Out Of The Softness, On Contrasting Personalities

Question for you. How many of your friends are very similar to you? How many are very different?

For better or for worse, I've found that I've surrounded myself with people who are pretty similar to me. They're very self-aware, creative vs. consumerist, with little to no front... They're just themselves. I find this beautiful. I find it's the portal to true, deep connection.

And for a long time now, I've come to believe this is typical.

It took me leaving my own environment and immersing in one completely different to remember that there are so many other types of people out there. It's funny how easy it is to forget that. By other I don't mean worse, mind you, just different. Almost... more "normal."

You know, like those people who populated the majority of your high school, or those people you see on TV shows like Friends. They aren't very introspective. They speak in tongues of sass and cool... And they tend not to get us softer, spiritually-minded types.

It's a strange feeling to be pulled out of your own bubble after living there for so long. Especially when you're thrown into one filled with such contrasting personalities. At first, it feels jolting. Like, Wow, I haven't felt this misunderstood, like this much of an outcast in a long time... but there it is again, that old feeling.

But then, if you can handle the quips at your so-called weirdness, it begins to feel interesting. Like maybe you were thrown out of the softness and into the hardness because you're being tested, to see if you'll buckle under the pressure to "fit in." Or like maybe this is happening because you're meant to broaden your mind, challenge your thinking, expand your creativity. Or, possibly, this is all taking place simply to remind you of who you are all over again.

Because maybe you forgot for a while.

And maybe it's time to come home.

(To be continued.)