The Dogs That Bark
"You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks." -Winston Churchill
This past weekend I was in Vegas during the Mayweather vs. Maidana fight. As you can imagine there were a ton of people in town. I mean it was packed everywhere you went. Now you know, with a lot of people, come a lot of stares and ridiculous comments. I couldn't walk 5 feet without catching someone pointing at me or hearing those loud whispers they think we are deaf to. Some people just outright screamed from across the room dang you tall girl. It was a display of tall ignorance at it's worst.
Normally I let the comments roll off my back. But I have to say for the first time in a long time it bothered me. Not annoyed me...straight made me upset and ready to lash out at every single person who did anything in reaction to my God given inches.
I was pissed.
I started calling out people, checking them and returning their rudeness with some vile rudeness of my own. I morphed into one of them for a brief moment.
How dare I let them win.
While I internally calmed myself down, I thought about the time and energy it took to reciprocate their remarks. It was a sheer waste of time and the only person it hurt was myself. My blood pressure went up, ugly words invaded my mind and spilled out of my mouth and I became what they wanted me to become.
While it was only for a brief moment, I remember when I lived life like this. I let every comment and stare feed my depression. Yes, we are all human. Yes, we will have moments. But what you must stop, RIGHT NOW, is living a life where you stop for every dog that barks.
With the gift of height, comes some challenging moments BUT the blessings far outweigh the rough patches. If you focus on the rough moments, you will live a rough life. If you focus on the blessing, you will live a blessed life. I know, I know. How cliché of me. This may be something that many people say but that doesn't make it any less true.
So stand tall, hold that head high and walk past those barking dogs with the fiercest walk possible. I guarantee you...it will silence them faster than any stone will.