Square Pegs

There used to be a show on television way back when with this same title. I loved it! It was about people who didn't fit in. It spoke to me so many years ago.

Have you ever been somewhere you felt like it was the last place you belonged? The world is such as vast and wonderful place, so why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we try to make ourselves fit into the round holes the world has created for us?

We are made to be special and unique individuals, but society has us believing that we must be like everyone else to be special. That's not the truth at all! If it were, we'd all look exactly the same and have the same thoughts. How dull would that world be?

Instead, we all have different facial features, body types, and tastes in clothes. We may feel all the same feelings, but not over the same things. We all have the ability to think and believe in any way we choose. We are allowed to be different, but only as far as the world will let us. I call bullshit!

And it is so hard. Our families and old friends don't make things easy. Family remembers the stupid things you've done over the years. Old friends were right there with you when you did the stupid things. In many cases, they don't let you forget them. Here's a case in point: I was 9 years old. We were having a family get together and Mom was trying to get everyone ready to go. She asked me to make the pumpkin pies. The crusts were ready to go, I just needed to make the pumpkin mixture. So, I followed the recipe. Or so I thought. The pies looked beautiful! Oh my goodness, I was pretty proud! Mom put the pies on the table at the family dinner. And we walked through the line to fill our plates. My uncle was the first to cut into the pie. He took the first bite and laughed. Turns out that I left out one minor ingredient...the sugar! I was heartbroken. I remember sitting at the table feeling more embarrassed than I'd ever been before. Fast forward quite a few years... I was 25 and married. I took dessert to the family dinner and I heard, "Kim, did you remember the sugar?" Sigh... it was meant with the best of humor, but it still stung. I stopped taking desserts after that.

Am I a good baker? Hell yeah! But I couldn't live down that one mistake I made as a child.

We all make mistakes. That is the joy of being human. We make mistakes and we learn from them. However, there are people in this world who will not let us evolve and move past those mistakes because then we become that square peg that will not fit in the round hole.

I am not the same woman I was 30 minutes ago, let alone 30 years ago. And you're different, too. Unfortunately, you don't fit into the compartment the world has created for you. So, they judge you, push you, poke at you, and make you feel bad for growing and evolving. Keep doing those things! Don't let the world round your edges to make you fit! Taking up space is not a reason for apologies. Being a square peg just means you are dedicated to being as true and real as you can be. And people like us? Well, we are scary to those who try so hard to be what the world wants them to be. Be loud! Be unique! Be special! Stand out! Be you! The world needs more square pegs!