Write to Empower Archives - Thorn Among Roses

A Thorn Among the Roses

Anonymous hymn: “While strolling through the fields of time, there are many things to see, but nature’s greatest sight that could ever be, the greatest of them all is how the world was formed, and why a rose is there to live among the thorns?”

Have you ever been referred to as a “thorn in my side”? Or do you find yourself laughing with your mouth wide open when those around you titter or cover their mouths? When you listen to yourself speak do you sound like a crow, and everyone around you is singing a melody? We women are taught to suppress our power and play small. Rather than fully embrace the power of our feelings we are taught that our emotions are expected to play out in daily dramas. Each time we fully express our emotions we are closer to embodying our souls. What if we no longer played small, were ashamed of our laughter or our crow voices, or felt bothered by being a thorn in someone’s side? Imagine being a Goddess, a thorn among the roses…someone who inspires change in those around her?

Not everyone is an eagle, or a blue bird. Some of us may identify as a Keel-Billed Toucan, (logo for Kellogg’s “Fruit Loops” cereal). Toucans have two sets of opposable thumbs. They rarely fly. Instead they spend their days hopping from tree limb to tree limb. Being top-heavy with their great beaks, Toucans evolved opposable thumbs to be able to sit upright on a branch without tipping over. Toucans are definitely unique in the tropical bird world. Does a Toucan compare her bill to other bird’s bills and decide that she is an odd duck? Why do we judge ourselves so harshly? Not every bird has 2 sets of opposable thumbs! Maybe it’s time we all claim our unique abilities rather than trying to fit in? Why not be the best “Fruit Loop” we can be?

We have so many phrases to describe someone who’s different. The Toucans of the world may stretch us out of our comfort zones and often are a catalyst for change. We call these people the cat among the pigeons, or the sand in the oyster, or the light amongst the darkness. For all those who feel like a thorn amongst the roses, life is a challenge to continue to invent ourselves. Our guide is our intuition and the affirming messages we feel, see, or hear along the way. When we shrink or hide our lights under bushel baskets, we proclaim our shame for being unique. When we try to please people, or seek approval for our quirks, we are being the square peg smashing ourselves into a round hole. Maybe like Alice in Wonderland, we have to believe in 6 impossible things before breakfast? Is it so impossible to believe that we express our soul through our uniqueness? 

Today, I no longer want to be placated by platitudes, “You are beautiful on the inside”. I know I am beautiful. I no longer want to comfort myself with thoughts of chocolate brownies, or playing Farmville on Facebook. My passions and emotions run like lava through my veins, and eruptions can happen frequently without apparent provocation. I have to accept the idea that I may be a Toucan among the Cockatoos. I have to accept that I am an owl hooting in the night, rather than a sweet songbird heralding the sun. I have to accept that I will only be blond if my stylist works wonders. I have to accept that I would rather be blunt than sweet. I have to accept that my feet stomp and dance on the earth, rather than tripping lightly through the tulips. My playing small does not serve anyone. My shrinking will not help other people feel secure. On the contrary the more I embrace my uniqueness the more other people will celebrate their own “Fruit Loop” beauty.

This week’s exercise is to contemplate this quote from Rumi: "Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really LOVE. It will not lead you astray." What do you love? What do you love to do? Write down 6 “impossible” things you are drawn to doing, or that you love. Set that list aside, and now write down 6 things you would do if you were a Goddess in your own world. Is the list the same? Which ones do you do now in your life? Which ones are calling to you to begin now?  

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