As I lay in bed this morning in my flannel PJs, it occurred to me how stifling this clothing would be if it weren't so cold outside. Since it is quite chilly, they are absolutely perfect and they make it much easier to get out of bed- but that’s today. Summer would be a different story.
With that in mind, it occurred to me that people can be the same. They can truly be wonderful, cozy, and absolutely perfect (like my PJs), but they may be completely wrong for the circumstances of my life.
My point is that, although we are more malleable than flannel, things, and, in a way, people- have a time, a place, and a special way that they contribute. When I think something is wrong with me, that I am somehow lacking, it may simply be that I am like flannel PJs on a hot Florida night.
Like flannel, there are times when my particular contribution is not the most timely; and when that happens, I sometimes find myself trying to be more like cotton- but I can't get away from who I am. None of us can.
I think great peace can be found if we realize who and what we truly are- even more so when we stop worrying about not being an evening gown when we are a perfectly lovely, easy-peasy sundress. Flannel has a time and a place, as we all do.
As humans, we are not as limited (or as circumstantial) as an article of clothing, but we do have an essential nature that thrives in its natural setting. We need to acknowledge what that nature is in order to find our place. So, I say we embrace our flannel PJ-self, or our sundress-self, or our designer-dress-self- or whatever our “self” may be. We should seek out the people who don’t try to make our bathrobe-self into a silk kimono (or vice versa), but who can instead appreciate who we are- whether that be the ease and comfort of the fresh, sunny, white cotton, or the sexy sensuality of the silk kimono. Find people and relationships that support you for exactly who you are, and who, by doing that, help you to find your place and, more importantly, to be the greatest expression of “you” that you can be.
