It’s Okay to be Both

I am quite ordinary
and so are you. Like…
the large rock sitting by the pond,
next to the grand oak,
weathering blistering sun or freezing rain,
a bench for someone to sit upon and rest.
I have some strengths, some regrets, some deep disappointments.

I am gifted and special
and so are you. Like…
the grand oak on the edge of the pond,
beside the large rock,
providing shade from the blistering sun,
inspiring artists with my blazing colors,
perhaps even giving my wood to make the world a better place.

Ordinary and gifted.
It’s okay to be both.

© 2020 gratefulsue

back to Authenticity and Empathy

July 31, 2021
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In early March of 2020, my all-girls high school alma-mater sent out a group email. They were asking all current students and alumni who wished to participate, to post some sort of poetry or prose to contribute to a collective school effort in honor of Women’s History Month. Many of the women and girls were posting “You can do anything you set your mind to do!” prose. Others were talking about what they had accomplished. A few said sad things about themselves.

I felt as though there was subtle pressure for the women to prove themselves worthy of praise, in order to validate their existence. However, the worst thing in the world is not to be ordinary. There is both authenticity and stability in the ordinary. Similarly, the best thing in the world is not necessarily about being gifted and special. I believe everyone is a bundle of both, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. So, I wrote and posted this poem.