We all are special. We all are perfect. We all are perfect, even with our imperfections. And this, is the end of the discussion, no counter-arguments whatsoever. Your crooked smile, your battle scars, your frizzy hair, your makeup drained morning face, or the way you snort when you laugh, there is at least that one special person who finds it all perfect, who finds you perfect. We need to accept ourselves as we are, need to accept our flaws and take pride in who we are, what our identity is and what we choose to become with it. The definition of who we are is as broad as we let it be.
Netflix premiered an American television comedy series “Special”- the story of you, the story of me, the story of all of us, who at one point did not believe in ourselves. Based on the memoir “I’m Special: And other lies we tell ourselves” written and executive produced by Ryan O’Connell, the series was aired on April 12, 2019. Ryan O’Connell depicts the struggles of Ryan Hayes, a gay cerebral palsy victim who lives with his mom and feels uncomfortable in his own skin. But his weaknesses, as well as his strengths, begin to cope up with him when he starts his internship at Eggwoke and is asked to write about himself and his disease.
Meeting new people and knowing the realities beyond the four walls of his house, helps Ryan to ease into the acceptance of his own reality. He befriends a co-worker Kim Laghari being played by Punam Patel who makes Ryan realize that everybody has a loose thread in life and even disability is a part of him, a part that makes him special. Kim becomes Ryan’s godmother figure, who brings him out of his cocoon of self-loathing and into the phase where he becomes comfortable exposing to the world his acceptance of his disability.
And then there is another character, a character who yet again is drained out of self-love, but because she forgot to keep any for her own self and over-poured to everyone she loved. Ryan’s mother Karen Hayes being played by Jessica Hecht teaches us how suffocating the life of an endless-giver who is full of love can be as well. Sometimes we are so engulfed in loving others, that we forget to love ourselves. But loving yourself with a pure heart is as significant as loving those around you, and this does not make you a bad person if self-love is something you begin to prioritize.
“I know writing personal shit is scary, but it can actually be kind of healing. It’s like once you just own everything, no one can take anything away from you.“
We, humans, are complicated creatures. We belittle ourselves and then try to prove to others our worth. We do not live on the lines of what we think of ourselves but on how others project us. But we need to surround ourselves with people who feel like home, in front of whom we shed our hard corporate skins, exposé our true selves to, and still be embraced with open arms.
There are some shows, that go beyond entertainment and get to the core of you, get a spot fixed in your heart. And “Special” is going to connect with you at several levels, get a spot fixed and remain with you as a form of self-healing process by teaching you self-love and acceptance as a necessity of existence. So make yourself a chilled glass of iced tea, pop that popcorn bag in oven, untangle your earphones and settle in a cozy corner for a 2-hour binge-watching ride of upliftment of spirit.