Today, I am feeling expressive.

A certain close friend is in a messy and emotional situation, it makes me feel sorry and sad for this person.

Which brings to my wanting to write this post, I want to write about understanding the intrinsic quality of a person, how indispensable, abstract and unique someone's character could be as this person grows.

Before we were all born, we couldn't ask or choose to be what we preferably want to be. We didn't ask for a specific skin color, hair texture, culture, race, religion and language to be born into. We were all suddenly born into something. We just continue to grow; learning and understanding the basics of what's good and what's bad. We breathe and feel LIFE through experiencing the ups and downs that we go through our own selves. It's not for someone to live it for us, it's for us to grow to be what we feel is best to be.

Our paths in life, to who we meet, to the schools we go to or the jobs we have passions to be a part of shouldn't be defined by the things we were born into.

We are our own characters and what we are good at is what we are good at.

We can't be defined based on what we were born into. We're all made differently and are all uniquely different.

People know this and aren't oblivious to this. People who look alike or talk alike are all different individually.

Perhaps, one of them aspire to be a stand up comedian. Perhaps, one wants to bicycle trek around China. Perhaps, one wants to help raise funds for not only his kind but for people of the world.

Our growth to be who we are and what we are BECOME the person who we truly feel is right to be.

Just because a certain lady could only cook Indonesian food, does not mean she doesn't have the drive to learn other cuisines. Just because an elder man is brown would instantly mean he loves going out to tan all the time. Just because a young man has roots from a third world country would instantly mean he is not modern and has a mind that is square. Just because a teenage girl was born into a rigid faith does not necessarily mean she does not have a fun and outgoing personality.

"And I don't want the world to see me
 Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am"

To my friend:  I hope you continue to understand that you are unique and no one can be a duplication of you. No matter where you come from or what you were born into, you are still you and you carry a spirit in you that defines YOU. Continue to carry a spirit that makes you happy, let it grow and shine brightly.

I am expressing this fiercely because I've had my fair share of experiences that were similar to something like this.

It is not something that someone can face alone, so please know that you are not alone.

Lots of SHINE & <3,
Tiff