New Discoveries

Lately I have started to discover a few things.  Just about life in general, and how people adapt and change when they need to.  And since I like making lists, I think this is the perfect opportunity to make one!

1.     When something happens that really, really shocks us, or is an “accident”, we have to learn how to accept it first before doing anything else.  Everyone has had an accident happen to them, maybe a close friend passed away unexpectedly, a car crash, sickness.  There are tons of examples.  When these things happen, they are upsetting, and we feel like a limitation has been set on us.  At first we refuse to see differently than the way we were looking before.  If the way we were looking before happens to be the colour red, and our new path is the colour green, we will not see green until we choose to see green.  No matter what other people tell us, the change has to occur from within.  And this message doesn’t apply only to the shocking and upsetting things in life, but also it applies to people’s perceptions, especially how we perceive ourselves.  Someone can tell you everyday that you are beautiful, but if you refuse to see yourself that way, you won’t believe it. 

2.     When we accept the accident, the upsetting situation, or how we feel about ourselves, when we really accept it for what it is, then we start to be able to see our new direction more clearly.  How?  Well, I think we learn so much about ourselves and life during the time when we are trying to accept a change, and once we have accepted it.  Once we learn and understand after a challenge, our perception shifts to accommodate what we know think, and how that experience affected us as a whole.  Like if somebody finally accepts the death of a person close to them, they might learn how precious life is.  And they might be more accepting towards death (not in a morbid way) but in an honest way.  Sometimes our society seems to play the message that we are going to live forever, but simply we won’t.  And once you think about that, you automatically know what is more important.  Family, friendships, self-love, to name a few.

3.     How does this preachy message have anything to do with alopecia and my story?  So when I first was losing hair, I was frustrated, angry at the world, and angry at myself.  I still am this way.  But I never had the thought that this was something positive.  And now I do.  Although I still have days where I am so upset, and so angry, I also have days where I am incredibly inspired.  I now see this experience as an opportunity to educate people about body image, and acceptance.  Especially young teens, I want to share my story, and what I am learning in hopes that maybe they will appreciate their beauty more.  Because, things go, like hair, but the really beautiful part of a person can never be touched.  And I never thought this way before, it wasn’t like I was really shallow or anything, I just never was so in tune with what I thought being beautiful was.  And the limits to what people consider beautiful are so much wider than you might think! 

4.     I’m also inspired to speak out to groups of people about my alopecia because I know there are thousands of people, especially women who hide their alopecia, and feel weird, and have not accepted it.  I want to speak for them, and show them that they have a voice, and don’t need to be ashamed for their feelings.  I want to speak out on behalf of anybody that has felt less beautiful because of something physical. 

So I’m going to do a talk at my old elementary school for the grade sevens and eights, and perhaps I will go to a few other schools as well.  I'm excited!