Chardonnay Beaver, Public Speaker, Creator of
WOWbyChar, and UW Student.
Words of Wisdom by Char Column
Humanity: Are We Really That Different?
On Monday morning I entered a local cafe on the corner in Madison Park. As I waited for my almond milk hot chocolate with a sweezle of caramel sauce, I observed the cafe. The “Black Lives Matter” signs in the window, above the kitchen entrance, and bathroom door. I glanced at the two other customers awaiting their coffee and lattes. A shorter woman in her hospital smock, checking her phone for the time every minute as though she was in a rush. A middle-aged man inquisitive about the pastries, or whether or not he wanted to purchase one for breakfast, had a stared down with the croissants and apple turnovers: the apple turnover won. Suddenly I began to ask myself, are we really all that different?
I began to contemplate the qualities of humans that seem undeniable. We all are capable of loving someone and being loved. We are drawn to commonalities. We are associated with a shared culture or belief system. Whether we admit it or not, we all have emotions; the ability to experience incredible joy and devastating trauma. Nevertheless, we are all imperfect and are destined to make poor or positive choices somewhere along this journey called life. The questions that I repetitively ask myself when reflecting are, how can I be the most authentic version of myself? Am I embracing my humanly traits in order to evolve or am I seeking perfection? How can I see myself in this (or these) individuals that I do not understand?
In fact, WOW (Words Of Wisdom) by Char derives from my ignite desire to empower others as they are on their journey to becoming their most authentic selves. Char is a nickname that my close friends and family refer to me as. However, “Char” is not an excuse for not calling me Chardonnay- which this guy once told me was a “mouth full”, I guess Chardonnay is quite challenging to say when your name is in the most common American names handbook. Anyways, I have learned to overcome obstacles by addressing these experiences internally, reflecting, healing, forgiving, communicating my experience with trusted individuals, and sharing my quest (when the opportunity allows) with others. The knowledge I gained from my experiences grants me wisdom, in which I share as a tool to inspire.
In many households, passing the torch is a common belief that as one matures and achieves their duty is to empower and uplift the next generation. I am aware that whatever I have and will endure someone else has experienced before. In the words of my mama, “there’s nothing new under the sun”. Regardless of one’s race, gender, sexuality, age, language, income, origin, or abilities we all will endure the ever-changing seasons of life that promise sunshine and rain. For example, Covid-19 taught the world that regardless of your identity and possessions we are all vulnerable to this virus. Humanity is the basis of this message. The hate and bigotry publized in modern time fails to acknowledge our lack of humanity and care for eachother. I encourage our readers to take time to reflect upon how YOU can be an authentic version of yourself!
Thank you
