I'm-multi-colored-in-a-herd-of-black-and-white-zebras-AND-I-am-awesome

Would it be terrible of me to say, you're not really special?

And neither am I.

I don't mean it in a bad way. But it seems the idea of being special has morphed into something different than what was drilled into our heads in elementary and suddenly... not so good. Not so, I'm-multi-colored-in-a-herd-of-black-and-white-zebras-AND-I-am-awesome.  

I've got problems. You've got problems. The person next to you's got problems. (Bigger problems than my grammar, promise.) And that's ok. There are more angles people are coming from in life than there are stars in the sky. 

And this is where it appears things have changed. We seem so hell-bent on comparing ourselves against one another, of measuring our problems, our 'specialties' against the person talking at us. At us, not to us, or with us. We assume they don't get it, can't get it, DON'T YOU SEE MY PROBLEM IS BIGGER THAN YOURS? And the opportunity to lift each other up is lost because, I Am So Alone.

We aren't really so different. The shell, the container, the name of our struggle may be different, but the insides are the same. We're all a little afraid. We all need understanding, love, and support. So rather than look for all the many different ways we're wrapped, and measure ourselves against each other, please. Please. Let's look for the things we have in common and go from there. 

You are not alone. 

And neither am I.