Difference: A Blessing

Beth screamed out aloud. Luckily, there was no one home to scare. She'd had enough of this. All of it. Why did she have to be different? Why couldn't she just be normal, like everyone else? She was sick of it. Having everything made harder and not being able to do some things just because all her arm did was hang there, useless. Stavrou, a magician she really liked, was normal, she thought. Then she remembered something her mother had said to her once.
"Who says Stavrou is normal?" she'd said. "he might not have a physical barrier, but whose to say he doesn't have one at all?"
Beth smiled at the memory of the conversation, and the next thing her mother had said. "He could be just like you. It could be the most obvious thing in the world to him, like your arm is to you, but no one else notices. Who knows?"


For a long time, Beth had struggled. All she'd wanted was normality. She couldn't understand why she had to be different. What was the point of being different. Her being different didn't do her any good.


"See?" her mother said, looking at her daughter as the feature story on Stavrou finished on the news program they'd been watching. "He did have a barrier. No one would have known it. Did you guess it? Would you have?"
Beth shook her head. "Never in a million years."
"A barrier or a disability is on a barrier if you let it be. He doesn't let it stop him," her mother said, "and neither should you. You're a strong girl Beth, I know you've got it in you."


Beth had trouble sleeping that night for all the things Stavrou's feature story, and her mother, had given her to think about. Though she lay still, eyes closed, her mind raced.


The next day, Beth realized her mother was right. A barrier was only a barrier if you let it be a barrier. You had a choice, you could let it be an excuse or, you could make it a reason to fight. Taking a deep breath, Beth knew that's the choice she wanted. She wasn't going to let some silly arm stop her. Not anymore. She could be just as good as anyone else. Just as strong. And she would be. She would fight.


Having made that choice, Beth couldn't help but smile at the end of Stavrou's long post on Facebook of thanks for support.
" It's ok to be different and unique. In actual fact it's a blessing."