Susan Boyle - Unlikely Inspiration

Okay, sure - the video below is laced tightly up in the corset of all the drama and sap of a reality show, edited and designed specifically to pull at the heartstrings but, at its core root and if it is to be believed (I find this woman to actually be charmingly sweet and real), then there is something so truly, genuinely wonderful about it.

I realized I immediately passed criticism; I thought to myself - this frumpy, chubby, graying woman with eyebrows desperately in need of a good plucking can't taken seriously. She obviously must be a plant by the producers, like so many of the horrifyingly terrible contestants on shows like American Idol and Britain's Got Talent. But like so many people (though not Simon, because he has a sixth sense for talent), boy was I wrong.

It made me think about how proud I was that my little sister was voted "Friendliest" by her peers in her Senior yearbook. Thanks to the unique blend of Irish and Chinese heritages, my sister is stunningly and exotically beautiful - with auburn hair that is set afire in the sunlight, big chocolate eyes, and a face exploding with freckles. This makes her popular with her peers - she has a great boyfriend and a bevvy of friends. She's also incredibly athletic, having been the only freshman at the time to be brought up onto our town's impressive state champion field hockey team and rising to be both a key defensive player and team captain. And on top of it all, she's one of the smartest kids in her grade, earning consistent A's, taking an unthinkable 5 Advanced Place course load, and recently applying to some of the nation's top universities.

She could have easily been voted "Most likely to succeed" or "Prettiest" or even "Most Athletic." But out of all of her qualities, she was recognized most for her friendliness, which to me says so much about her. She's the exception to the "popular = bitch" rule. She always inspires me to be friendlier. To make the effort to get to know somebody. And to judge a person only AFTER that getting to know you phase.
Growing up, I used to be detrimentally shy. People I eventually got to know used to tell me that their first impression of me was that I was cold and bitchy, like I thought I was too cool to introduce myself or talk to them. I'd always feel so bad that they would mistake my shyness for bitchiness. For the most part, I've gotten over my shyness. However, in many situations I still find myself hesitating before opening up to people, and I've come to realize that keeping your mouth shut can indeed be cold and bitchy. Why is it so hard for me to glance up from my book and say "thank you" when the train conductor comes by to punch my ticket? And why was my first instinct to ignore the lady who came with her golden retriever and sat next to me at the field hockey game? I'm glad that instinct passed, because finally opening my mouth led to a wonderful hour of friendly conversation in the sunshine. Even some of the people closest to me now are people that I hesitated to talk to in the beginning and even prematurely judged.

I have overcome my shyness to a large degree, but I would love to shed any vestigial remnant of it, and I would love to obliterate any tendency to rashly pass judgment. Because my sister inspires me. And because this woman ended up inspiring me too:



Note - video can't be embedded, so click play and then click once more anywhere within the video frame. It'll take you directly to the youtube page.

And if for any reason the video ever gets removed from youtube, just search for "Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent" on your favorite video sharing website.