“Josie.” He paused. “For a long time, I wanted to be someone else. I didn’t want to be different. But my mother made me see there is strength in being different in a world where we crave to blend in. My mom used to say, “Why would you want to be thrown into the blender in order to mix in with the masses, only to get cut by the blades?” Wow. That was a profound thought. “For years, I let others cut me with their words and insults, but I realized it was because they so badly wanted to be in the mix. When I finally learned it was okay not to be, it changed my life. From then on, I didn’t give a
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