Be uniquely you. Stand out. Shine. Be colourful.
(Amy Leigh Mercree)
You can’t seem to shake off the feeling that every eye is on you and your full-blown figure. Yet from your corner of the room, you seem to have a hundred eyes like a pineapple, able to spy every going on in the room. But that makes you more fearful. They make you want to cower in your corner. Breathe, don’t panic. Don’t run away.
You sometimes wonder if you’re driven into a corner by people or do you choose to hide in corners. Don’t let fear overcome you. Stand tall, wear your crown proudly. You’re unique, don’t be afraid to be different. Different is not ugly. Different is not bad. You have hidden goodness in you like the sweetness in the pineapple!
The pineapple plant takes one year to produce one fruit and two years to ripen. It cannot be plucked before it ripens otherwise it will not ripen further. The unripe fruit is not edible as it’s poisonous.
Don’t you see the similarity? Not that you’re a pineapple, but that it took you a long time to get here, to step out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid and fear what may not happen. You are created to be more than for standing in a corner. Don’t believe the lie that you are born ugly. You’ve many hidden talents like the diamond shapes engraved in the body of a pineapple. Your talents are waiting to be unveiled.
There are some things you have learned along the way. You may not like doing it, but you’re probably good at it. There are other areas you have realized you like and may be good at them, or not as good as you like. They take time to develop. So practice. Even geniuses need to practice.
You’re beautifully unique, let the world see it. Don’t hide who you are. Believe that there are others out there who. may need your help.
Step out, stand tall, be confident and wear your crown proudly like a pineapple.
You’ve got hidden gems in you. Shine, the world is waiting!
Artist: Lydia C. Text: Anna G.
The Cracked Pot
A water-bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried on his shoulder. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half-full.
For two years, this went on daily, with the water-bearer delivering only one and a half pot full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments; it was perfect for which it was made for. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years, the cracked pot spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”
The water-bearer replied, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day while we walked back, you’ve watered them. Because of you, for the past two years, I have been able to pick beautiful flowers to decorate my dining table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be beauty to grace the house.”
