Self Worth.

Things only have as much worth as you give them. We have all heard the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure." But how far does that go? A popular phrase growing up my older brother used on me was "Don't break that, it's worth more than you are!" I didn't like that he was dehumanizing me to the point of being less than the object he was protecting, but it did help me gain some perspective. I didn't have much use to anyone at that age... In fact, I was pretty well dependent on everyone so I had to question do I have worth simply because I am human?

Have you ever loved a stuffed animal so much it felt like a member of your family? I have. It seems silly now, but hugging my little stuffed reindeer growing up gave me comfort and companionship. When no one was there for me and I was crying, my little stuffed friend was unconditionally there. This small amount of stitched together fabric meant the world to me. But just like the movie Toy Story when Sarah McLachlan sings "When She Loved me", that stuffed animal has not had a hug for a long time. I still can't watch that seen without getting teary eyed.

In a very real way that stuffed reindeer was a good role model for how I can be for my wife. That reindeer never got mad at me and never judged me. Just as my brother dehumanized me I humanized an inanimate object and was able to learn virtues by its omission. And just as I found worth in my stuffed animal I find worth in myself. If everyone in the world decided I was trash I would still allot myself the same worth. I love being useful and I love helping others because I find worth in it. I came to the conclusion how you perceive yourself becomes your reality.

Giving things and people meaning can be foolish because we live in a world where they can hurt us by leaving or betraying us. It's dangerous because sometimes people define their worth by opposing ideas and people fight for what they believe in. And sometimes people even try to gain worth at the expense of others. Angela and I can't imagine thinking we are better than anyone else. We are perplexed when we see people all the time that talk down to their servers at restaurants.

Something magical happened when I added my self-worth to my wife's. My wife and I love to be silly. We got each other electric scooters for Christmas. You may have seen us, we wear helmets and scoot around town shouting "SCOOT SCOOT!" like that's the sound scooters make. People look at us and smile because we look so ridiculous and we smile right back. Angela and I are genuinely happy because we find the highest worth in simply being together.