marching to the beat of my own drum

this is me

”I am not a stranger to the dark
Hide away, they say
'Cause we don't want your broken parts
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars
Run away, they say
No one'll love you as you are...

But I won't let them break me down to dust
I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious...

”...When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me...

...Look out 'cause here I come
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me...” - Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

​This song means so much to me. Every time I hear it I think, and then I think some more and I shed a few tears for my son, for everyone who at some point in their lives felt or still feels left out, like an odd ball, that they don't quite fit in.

How many times have we heard "why fit in when you were born to stand out"? You know it's true but the reality is that it is hard...standing out when no one is accepting you for YOU? It's all well and good us encouraging our kiddos to be themselves, that it's ok to be different, that they should march or dance to the beat of their own drum, but if the world is not accepting, then what? If the world continues to be a heartless and cruel place, what then?

Yeah so tears...

As always, my focus during Autism Awareness Month is to not just raise awareness, but to also promote acceptance.
Everyday I encourage myself and my children to shine brightly, I tell them that it's ok to be a poppy in a field of daffodils. BUT Is it really ok...will they be ok? I hope so...but I can’t just sit around and hope, and neither can you! We have a responsibility to promote kindness and acceptance wherever we go. We need to stress the absolute importance of it in the whole "it's ok to be different" equation. It should go hand in hand...right? It MUST...right?
But unfortunately it hasn’t been like that and that’s sad.
Truth is we’re all different, some more than others but to BE DIFFERENT and live happily, the world needs to BE ACCEPTING and this requires us to BE KIND....that is how we survive, that is how we coexist.
Kindness and acceptance - it’s as simple as that and it starts right there and with you...encourage your family and your friends and let’s make this world better!

One💙