The Real Deal

While growing up, I can remember that a lot of people used imitation vanilla, but it wasn't the same quality as real vanilla extract. I had to ask myself why people didn't just use the real thing. All it takes is a little look into history to explain. The world has been through two great wars and many other smaller ones, and that takes a toll not only on people but also on the land that nurtures us. It took me a while to understand that the fields of France didn't grow well for many years after the Second World War because the soil had been destroyed in those battles in which so many lost their lives. Consequently, shortages happen, and people find a way to substitute with something else. In short, imitation is born of survival.

My morning oracle card said, "Grow into your inimitable self. Wisdom is a by-product of your own becoming." Admittedly, I had to look up the definition of inimitable, even with my enormous vocabulary, but I was not disappointed in its meaning. In other words, stop surviving on imitation. Your real self is available and of far better quality than the cheaper version of you. Allow yourself to be free of what others think and let the movement of life change you and shape you into someone who cannot be imitated.

One of Nature's lessons is shown in the Elestial Quartz. This mineral forms under highly unstable, rapidly changing conditions, which cause the crystal to form irregularly. Silica-rich fluids deposit layers of quartz faster than the crystal can properly structure.  Each crystal is unique and inimitable. This resonates so well with me because it sounds just like how Autism feels. A usual day has too much incoming data that does not give me time to process, much less structure. Much of the world sees us as weaker than the average person at best, but the truth is, we are superhuman. We jump from one platform to the next in our ever-changing scenarios, and instead of giving up, we form irregular adaptations that the larger portion of the world calls oddities but actually contain just as much wonder as a snowflake, each being unique.