December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)
Once I discover the answers to this prompt, I can probably stop writing this blog. I believe this is one of the primary questions people have in their lives and I am certainly no different. I did come up with several things that came easily to mind.
What makes me different: I love bright colors - the brighter, the better. I love having bright colors around me. I would love to have piles and piles of neon colored crayons and have furniture that was neon colored. My car is bright, sunny, crayon yellow. Neon pink is another favorite color. When I was a kid, I colored everything in what my family called, "multi-colored stripes" - even my Santa Claus in first grade was divided up and colored in strips. People don't understand how colors affect me. My theory is that the colors and the visual stimulation helps to stabilize my brain which is buzzing all around all the time. It is sort of the same theory people use when they explain why they drink hot coffee in the hottest parts of summer - it stabilizes their temperature. Colors and visual stimulation actually calm my brain.
What I do that lights people up: I am a storyteller. I am trying to recapture that in my writing, but right now, my talent lies in sitting around with people and telling stories - funny stories about myself, my experiences. When Roby was still alive, we did what we called "tandem storytelling" - we would take turns adding onto the story the other one was telling. We could do it for hours and everyone was in hysterics by the time the evening was over. When he died, there was a long time when I didn't really feel I could tell the stories in the same way - I was missing the other half of the formula that made it beautiful. Slowly, I took ownership of my own stories. One of my favorite things is when friends come to town and we all get together for an evening. Almost everyone in the group is a phenomenal storyteller, so we take turns making requests of our favorite stories the other people tell. There is nothing better than laughing with friends until your cheeks and sides ache.
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