Honestly, I used to try to hide my blind label. It seemed my blindness was all people saw. I felt it reduced me to a curiosity and blocked real connection. My friend, labels do that! They mark us by someone else's perception. They impose a barrier that keeps us from connecting with others in an authentic way--if we let them. Do you relate?
Describe a time when you experienced a disconnect because of labels.
I grew up as a "Preachers Kid". That is a hard label to live with. My sisters and I also grew up singing together.....most every weekend my parents were taking us somewhere....churches, revivals, even a prison. My Dad would preach and we would sing. Some people expect you to be the worst in the bunch, and others expect you to be perfect. You are watched and judged continually....which definitely causes a disconnect with people. You tend to build a protective shell around yourself (and your family).
ReplyDeleteI was born in Syracuse, New York. People used to say all the time that I was un-affectionate because I was a New Yorker or because I was from the North and now found myself surrounded by people from the South. Wasn't true, but encountered that prejudice every where I went in the South. One time Lynn's mom told other relatives if they wanted a hug from me that they would have to take it cuz I was a New Yorker.
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