Against the
Current
By: Erin
I’ve always
felt a little different from my peers
Not good or
bad just like we operated in a different way
Renee a
woman I admire very much would say
“Erin you’re
canoeing up the river against the current…not with it.”
My first
thought was “Wow, how do I fix it?”
But I
understand now, it is not something you fix or change
This sucked
at the time because I was tired of feeling strange
I like
families and homes
Not crowds
and parties
I like
swimming in the water
Not tanning
on the beach
I like art
projects and fantasy books
Not shopping
malls and magazines
And that was
just the beginning
No one
around me tried to make me feel different, strange or unusual
But I could
not help but wonder “Why them and not me?”
Why do I not
enjoy what is usual for people of my time?
Why am I not
interested in hanging out with people my own age?
Is it that
strange that I find it more fun to play with kids under the sun?
Or that I
would choose to engage in conversation with those older and wiser?
This stuff
used to really bother me
All I wanted
was to feel like I was part of the “we”
But honestly
I’m kind of over it now
Because now
that I’m ok with me it’s easier for me to see others and allow
Them to be
different and paddle their own stream
And let
their light shine bright and beam
Plus the
cool thing about paddling against the river is that as I have done it longer
My arms have
become much stronger!
