Week 25: She Stood Out
“She stood out,”
Collage, cut New Yorker Magazine paper, 9" x 12"
among the tall trees / “She stood out,”
Among the tall trees, quote, she stood out, comma, unquote.
“She stood out,” said an observer, “and she didn’t even seem to care. She was just right in the middle of the woods. What was She doing? Dancing? As if no one was watching?”
Observer marveled.
Observer was right. She Who Stood Out didn’t care. Anymore. She got tired of caring about fitting in. She got tired of adapting to what her tribe / family / world told her She needed to be / do / look like / act like.
And so She took a risk. She risked people walking by and observing her and judging her as different.
She didn’t care.
And the more She expressed her true “different” self, the more She drew to her similar “different” spirits. They lived their authentic life, loving their authentic love. They created their own “Isle of Misfit Toys.” Everyone was different; therefore, no one was different.
And They were happy.
And She was happy.
“She stood out,” said a tall tree, who wanted to hug She for dancing in the woods. But Tree’s arms didn’t quite reach that far. She knew. And She hugged Tree back.
“She stood out,” said Observer, “for literally hugging a tree.”
Observer wondered what it felt like to hug a tree. “Maybe I’ll try it. When no one is watching.”
“Opening Night” by Carter Goodrich @goodrich_carter
The New Yorker, March 13, 2017
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