I have been hearing this all my life; that I was different … so what if I was different??
As a young girl, I was neither the beautiful nor the cute; those were my older and younger sisters respectively; I was the smart.
Growing up, I was not the girly girl; I was that nerd who put her study on the top of the priority list. I was not the social creature that mingles in every party; rather I was that one who preferred watching a documentary or reading a book.
I always heard my friends talk about their crushes over the kid next door and every time I thought that they did not know what to do with their time, so they spent it writing letters to each other and standing in the window, just staring at the center of their affection; I thought that was stupid.
In university; I tried to be like the other girls and have a special friend or a boyfriend as they say, but that did not work out. He tried to have exclusivity; meaning: I was not supposed to speak to any other male but him and I thought that was silly, because if he trusted me enough he should not care, right?
After graduation; I indulged myself in my work and my career grew in front of my eyes. Love always took a back seat until I was told by my friends and family that was stiff and I should change.
I thought I should change the way I am thinking about life; the result was that I became lenient and love took a front seat in my life and almost destroyed everything I had worked so hard for.
What is the right way to do things? Is there right or wrong? Why do they keep telling me that I am different if they did not want to appreciate my difference? Why do they always try to change me to give me the right mixture? Is there someone who is confident enough not to judge? Are there people out there who appreciate others' differences and accept and embrace them rather than try to change them?
So what if I am different?
Accept my difference and individuality; that’s a lot better than trying to change who I am and lose me in the process.
Different is good, Khalida. Uniformity and conformity isn't, necessarily. There is a bible verse that says "Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Just strive to be the very best Khalidah you can be!