"We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are."
— Anaïs Nin
Dear Michelle,
We’ve made it to the final letter... "Z". For this one, I’ve chosen something a little unexpected: Z is for Zebra.
Now, you might be thinking, What does a zebra have to teach us about life? Quite a bit, actually.
Zebras are known for their bold, defined, and striking black-and-white stripes—nature’s version of crisp clarity. Every stripe is distinct, deliberate, and easy to recognize. But life? Life is rarely that simple. It doesn’t come with clear lines and neat divisions. Life is full of color and many shades of gray. Between the shades of gray, you'll find flashes of brilliant colors... bright yellows of joy, deep blues of sorrow, fiery reds of passion, and gentle greens of growth. Life can be wonderfully messy, heartbreakingly beautiful, and endlessly complicated. And that’s what makes it real. That’s what makes it yours.
We naturally crave clarity. We want clean lines, definite answers, tidy boxes we can check. We want to know: Is it right or wrong? Yes or no? Success or failure? It gives us a sense of security, a sense of control. However, as we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize that most of life doesn’t play by those rules. The truth is, a great deal of life happens in the gray areas… the spaces between certainty and doubt, between what we’ve been taught and what we’ve come to understand for ourselves. These in-betweens are where we can stretch and grow.
You’ll meet people who do things differently, think differently, and believe differently. That doesn’t automatically make them wrong... it just means they come from a different viewpoint. Sometimes, what’s “right” is a matter of perspective, experience, or even timing. And just because you’ve always done something a certain way doesn’t mean it’s the only way, or even the best way. There are countless paths through life, and many of them lead to meaningful, beautiful destinations. The key is to keep an open heart and a curious mind, and remember that wisdom often grows where certainty used to live.
The world is full of people, cultures, ideas, and beliefs that don’t match our own. That’s a good thing. Imagine how boring life would be if we were all zebras with the same black and white stripes?
There’s wisdom in being able to say, "I don’t see it that way, but I’m willing to listen and learn about your viewpoint." Or, "That’s not how I would do it, but if it might be fun to try your way." Sometimes, two people with different perspectives can both be right. And sometimes, they’re both a little off. What matters most is the respect we show one another in those spaces of disagreement.
So as you move forward in life, Michelle, I hope you always remember to:
Stay curious. Be kind. Leave space for the gray.
And maybe the next time you see a zebra, it will remind you that clarity doesn’t always come in black and white stripes. Sometimes, the most beautiful insights come from the unexpected things we learn to see in others... and in ourselves.
With love from A to Z,
Grandma Carol
Comments(12)