The older you get, the more you realize we’re far more alike than we are different. And while oceans, circumstances and insignificant details seemingly separate us, we’re all individual pieces of fabric sewn together in the same quilt. As Shakespeare infamously wrote in The Merchant of Venice:

“If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”

Yet, we are judged and judge others for our separateness instead of feeling joined together by our similarities. It happens every time we feel misunderstood, labeled or intolerant. Surprisingly, the more we find commonalities in people we judge different, the more accepting we feel about ourselves. Your abrasive neighbor has imperfections, vulnerabilities and challenges? Ah ha! And so do you!

This week you’ll discover ways to both embrace what makes you different and feel better about yourself. Read about the healing aspects of yoga, mindfulness, creativity, and compassion no matter what you are going through or have gone through the past. It’s a perfect way to end the week and another Friday the 13th.

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