Just Be You: To Infinity, and Beyond!

It's that time of the year again. Leaves crunch under every step and warm jackets are moved back up to the front of the closet. Sometimes, even more noticeable are the jack-o'-lanterns, masks, costumes, and mountainous displays of candy filling the isles of almost every store in town. Fall as arrived, and so has Halloween!

Whenever this holiday rolls around, I cannot help but think of how much my cousins, brother, and I anticipated that final day of October each year. Let's take a moment and flashback to an October 31st of a few years ago. My brother, Mike, and I had anxiously made it through that day of school and were on our way to our grandparents' house to get ready to go trick-or-treating. That year, Mike had decided to step into the shoes of his very favorite character. He could constantly be seen in the living room reenacting some of his favorite scenes from this character's movies, often ending in his favorite line, "To infinity, and beyond!" Yes; Mike was Buzz Lightyear. He excitedly stepped into the costume our mother had spent hours sewing and preparing for him. Then, he picked up his trick-or-treat bag, got off to a good start by grabbing a handful of our grandma's candy, and headed out the door.

Now, why did Mike choose to dress up as Buzz Lightyear? He chose this character because he wanted to! He was allowing his personality to shine through by fearlessly showing each fellow trick-or-treater he passed exactly who he wanted to be for that day. Think back to your favorite Halloween costume. Sure, there is a good chance that there were others who chose to dress as the same character, but I am sure you had added your own personal touch of creativity that made your costume perfect for you.

Wouldn't Halloween be boring if everyone dressed in the same costume? Sure it would, and everyday life is just the same! Just as we choose who we want to pretend to be for that one special day of the year, we choose who we really want to be every moment of every day as well. If we all wanted to be the exact same person, the world just wouldn't be the same. We all have our different interests, talents, and personalities for a reason. All we have to do is embrace exactly who we are! Be appreciative of the talents we were given and focus on what we are passionate about, even if those talents and interests aren't the same as the person next to us.

Be yourself! Show the world just how special and wonderful you are! Why? Because the world needs you, exactly who you are. Yes, you.

The world needs you, "To infinity, and beyond!"