breaking the mold

If there is one thing that you should know about me, it’s that I am opinionated. Even when I was a toddler, I had a mind of my own. I would scream and cry if I didn’t like the outfit my mom picked out; including refusing to wear it and tearing my clothes off. I came into this world screaming and “strong willed” as my mom would put it, and I don’t think I stopped. I’m pretty sure my mom could vouch for that because at times I still see her pulling out the book, “New Strong-Willed Child” by Dr.James Dobson.

I have always grown up in a Republican household. I still remember when Obama was running against McCain in the presidential election, and my dad would ask me, “Who do we want as our president?” I would say, “McCain!” while grinning, because I knew my mom didn’t like it when my dad had me talking about politics when I was five years old. I also remember going to a rally that year for McCain. Point is, I did grow up with republican opinions, but I began to really understand and evolve into those thoughts and ideas about seventh grade.

Seventh grade was a pivotal year for me. In my history class, I had an assignment to write current events. I loved to do it because I could write my opinion and it was the best feeling. My teacher could never post my current events for everyone to see, though, because the topics I wrote about were so controversial. I was fine with it because the important thing was that I felt heard. The middle school I went to sixth and seventh grade was in North Carolina. It was a Title One school and the view points of most that attended there were Democratic. It was also culturally different than anything I had ever been to. It was good for me…more about that later, though.

That year, my English teacher decided to have a debate about…wait for it…immigration. So controversial and a little heavy for seventh graders; nevertheless, it was debated. I remember researching so much and gathering as much information for this as I could, because I wanted to be prepared. Not many people in that class agreed with me and I didn’t want to look like an idiot. I wanted to make sense and convey my argument to people who would never change their mind. Let’s just say my thoughts were definitely heard. Once in that class I was called sexist because I wrote an essay on why women shouldn’t join Special Forces. It was a great year.

Seventh grade was lonely, and a lot of times I felt alone in my ways and values. Many of the students didn’t care much for school and it felt like a negative environment. There weren’t many people I could really relate to or be friends with. I learned to be proud of who I am. I was set apart from the masses, and I wasn’t ashamed. I found that you don’t have to conform to what everyone else is doing and that year gave me a voice. Everyone knew what kind of person I was. I was known for being a studious, smart, non-cussing, Christian Republican. I didn’t have many friends either, just a few great ones. I became so driven and passionate that year that I would go to school with the mindset, “Do what you came here to do: learn, make good grades, and get out of there.” I still use this a lot. It has become a part of how I think. It is when I move to a new area or when sometimes I just don’t have a lot of friends at a school. When I have my mind set on something, sometimes that’s all I allow myself to see, like in 7th grade. I was focused, and what was going on around me didn’t matter. Maybe you feel like at times that the world just is not with you. You may feel like you go against the flow, against the grain, and you feel incredibly alone in who you are and your purpose. I say go for it. Don’t change your values for the crowd. It can get really hard sometimes. Keep your eyes set, know what your after and be confident. It doesn’t work without the confidence part. In my experience, it adds perspective and teaches you that you can be your own person. Keep. Being. You. There should never be a doubt, a worry, guilt for being you because you know yourself. That’s beautiful in itself.

It’s crazy how God gives you what you need. If it weren’t for those two years, I probably wouldn’t be writing my own blog. I couldn’t see it then, in fact, I hated going to that school, but oh how I see it now. It gave me my voice and my ability to accept that I don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Do your own thing. Sometimes by being purely who you are, you inspire others. Let God’s light shine through you. If people don’t like you for being you, then that’s on them. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it’s own. As it is, you not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18 19). What you do is to glorify the Lord. Keep your mind on that and everything else seems smaller and unimportant. My mom says that I broke the mold when I was born. Don’t be afraid to break it; destroy it. That mold is everything that keeps you from shining your beautiful, wonderful light and being different. Be yourself and be proud because you are God’s…and for me, that’s all I need to know.

Keep it real,

Meghan Dunn