When I saw this poster, it reminded me of something I saw at breakfast that felt like a cool metaphor.
I saw a young lady at breakfast. She looked Korean, and she was maybe 6’ 0”, possibly 6’ 1” or taller. She looked awkward. When she sat down to eat, she was trying to make herself smaller. Like, make herself as small as possible in the chair and the part of the table she sat in.
Her friend set his breakfast down and sat across from her. He was eating, then he glanced up. He spoke softly to her, but I was close enough to hear.
He said, “hey, you can stretch out if you want. The room’s big enough for you.” She smiled at him, relaxed, and she filled the space she was in. There was more than enough space around her, too.
Like, how many times had she made herself small because the room was too small for her? How many times had the people around her convinced her she needed to be smaller for their comfort? How many times had people been trying to shrink her in her life?
It felt like she found a friend that just wanted her to be herself. He didn’t tell her what to do. Just noticed something for his friend.
He didn’t belittle her. Didn’t feel the need. And her body language looked so familiar to me. She could’ve been my daughter. I hope whoever her dad is, that he’s been trying to help her walk into rooms big enough for who she could be.
One of the best things you can do for your heart is find the folks who aren’t trying to tell you what story you should tell, but help you tell your story.
Those folks are like gold. Here’s hoping her friends here keep reminding her she’s got plenty of room to grow and be herself.