sticks and stones may break my bones...but words will never hurt me

I remember, as a child, I faced a lot of name calling from other children who didn't understand my situation and didn't seem to really give a rip. I remember I used to try to lean on that age old phrase; "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." And I am quite certain that I even believed what I was saying. Ha! I ponder the words of that phrase and I would conjecture that that phrase is a pile of lies. Let's face it, words DO hurt us. Sometimes simple words what were spoken with good intent were taken wrong because they were heard out of context, had the wrong tone of voice, were read in an email with no voice tied to them, etc...the list goes on. The bottom line is, words whether spoken or unspoken, written or missed, make a world of a difference in people's lives every day. Some spoken too often, others not enough. Some forgotten all too soon and others piercing deep into our souls and remaining for a lifetime.

So, not to make this blog too long this time around, where am I going with this? It's pretty simple, words and actions are critical in rearing children who share the facial differences that I have. Kids may or may not be publicly ridiculed for their appearance. The general public WILL do double takes as they pass a person like myself walking down the street. Most will do it after I have passed and my back is to them. I wasn't aware of this until my wife recently told me she catches people doing double takes on a regular basis, not everyone, but its common. Just as a side not, I do double takes when I seem someone "unusual", nearly all of us is guilty of it from time to time. And it's not necessarily a wrong thing, its curiosity. Ninety-nine percent of the time I just shrug it off. Really, I don't invest very much time thinking about how I am different from the majority of the world. I live my life as normally as I can and I have come to a place in life where 99% of the time, I forget I am even different. To those like me, I charge you with this: Live your lives as normally as you can, let me rephrase that, live your lives as exceptionally well as you can. Be a major contributor to society. Don't hide behind the curtain.

Words DO hurt and can cause much more severe damage than sticks and stones ever will. Acknowledge that, and realize that in that respect, you are no different than anyone else in the world. Sometimes life really does "suck". Parents, don't cover it up with catchy little phrases, just continually let your kids know that you love them. "Love NEVER fails". I always knew that my parents loved me, ALL of me. If you are an adult and this stuff is eating you up and dictating your life for you, rather than you living your life, then get a REAL friend who can help you learn how to "grab the bull by the horns" and start living life to its fullest. Yes, I do have a spiritual component in my life that is pivotal to my identity and contentment but that will come later. I promise my readers that I won't turn this blog into a site full of preachy warm-fuzzy izms. I'm sure there are already plenty of those to google.
Have a great day!