Accepted

Accepted

John Paul Derryberry

Long drives, nights in hotels away from the family, starting small and taking gigs for no money, and being willing to talk wherever I have been asked come with some negatives. Life is always about pros and cons, and I'm always trying to educate everyone on how much of life is really about the pros and cons of our choices. My dad always tried to instill this lesson in me going back to 3rd grade. The biggest pro about this incredible storytelling gig is seeing how many of us experience the same emotions in life, and all have the same feeling of being accepted for who we are.

I've seen it in a Mosque in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where I could see the tears well up in a man's eyes about others hating him for being Muslim. I have conversed with a dad in rural Iowa, wondering what his drinking buddies would think of his story if he were honest about being suicidal. I have cried with conservatives who learned mental health isn't just a pull-up yourself by the bootstrap problem. I have broken bread with urban people who are worried about how to get people to accept a safer neighborhood. And yes, I have interacted with people who are trans and contemplate suicide out of fear of never figuring out who they are and whether their larger community will accept them. I have spoken with emotionally distraught Christians worried about how their beliefs will be accepted in the new world. I even have stated Merry Christmas from time to time to these folks to put them at ease, even though I'm a Happy Holidays guy.

My professional career is making people realize that no matter their background, faith, make-up, status, and countless other social factors, it is helping folks make sense of their emotional processing and be comfortable with who they are—mixing all their life experiences in consumable bite-size portions to set the stage for learning, growth, and connecting with others. All my travels and conversations have continued to reinforce that the lines of divisions that are drawn are easily erased through connecting with people over our shared human experience.

Not a soul on this planet has survived the human experience without moments of doubt, without wondering if those around them will accept them. And few of us ever escape life without feeling the sting of not being accepted. The issue is that certain leaders exploit those weaknesses to drive us apart and pit us against each other over everyday human experiences. This makes one group believe that the other doesn't have the same human experience. Us versus them is a tale as old as time, a story I do not wish to retell through the reset of time. As always, I want to weave the story of making many people feel accepted.