I have a very specific observation in my head that I hope I can express as clearly as I see it in my mind. It may sound a bit odd to people, but just hang in with me. At my house we have quite a few animals — 1 English bulldog, 2 labrador retriever puppies, a compact-sized lop-eared rabbit, and 9 Java chickens. The other day my husband and I were sitting on the floor loving on the lab puppies and talking about what good looking dogs they are. We commented on their coats, how big their paws are, their cute little faces, and the puppy-dog expression they have mastered.
We then went into the other room, sat on the floor, and started to give the same love to Sara the bulldog. While loving on her we were talking about all of her dog traits, such as her deep crevis, her wide stance, her short yet sturdy back legs, the structure of her mouth, and so much more. While petting her and talking about all of her features it made me think how different dogs are in so many ways, yet we love them to pieces just how they are. We unconditionally accept every single characteristic about them. No questions asked.
Why can’t we do this with each other? When I was in high school I had a friend who liked a guy but quit dating him when she saw his feet. She said that his second toe was “grotesquely longer” than his first toe. She broke up with him! Over a toe! I know every single person reading this has the same friend!
So why is it that we can fully accept that an English bulldog has a cut off tail that is a little nub and a labrador retriever has a long skinny tail that sticks up all the time? Why do we fully accept and find it cute that an English bulldog has a smashed in face and a labrador retriever has a long nose? And why do we find it adorable that an English bulldog has short, stout and sturdy legs and is not a very fast runner, and that a labrador retriever has long sleek legs and can run like a panther?
In my mind it is because we simply know this is how God made them. Although they are all dogs, there are a gazillion different breeds of dogs and we know each breed has its own characteristics. Done. Easy. Nothing to even question. So, just like there are dogs, there are also humans. And just like dogs have a gazillion different breeds so do humans, and humans all carry their own characteristics just like dogs. Do we reject a human breed because they have a crooked nose? What about the person that has different colored skin? What about the person who talks with a very thick accent? We definitely know the person with ugly feet is rejected! And I haven’t even mentioned fat, skinny, short, tall, apple-shaped, pear-shaped, or big forehead yet. Yikes!
Why do we put so much stock into what we look like and why do we care so much what others look like? There are so many beautiful qualities to people and the differences are what make you unique and beautiful. Think of some of the most exotic people you have ever seen; usually they have very unique qualities about themselves that, possibly when they were young, maybe weren’t attractive at all yet they grew into their features. You have a pear-shaped body? Good for you — I bet you can rock a pair of yoga pants with your bubble butt. You talk with a thick accent? You must be rather intelligent because more than likely you are speaking a language that is not your native tongue so that means you know at least two different languages.
BU2BFULL is about being yourself and loving yourself and realizing the fullness of life when you can do that. It is about acceptance, and if you can accept yourself then you should be able to accept others too. Just like you accept your family dog!…every single hair, slobber, eye booger, and farts.
Love and Blessings,
Connie Jo
