Cast Conformity Behind You!

Hello, I’m Trevor, one of Tracey’s brothers. I’ve never got to blog before so I figured I would keep the content noteworthy and perhaps still brief. First of all, I’m going to suggest you read the last book I read (which was suggested by my girlfriend, Rachael), “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. It’s actually a play and I read it in two short sittings. This play demands imagination and while the goal of the play itself is far more specific, I believe there is a wealth of lessons that can be learned.

Thoreau is portrayed fictitiously, but the heart of his character is, if nothing more, very interesting. Of the many things that can be learned from this play, I would say that Thoreau’s ability to be true to self no matter what and to erase labels would be my favorites. I read this book because Rachael said I would understand her better if I did—I had never heard of it. I have known her for a few years before we started dating and after reading this play, I began to understand her life in so many better ways. Henry David Thoreau thought nothing of the expectations and labels of society. Neither does Rachael.

Being a stunningly beautiful girl, I have watched our community so often label her, or write her off as snobbish, or self-centered, among many other ridiculous things. I was her friend long before I was her boyfriend and I was there to help her through some of that. Rachael is an amazing person and nothing like society thinks or says she should be—so Thoreau. The real shame is that so many people miss seeing the limitless, undying beauty of WHO she is, rather than what they have labeled her as. Much like me, Rachael is a true non-conformist. I don’t have time to go into the details of my own non-conformity, but it is something I believe and practice daily. She makes decisions that even I have to stop and wonder for a moment why she made that decision. And I have to come to the realization that she is not living her life based on society’s expectations of her, but rather she is living true to self. Sounds stupid, but we all do it. And she is such a non-conformist that this happens all the time. But I know her enough to see how free she lives and it’s beautiful. By the way, please don’t misunderstand my use of non-conformity in this blog. If done for its own sake, it fails to be true to self. Conforming for its own sake fails the same way. Being true to self should dictate a healthy level of non-conformity—individualism. This is Rachael.

Like William Wallace told his kinsman before going into battle, “Just be yourselves.” So don’t put labels and expectations on those around you because of the way they look, where they’re from, or what circumstance they may be in and especially not on yourself! Life is short. Live free. God created us as individuals, not stamped out in a factory somewhere. To be yourself IS to be beautiful. So go be truly beautiful and God bless.

Trevor