CARD FOR HUMANITY – Embracing Your Inner ‘Weird’

“You are easily the weirdest person I’ve ever met, it took us a year of being together to find out you sleep with a toy purple dinosaur”…

What my partner said sparked a lesson in me about how I embraced my inner-depth and how you can too.

Knowing full well that not only was he right but I was beyond proud of it, it made me wonder at what stage in my life did this change, because in high school my differences definitely weren’t something I was proud of. It wasn’t until a few years after I graduated when I studied abroad that I truly began to become comfortable within myself.

When I was nineteen I completed a semester of my degree in Tokyo. Being a blonde haired, blue eyed Aussie in Japan I got stared at quite a considerable amount. I could not be more different. I am also the kind of person that hates being wrong, I honestly crumble at the humility that comes with making a mistake. So while I was there when I would make a grammatical mistake speaking Japanese I would often laugh and reassure myself it was okay because I had my metaphorical ‘gaijin’ card. Gaijin being the Japanese word for foreigner. At first it was a defense mechanism, reminding me it was okay if I made a mistake because it wasn’t my native tongue.

After a while this card began to take on a greater symbolic significance than I ever could have realised. This card reminded me of two very important things. Firstly, that I was never going to see these people again if I embarrass myself. I was getting looked at by everyone anyway so why be ashamed? Dance in public; make mistakes; wander until you get lost and find your way again; talk to everyone; learn to laugh at yourself; sing to strangers from the window of the karaoke bar; and in my case, get photos with multiple strangers and count down the beginning of a drift race in front of a stadium full of people.

The second reason is potentially even more important. And that is I was NEVER GOING TO SEE THESE PEOPLE AGAIN. But this time in the sense that you only have the limited time you have with some of the most amazing people you will ever meet. So give all of yourself to these people. Be unashamedly honest about who you are. Don’t go for dinner, go on a roller coaster or a mountain climb. Don’t make small talk, talk until 3 am about your deepest, most philosophical side and what makes you spark.

Love and connect with no fear of getting hurt or them not liking you because the time you have is INEVITABLY limited. 

By reminding myself of these things I realised the pure happiness that comes with authentic vulnerability, and learning to embrace the qualities I have (both good and bad).

Now that I’m home I always carry my card with me. Only now it’s my humanity card. A reminder to never let the opinions of others-who often I don’t know or value– discourage me from doing something that could be amazing. A reminder that I’m only human. I have so much depth, I’m not always right *gulps* and I’m extremely passionate!

I hate people walking behind me. I put my left shoe on first, always. I lift my feet driving over train tracks. I love K-pop though I have no idea what’s being said. I call a remote a ‘boppy’. I start conversation with the assumption the person knows my train of thought and I sleep with Barney the purple dinosaur.

It doesn’t matter what country you’re in, if it’s your home or travelling,

YOUR TIME IS TEMPORARY.

So now I’m handing my card to you! Look at it as a formal invitation to give nothing but your authentic self, depth and honesty to every person and situation. Embrace your inner weird and wonderful and…

don’t dim even the things you consider to be flaws, because they are the reason you’re going to shine.