My Mom used
to tell me that I was one of a kind. I knew she meant that I was not like my
two sisters – who were one year older and one year younger than me. And I knew
that she meant that I was different from the other folks my age as well.
I was always
unique and marched to the beat of my own drummer. I read thousands of books,
even ones the county librarian tried to talk me out of and called my Mom
about. I was a feminist in 1970's redneck
West Texas. I wore a t-shirt that read, “A woman needs a man, like a fish needs
a bicycle.” I did not follow the crowd and made my own way. I was certain that
following the crowd was wrong and that I was supposed to do something
different.
It was not
always easy. I was teased and made fun of at times. I was made to feel
different and was, on more than one occasion, taunted fairly viciously. It was
not fun. Growing up different is tough. No matter the reason one finds
themselves being considered different – gender, theology, sexual orientation,
religion, wealth, educational level, political beliefs, physical abilities,
family issues, philosophy, size, clothing choices, gender identity, age, or
whatever.
But despite
that, marching to my own drummer has continued to be my style all of these
years. Sometimes it has made me feel alone, sometimes it has made me feel extremely
powerful, and sometimes it has made me just feel different.
Recently I
read a story about a whale called “52 Hertz.” This whale has been tracked for years
and goes his own way. He does not follow the normal migration pattern of other whales
of his “kind.” He makes whale sounds that are on a different frequency than
other whales – hence the name 52 Hertz. He was discovered about 20 years ago
and continues to make his unique sounding whale call – and there seems to be no
answer.
This whale
is one of a kind. His sound is one of a kind. He swims the ocean alone, perhaps
malformed or maybe a hybrid of two other forms of whales. He is alone – one of
a kind – doing his own thing.
We have no
way to know if he is lonely or depressed or enjoying his unique nature, but
songs and stories have been written about his isolation and loneliness anyway.
You would
think that receiving no answer to his unique whale song for decades would mean
he might stop – but he doesn’t. He keeps on singing on his own frequency. And
he keeps on swimming the North Pacific alone.
One of the
amazing things about my own journey is that I have found others who are “one of
a kind” as well. We have found each other – through our own “whale song” of
sorts and we have found community in each other as we swim. Sometimes they stay
for short periods and sometimes for longer. But I keep looking for the other “one
of a kind” folks out there.
52 Hertz
goes on and on – alone in the world. He
keeps on calling in his unique tone but for whatever reason he never receives a
reply. I wonder if he just hasn’t found the way to talk in a way that others
like him can understand. Maybe he’s just not accepted because he is so
different. I pray for him to find peace and happiness – whatever that looks
like for 52 Hertz. And maybe he is happy – we have no way of knowing what he
feels. But I know what it felt like growing up as a “one of a kind” person.
Luckily I have found peace and happiness.
And I pray
for you to find that as well. I pray for you to find someone who can hear your
whale song. Whether you feel like you will never be accepted or have already
found others – keep calling … keep swimming. There are others out there
listening.
You are not
alone.
Link to an article about 52 Hertz: http://blogs.plos.org/mitsciwrite/2013/03/05/the-search-for-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world-pt-1/
Link to an article about 52 Hertz: http://blogs.plos.org/mitsciwrite/2013/03/05/the-search-for-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world-pt-1/
