Visibility, a Virtue!

Sleigh bells ring, Are you Listening??

Would you rather be hated or invisible? If you are hated you evoke emotion from people. You are known, albeit for something bad or evil, but people are aware of you and more often than not want to know what you are up to. They want to discuss you, give an opinion, talk about the what ifs, and how comes, and basically they keep your name in their mouth. But still they hate you, can't stand you, wish ill things for you and at the end of the day doesn't everyone want to be loved?

But being invisible...means that no one wants to see you drop dead from an incurable disease, they won't talk about you behind your back, and they surely won't discuss your life ad nauseum for lack of something to do. But being invisible essentially means you do not exist. You can walk in and out of a room without a sole looking up to steal a glance. You can observe without being observed but you would not be worthy of attention. Or as having nothing to contribute, and nothing to say. No, people won't be crank calling you but is anyone checking for you at all?

So what happens when you've become accustomed to being the center of attention and you are put in a situation where you must be competitive while trying to maintain your ideals, personality, and your work ethic? You become drowned out by all of the noise. And essentially with a muted voice, and nobody to hear you scream, suddenly you feel like a tree in the woods falling, without a sole in 100 mile radius to hear the thud of your body as it makes contact with the ground.

Struggling with this decision, myself, I chose to try to let my actions speak louder than my words. However with few accolades coming my way, criticisms and judgments, I didn't always receive the recognition that I hoped for. That's the reality of these situations. If we were always able to be consciously aware in the moment instead of thinking of what we are going to do next, and for "who", we'd be above it all... instead of buried beneath. People, in general, would easily realize that it's an underlying problem of "caring about what others think" and they'd know when it's trying to rear it's ugly head.

So, I am reminded of a scenario that I saw in the Polar Express. The little boy in the movie cannot hear a sleigh bell ringing because he doesn't believe in the spirit of Christmas. He doesn't believe in Santa Claus. But when he sees Santa, and all the magic, promise, and hope that he possesses, he becomes a believer, and suddenly the sound from the bell is so clear he wonders how he could have gone so long without knowing the truth.

So, I consider myself that bell. I may be sparkly and cute on the outside, and for some, that may be all that they see. And because I am small, not too loud, mysterious and complicated- I am easy to overlook in room full of flashy toys. But to those that believe in me, they could pick me out in a crowded room ((*wink)). They will hear me and find purpose in what I am doing. I'll have their support and encouragement to be myself first and foremost. And because of that I will never have to be concerned with being invisible. I have waaaaaaaaaaaay to much to say.

*wink, wink...
L.Y.D.G.