It's Not Easy, Bein' Green.

My longest blog yet, but it has a HUGE place in my heart. Sorry for this one taking a bit to read, but trust me; you won't regret it. It may not flow the smoothest either, as it is 1:40 in the morning.


This week has been a trying week for myself and a number of my friends. With the final preparations for the S.O.U.P organization's "Candlelight Vigil", the newest episode of Glee having the "jaw dropping" effect, and hearing some very emotional music; my friends and I have leaned on each other throughout this entire week. To answer the question of "Why did you title this post in that manner?" it deals with a new song I heard during Glee's new episode.


"It's Not Easy, Bein' Green" was originally sang by Kermit the Frog from The Muppets. Kermit sang this song, at first thinking that he wasn't as good as everyone else, because he was green. He thought being a different, more vibrant color would make life better and easier. What really hit me with this song, though, were these two verses:


"It's not easy being green It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water Or stars in the sky

"But green's the color of Spring And green can be cool and friendly-like And green can be big like an ocean, or important Like a mountain, or tall like a tree"


Kermit at first continues to bring himself down, that he is too "normal" for society and that he doesn't stand out and be himself. But, soon after he says this, he realizes that he is important, that he is a unique and special individual. The fact that HE alone can make a difference, and that his life is important. This song was sang by one of the newest members of Glee, Damian McGinty. His performance blew me away, not only for being able to change his voice on the spot, but the brilliant aria of notes that sailed from his vocal chords. The context was still the same, that he was a minority and that he should change in order to fit in. But, he realizes that being himself is the best option, that someone, somewhere, will accept him  for who he is.


Another song that really hit me this week was a song by Martina Mcbride, titled "I'm Gonna Love You Through It." The song tells a story of a women dealing with being diagnosed with cancer. How this disease...it doesn't care how old you are, how many kids you have, or how much of a financial crisis you are in. Cancer just comes at you, and it expects to win. But, through the song, it explains that there are twists with treatment, that things don't go as planned, and that life is hard. Through family, friends, and loved ones, we CAN get through this. You will be a survivor, and you will learn to help others go through it. My mother is a THREE-TIME CANCER SURVIVOR. Yeah, that's right world; she is one tough cookie, and I love her to death. Even with her surviving this many times, I'm still scared to death for anyone I know getting this disease. Cancer patients greatly appreciate anything and everything that you do to help them through this hard time in their life, and Martina wanted to make an anthem for them. I cannot, yes cannot, sing this song without tearing up and/or crying through it; because I know and understand how hard life is having a family member go through this. With this song and Kermit's song now on my mind, the following day became a very hard one.


S.O.U.P hosted their annual "Candlelight Vigil". A speak out against bullying, touches so many hearts in such a short amount of time. Speeches were made not only about the lifestyles of the LGBT community and how people responded to it, but speeches were made about personal experiences. I'm leaving names out of this, in order to protect students' identities. A presenter looked down at their notes, and began speaking. I will NEVER forget those 15 minutes, those 15 minutes it took to tell this story, because I never thought people were capable of this. A girl, trying to live life the way she wants, and gets punished for it. And not the punishment of being grounded, the punishment of being beaten. Being beaten on a daily basis, just for being who she was. Her immediate family was oblivious, except for her psycho father, who was the source of these beatings. She ran, and came up with a new lifestyle in order to avoid the beatings. This lifestyle included drugs, prostitution, and various other cohorts in order to deal with what she was going through. She stayed the days at various family members' houses, and then learned to survive the nights on her own. When she finally figured out how to stand up for herself, she went back home. She came out to her parents, that she aligned herself with the LGBT community, and that she was proud of it. Her father, due to built up anger, aggression, and disappointment, lunged at her. She ducked, and fought back. Her mother defended her, got her in the house, locked the door, and called the police. She is now able to live free of these horrors, and although she is scared to death when she see's that man, she has courage. She has hope. She has strength. She loves who she is, and her friends love her for who she is.


So why tell this story, why share this with the world on the interwebs, for everyone to see and read? Because so many people out there, whether they are friends, family, or even people you have never met; have a hard time finding self-confidence. I know I'm in that boat, but after going through this week, and hearing these stories, listening to these songs...I know I can be who I want to be. I can live life how I want, because it is MY DECISION. And YOU can too! If people don't like who you are, then screw them. For those that choose to talk about how people live their life behind their back, you all are weak.  If you can't even accept other people's lifestyles, how can you even respect your own? Going back to saying what Kermit and Damian  have sang, it isn't easy being ourselves, but we are unique, we are awesome, and we will find people who see that, respect that, and support that decision.