DUMB

The word dumb never bothered me. I never felt it was true when someone would say the word stupid or dumb. I believe it was because I knew in my heart I wasn't dumb, I just learned differently. I knew that I had different kinds of intelligence.

  

As a kid, I was always comfortable in my own skin. I had ginormous glasses, huge teeth, bulky knees and stringy blonde hair. There literally wasn't a thing you could say to me that would bring me down. I would look at someone and think, "Who cares?!?!" I overheard my teacher once tell my mom that I had great self-esteem. I still believe that is true.

This is me in 3rd or 4th grade with my cat ahahahah I told you!!!

I always surrounded myself with people who knew exactly who I was. Not one of my friends ever thought I was dumb... well I think they knew something was off because I didn't read or do other scholastic things at their same level. I have several friends who actually don't think (and express to me) that my learning disability isn't as bad as I say it really is. I think it is because they could still see other kinds of intelligence that I have. I was and am always thankful for this.

The only time I struggle with feeling dumb is when I can tell someone truly believes I am. That they think they are better then me. That they are so quick to judge and not see other talents I posses. When this becomes the case, I begin to follow into their thought process like a fly gets trapped in honey. After a while, I can easily snap out of it and realize... "Wait... They don't get who I am!"

I don't want to prove who I am. I don't believe that is the proper way to change someone's incorrect view. Yet I feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and hurt knowing that someone doesn't see my full character, that they are stuck in their way of thinking.

I have found there are two ways to address this...
(1) Call them out on it and let them know exactly how you feel, or (2) push them out because they aren't worth your while. Anyone who believes you are below them doesn't deserve your breath, PERIOD!

But what do you do when you can't do either of these options? Do you prove why you are their equal? Do you just continue to know who you are, knowing that your true character and personality isn't shining through? Do you worry about what they say when you are gone?

I don't care what other people think of me... I know this statement rings true throughout my whole soul, but I do care that I haven't allowed my true self to come across. In case you didn't read it before, I love my learning disability. It has made me the person that I want to be. It keeps my feet on the ground, and I would never wish it away. I would just wish that people would remember that everyone has feelings and would remember that by putting me or anyone else below your thumb is wrong!

What would you do?