I was at work yesterday and they were having this large hospitality meeting. So I’m inside and there’s maybe two-hundred people, talking to one another, looking like there actually having fun mingling. I kept thinking to myself, “How are they actually enjoying this? I would be counting down the minutes until I had to leave and kicking myself for sounding unintelligent every time I opened my mouth.” I was feeling pretty bummed because I was not like them. But after awhile I realized that that’s okay. I loathe social situations like that. They make me feel extremely awkward and I just want to go home and speak to no one for days because I’m so drained. Some people, however, thrive in social situations and can’t stand to be alone, and that’s okay, too. I don’t have to be like them or whomever. God gives us each likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s okay to not be the same. It’s okay to want to curl up in bed and read for hours. It’s okay to want to go and socialize for 5 hours. It’s okay to have 3 good friends. It’s okay to have 30 good friends. Embrace who God made you to be and realize it’s okay to not be like them. No matter who you are, there will always be a them, and chances are you are somebody’s them as well. Learn to love who you are and to love others who they are. It takes the pressure off of you as well as them.

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 Photo Credit: Christian Stahl