When I told my friend that I saw a penguin of a man the other day, she tried to correct me. You mean, a man like a penguin? No. I insisted. Let me explain. He was puffed up, preening, insisting on attention and respect. So much so that the humanness of care for others, communication, negotiation was pushed out. All that was left was the penguin strut and puff. So I’m not entirely mistaken in this assessment.
Life may have made you short, or black, or a woman…any number of species that we humans have the habit of subjecting to mistreatment because of just being. And when you are short, black and female (like some of us), it doesn’t take long to see the many faceted sharp shots of prejudice. It shoots in any forum. What to do? How to respond?
My suggestion is that don’t let these situations turn you into a penguin, snake, dog, frog or …. You know what I mean. Those animals have certain characters you don’t want. Snakes creep up on you. Frogs lie in water, are filled and refreshed by it, yet disturb everyone with unnecessary noise. The sexuality of dogs has no discretion. Penguins are all dressed up with nowhere to go. Such may happen to you when you lose your sense of purpose and your clear vision for your own journey.
When there seems to be no special place for you, make that space you occupy special. Live your own quality, decent and elegant life. Define your space with the beauty that is you … able, capable, loved by a creator who gave you a unique identity. Hop on the train and effectively ride life. There is so much room for you. Everyone else needs the gift of you.
Leave a Reply