By Dr. Mike McNamara, LMFT

Do you ever feel like a puzzle piece without the picture to figure out where you fit in?  You are not alone!  Humans of all ages struggle with fitting in someplace.  Often we feel like we are different from other people, who feel like they are different too!  It goes around and around like that for us all.

Having a bleeding disorder can cause you to feel different. I know it does that for me sometimes. Most people don’t have to receive treatment for a bleed. We do. The truth is everyone is different from everyone else. Even “identical” twins have differences.

I have learned to celebrate the differences that exist in the world. Imagine if everyone could only wear a purple shirt (okay, leave Barney out of this). It would be difficult to tell one person wearing purple from another person wearing purple; it would be difficult, except for the differences that exist in hair, eye, skin, voice, height and gender.

If you have ever looked closely at a painting, you will see that there are many different colors in the picture that enhance the details. A little purple here, a little blue there, a little yellow there, some red, some gray, take a step back and it is a whole picture.

If you are feeling like you don’t fit in, please realize that you are part of a picture. You are a necessary part of the picture, you add color and detail. Without you, the picture or puzzle would not be complete. Celebrate who you are and how you complete the picture.

Fitting in is a good thing, so is being different!

Dr. Mike McNamara is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). He has severe factor eight deficiency with an inhibitor. He has four children, two boys and two girls, and lives in California.