Living Outside The Lines: “Misfit Toys”

I love a good story about someone who doesn’t quite fit the mold then eventually becomes the hero.

by, Becky j Miller

Be honest, who still watches, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” every holiday season? Looks around, then timidly raises her hand. 

When our kids were younger, we had all of the Christmas classics on… gasp! VHS. As they grew older and VCR’s grew scarce, we began replacing the videotapes with DVD’s. Although there are no longer any offspring living at home, each year I still watch all the children’s Christmas movies, and Rudolph is definitely a favorite. 

I love a good story about someone who doesn’t quite fit the mold then eventually becomes the hero. Honestly though, I can most relate with the inhabitants on the Island of Misfit Toys.

This fictitious island is home to unwanted toys; toys like a Charlie in the Box, a spotted elephant, a boat that doesn’t float, an airplane that doesn’t fly, a train with square wheels, a cowboy who rides an ostrich, and a water pistol that shoots jelly. 

In what appears a life parallel, these toys represent the rejected, the discarded, the unloved, the unwanted, and the lonely. These toys want so much to belong, but they are different and therefore considered undesirable to everyone but the winged lion, King Moon Racer. The king sees their value and seeks not only to protect them, but also to find them a place where they can be loved unconditionally.   

Sometimes, particularly when I look at others’ lives through my skewed perspective, I decide that since who I am, what I do, or what I look like doesn’t match or equal someone else, then I must be an inadequate misfit.

There are moments, sometimes even days or weeks that I spend entirely too much time lamenting being a Charlie in the Box when everyone else gets to be a Jack in the Box. Then there are those rare, but precious moments I catch a glimpse of how my difference impacts the world simply because I am me. 

My disposition is better when instead of focusing on being a misfit toy, I hear Dr. Seuss saying, “Why fit in, when you were born to be different?” That is the truth. I was born to be different. I was created to be who I am, and you were created to be who you are. Maybe to the world we are misfits, but each of us possess a unique purpose and destiny.           

You know, in Rudolph’s story, all of the misfit toys found homes with children who would love and appreciate them. Perhaps my logic is based on a fictional children’s story, but maybe, just maybe it’s still true. There absolutely is a place in this world for everyone, even those who feel like a misfit toy. 

Until Next Time

Becky J Miller

“Warrior Princess”

Becky J Miller is a contributor and is exclusive to SM Corridor News. You can read more of Becky’s columns in Lifestyle.