Ode to the inanimate objects that taught me to be human

I’ve always heard it said that who you become in life is the average of the five people you spend the most time with yet, as the isolated little s**t that I’ve always been for two decades and counting
I come to the realization that maybe I’m so different from all of my friends because one can conform not only to the people, but the things that surround them
I feel almost as if I owe more credit to the inanimate objects I spend most of my time with for shaping who I am than I ever will the people that i have encountered

One.

My bed taught me so many things.
My bed taught me how to truly comfort others.
How to be a shoulder to cry on for those that feel that they have nobody else
My bed gave me the knowledge of the fact that every stain that my spirit has on me SHOULD wash away with time and even if it doesn’t that it is okay to strip the outer layers of who I make myself up to be and let people in
My bed taught me that no matter how battered and broken I become in life from being jumped all over and kicked to the curb that SOMEONE out there would still be capable of loving me

Two.

My alarm clock taught me my strong work ethic
It taught me how to do my job despite the opposition from the world around me
It taught me how to be resilient as well as loud and proud about who I am and the things that I accomplish and the good that I was capable of contributing to the lives of others, that the world not only has room for but needs someone like me despite somebody there always expressing that I should be thrown to the other side of the room. That I should unplug and disappear until they realize that the boldness I obtained over the years is a necessary evil because without people like me and you, no progress can be made in the world so wake up and smell the flowers.

Three.

The flowers.
Ah who am I kidding the flowers didn’t teach me s**t. The trees however? Oh boy the trees
Teaching me how to truly be rooted in what I believe in that no matter who or what would try to cut me down that there’s someone out there that would need me. It may be a child, it may be a dog, you get the picture it could be countless things but the point is:
Trees taught me that no matter how much I am climbed all over and pissed on by the world around me that I can still be strong and beautiful.
Growing from my roots I could weather almost any storm and if the time comes that I do fall, that I can still be used for good in the world.

Four.

The sun taught me not to be jaded
The sun taught me how to work together with others
The sun taught me how to be a good friend
It taught me that when people are having a hard time it’s best to just let them know I’m there without overstepping my bounds because that’s how people get burned and that is never a good thing
It taught me how to be warmth and not fire
How to be a light in the darkness without being blinding

Five.

The lake taught me how to be fearless
How to love my body despite its imperfections and how to always be open to new experiences no matter what
The lake taught me that no matter the pollution sloshing around in my brain that there is hope that someone can remove it and that even if they didn’t, someone somewhere would love me anyways
Someone would still want to take a dive in and see the good in all that I have become despite the distortion of who I was intended to be
To gain an understanding of my imperfections and be there in and through them

To all these things I owe my thanks
Here I stand today embracing my humanity as I know it
Sharing it with the world around me
And all these things have been learned from those on this earth that aren’t even breathing

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This is very well written! I kinda expected it to be a spoof, playful & tongue-in-cheek, but then it turns out that most of the "qualities" you mention are well-thought-out, straightforward, & logically linked to the inanimate object you associate with it. This shows a ton of creativity & I agree wholeheartedly. Most of the people I grew up knowing, I was thinking: this is how I DON'T want to be! As for nature, I've always wanted to emulate! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Gee]

Single women I’m told ( by a single woman) need only three things to see them through. They are, thick skin, a group of very close female friends and a ready supply of AAA batteries !