"I Don't Fit In"
A friend of mine e-mailed this to me, I don't know how true it is .
 But it delivers a good message, That YOU DO fit in..

Several years ago, a well dressed older gentleman
entered an elevator in a tall office building,
apparently consumed with whatever
business he was taking care of that day.

There were only three people on that elevator
 the gentleman, a middle-aged woman and another man
all being transported down to the street level.



Out of the blue, the woman starts crying.
Taken a back, the gentlemen
didn't know what to say or do.

"I'm sorry. I'm making a spectacle of myself,"
 said the woman, sobbing and searching
 her purse for a handkerchief.

The gentleman offered her his.
"Thank you," she said, "I just don't know anymore.
 I'm usually not like this, but
 I just don't know anymore."

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine,
 don't you worry, Miss," he said.

"No. No. It's not that. I have so much
 to be grateful for," she said as she shook
 her head. "It's not what you think."

Not wanting to pry,
her elevator mates stood speechless.

"It's just that I don't fit in. I've never fit in.
 I do everything I'm supposed to do,
 but I don't feel like I belong,"
she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I'm so embarrassed. You'll have to pardon me.
 Things have just caught up to me," she said.

"Miss, I have something I want to tell you,
 if you have just a minute," the old man said.

The elevator opened as they reached the lobby.

"Oh yes, please, I need to get my mind
 focused on something," she said.



They left the elevator and walked into
the busy lobby. The old man turned
to the other man, and invited him to join
them. By this time, the man's curiosity
 had got the best of him.

The old man's face had some well worn lines.
His gray hair bespoke of his experience,
 and his dark eyes peered over his bifocals,
 lending confidence to his words.


"I don't know what your situation is Ma'am,"
 he said politely. "However, I was in the same
 boat many years ago. And while I was
in my little personal crisis, I felt the same way.
 Moreover, I came to find out that everyone,
 sooner or later, feels like they don't fit in."

"Sometimes it happens early in life in school.
 Teenagers are thrown together with
strangers and told to fit in. It's almost
an impossible situation.

Then, the same thing happens at work,
 or with your neighbors at home.
You always feel like you are the odd man out.
Everyone else seems to be happy.
They look comfortable.
 They look like they belong,
 and you always feel like you are an intrusion.
 I know all about that," said the old man.

"I know exactly what you're saying,"
the woman said as she nodded in agreement.

"A lot of people avoid those feelings by
 limiting contact. Watching television,
or reading books, or sitting in front of a computer
provides a comfort zone,
and if you can afford to do that, I suppose
 that's fine if that's what you want to do.
However, for many of us, the real world
cannot be escaped. We have to work.
We have to make a living. And we have
to interact with relatives and strangers
 in settings everyday. And, Ma'am,
this is what I want to tell you..."

"You see, it's all in how you at it.
 Some people face those feelings and settings
with a sense of adventure. Others face the
 same situation with dread. Yes, we all have
different personalities and some of us are
more sensitive and vulnerable than others.
 However, if you can remember just a
couple of things, it will make your
 life a whole lot easier," he said.

"Do you work in this building?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Well, this is my first time here and I had
no idea where I was going, and had
 never met the person I was going to see.
Now, who is the one who feels like they
don't fit in?" he asked. "But, somehow,
I got through it, and I'll be walking out that
front door in a minute without a scratch."

She and the man  chuckled.

"You can safely assume that the people
you are interacting with feel as out of
place as you do. So, you simply practice
the Golden Rule and make them feel as
 comfortable as you can. They don't teach
 the Golden Rule in school, so this is
something you have to pick up along the way.
 Suffice it to say, if you make others
 feel comfortable, they will reciprocate."

"Second, remember that in order to sense
 that feeling of belonging, you have to feel
 you belong to yourself. In other words,
 if you aren't settled and comfortable
 with yourself first, you'll be a fish out of water.
Be confident about what you believe.
Be true to your feelings.
You don't have to pretend to be someone else.
 Just be yourself and let the world
 appreciate what you have to offer.
 Everyone is good at something, including you.
 Offer what you are good at, and who
knows, maybe the world might even pay
you for it!", the old man said as he started to laugh.

"You're not alone," he said as he
patted the woman's shoulder.

"Don't go nuts trying to force yourself to fit in.
 There are too many holes and too
many pegs out there to even try.
Just have a little faith in yourself, associate
 with people who lift you up,
and you'll soon find folks coming to
 you for help. And when you get lost
in helping them, you won't even think about
 fitting in. At that point, you won't be looking
 at life, you'll be a part of it."

"Oh, thank you," she said, as the
old man walked toward the street.

The other man just stood there, not saying a word.
At that split second of awkwardness,
the woman and him extended their hands and shook.

"Nice to meet you," they both said
at the same time. And then, just as
quickly and simultaneously, they said,
"Have a nice day," as they both went
in different directions.

While they never knew each others' names,
 it was an encounter they would never forget.

~~~ Author Unknown ~~~

Psalm 18:25 With the merciful thou wilt
 shew thyself merciful; with an upright
man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

Proverbs 9:12 If thou be wise, thou shalt
 be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest,
 thou alone shalt bear it.

Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to
thyself before God. Happy is he that
condemneth not himself in that
thing which he alloweth.

1Timothy 4:15 Meditate upon these things;
 give thyself wholly to them;
that thy profiting may appear to all.

 

Have a blessed day!