It's okay to be different.

Let's face it, we all are not the same. We have different colored hair, eyes and skin---that's what we're born with. (Okay, you can change your hair and eye color---with contacts and L'Oreal because "you are worth it"---but stick with me here.)

The big change occurs when you figure out it's okay to do something different. If we didn't, we would still be living in caves and probably would not have cellphones, iphones/ipods, and Facebook. I know, I can't imagine it either. But someone came up with everything that made our life different and better---let's be thankful, I know I could not live without my Nikon.

This coming week as we all know is Thanksgiving. For me, it's hard to believe how fast it arrived. Of course I say that every year because no matter how far in the distance it seems, it always gets here in the blink of an eye. Just think, the 4th of July will be here in 10 minutes! The reason, at least I believe this is the case, we have holidays and special ceremonies is because people dared to be different. They looked at a situation and said, "I can do that, I can make that better, I can do what I want." How cool is that?

For me the concept of being different actually occurred pretty early in life; I was overweight and when everyone was doing their thing, I was doing something different. Whether it was raising fish, reading books, or whatever was right for the time, I just did something different. This is not a ploy for you to say I am "gee that sucks," I am glad for it. It allowed me as I grew to become okay with being someone who is just different---I really don't always think like others, I don't have all of the same interests as many of my friends, but I also have learned to take their passions and learn from them.

However in the picture above, this is something I don't think I would ever do or be interested in doing. This man was at the beach in Lake Tahoe. While everyone else was enjoying the beautiful scenery that Lake Tahoe offers, this man was looking for metal objects that perhaps someone else had lost. A coin, watch, nail file, whatever. I went up to him and asked how long he had been doing this? He said "for many years." Of course I asked what he had found in his search for valuables? His response. "Nothing but I am sure I will one day." That was a different response than I had anticipated. He was just fine about being different while others, including myself, "what a waste of time." I guess that's what makes the world go around as they say.

Thanks for stopping by.