids are cool, and I used to spend so much time make believing that I was some mythical creature who was far more beautiful and extraordinary than the plain, ordinary, insignificant, human that I am and always will be.

But why? Why do we think that we as human beings aren't amazing and wonderful ourselves? We are fascinating! I very biology is incredible! 

Check this out:

 

How incredible is that? Not the whole dying of a broken heart bit, but the fact that our body is so connected to us, to who we are, that it can be just as affected by our emotions as our soul is. Amazing!

Take a moment and look at your hands, really look at them. The lines, the veins, your fingernails. at the palm of your hand and touch your thumb to your pinky finger. Look at how the skin and the muscles move and contract, then relax and watch them go back to how they were. Wow! Now look at the back of your hand, at your knuckles and fingers. Strum your fingers while still looking at your hand. See the movement under the skin? Those are your bones, muscles, tendons all doing what they do best! You can even see the muscles in your forearm moving as you do it! Awesome!

And can we take a moment to acknowledge how awesome what you just did was? Your brain told your body to do something and it did it! How cool is that? 

I recognize that not everyone has a body that functions correctly. To those of my readers that may be facing that kind of a situation, know that you have my deepest, most heartfelt sympathies. The only malfunctioning I've ever really had that hindered my every day activities were sprained ankles and a broken wrist. I would list being sick as a malfunction, but if you think about it really it's just more evidence that your body is working because there is something inside of you it is trying to fight off. 

Anyways, for those of you who don't have the functioning body you want, know this. You are more than the body you are in. 

A few years ago my older sister had open heart surgery. When she woke up she wasn't the same. Somehow a switch or two in her brain got flipped and now she struggles with her balance and her speech. She was an EMT with aspirations of becoming a firefighter. Those dreams were shattered. 

The past 5 and a half years have been a real struggle, with many ups and downs, twists, turns, and even some derailments. But, in spite of it all, she has come out of it pretty well. She still has the knowledge that she did prior to her surgery, still has the EMT instinct that she had before. Twice after her surgery she snapped into EMT mode to help someone. Her body isn't functioning correctly, but she is still just as amazing and incredible as she always has been.

 

We spend so much time looking at the "mermaids" in our lives -- the people we deem smarter, better looking, more successful -- and then we look at ourselves and think, "I'm just an ordinary human." What we forget is just how incredible it is to be human! We forget about the little things that make us as beings so remarkable.

 

Have a happy Sunday everyone. And remember to just be you, because you are pretty amazing. :)