When I was in first grade, I got into an argument with my neighbor Lauren. She told me I had brown eyes. I swore I had blue and told her I’d show her my birth certificate to prove it. My young, first-grader heart was crushed to learn eye color is not listed on a birth certificate. And so I began to believe that I had plain, ugly, brown eyes. 

The other day, I went with some friends for an hour-and-a-half Thai massage. It was one of many I’ve received since arriving in Thailand. And to be completely honest, I was a little upset because I got an older woman who didn’t put much pressure into her motions. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought my niece was giving the massage. The gentler she was with me the more frustrated I became.