Leap up

Shrug off conformity and leap into authenticity. Be who you are even if it messes up the neat categories that people want to slot you into.

When I stood back and looked at this page I saw that all the circles were lined up except for one. All there in a neat row. I don't usually do that. So what was that leaping circle trying to tell me?

I remember a time when my husband parked our car in the middle of a car park where there were no markings. There were no other cars in the place when we arrived. When we returned to the car, several other people had arrived, and all the cars were neatly lined up alongside ours. But they didn't have to be! There was plenty of space and no lines marking spaces.

How often do we line up and fulfil the expectations of other people instead of being who we were made to be? As a vicar's wife, it can be easy to let expectations weigh on you. I remember talking with a friend about one interview they went for. All the way through the interview she was asked things like, 'The last vicar's wife played guitar for Sunday School. Will you do that? She played golf every Wednesday with a group of us. Will you do that?' Instead of seeing her as a person bringing her own gifts to the role, they saw a role with a particular shape and wanted to force her into it.

You don't have to line up with everyone else. Leap up and fly!