Just "Shout It Out"

Have you ever had an experience like this: you're happily going through your day, when someone unintentionally says something, just any old thing, in a conversation, or you accidentally overhear something being said to someone else, and bam!! you're transported back to that little kid you used to be, dealing with a situation that hurts. Maybe you were snubbed by the other kids, maybe someone made fun of your hair, maybe you gave the wrong answer in school and everyone laughed out loud at you, maybe you were shorter/taller/skinnier/fatter/less athletic than everyone else and "they" never let you forget it.

I once heard a story told by a guy who was a musician, and a pretty popular one at that. He was also an inspirational speaker, and was invited to speak at seminars all over the world. He was probably in his late 30s at the time. He was also fairly short. One day he met an old acquaintance who jokingly made a comment about his height. This musician/speaker/father/husband immediately became that short/insecure/unhappy little boy he was in school. Wow. We never get over it, do we?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just "Shout it out" like the commercial says. I don't mean literally "shout", just figuratively. Be gone!! feelings of insecurity, be gone!! thoughts of inadequacy, be gone!! demon telling me that I can't sing/dance/write/tell jokes/photograph/draw/paint/mother/cook/drive/ski/whatever it is you love to do and do well, as good or better than the next person. Just dab on the cleanser, rub it around a little, wash and the pain is gone.

I've been following a blog lately that I really enjoy. The address is www.cheriblocksabraw.com. She's a teacher and a wonderful writer. Her post today is the inspiration for my post. (the photos were MY idea though, thank you very much). Thank God for teachers like her and Steve and Jayme and all the others who are filled with compassion, love, understanding, patience, and all the other attributes it takes to be a great teacher. Maybe because of them, many students will dodge-the-bullet of being caught in their own little "hell". (read the mentioned blog to understand where that statement came from).