The Zebra and Her Unique Stripes

In a herd of zebras on the savanna, one young foal had an unusual thick, curvy stripe on her side, unlike the neat, straight, thin stripes of every other zebra in the herd. Feeling embarrassed, she always hung back behind the herd, hiding herself.

Sometimes the other zebra foals would point and giggle at her strange stripe, making her feel even more self-conscious. She tried hiding behind rocks and tall grass so no one would notice her pattern.

One day a thick brown dust storm swept across the plains. The herd scattered in every direction. The young zebra was separated from her mother in the thick, swirling dust, and cried out in fear, calling for her.

In the thick dust that made every other zebra's neat stripes blur into a single blur of shadow, her mother could still clearly spot her foal's unusual thick, curvy stripe amid the chaos, and rushed straight to her.

When the dust storm settled, the herd joyfully reunited. The young zebra understood at last that her different stripe was nothing to be ashamed of — it was the very thing that had helped her mother find her. From that day on, she stood proudly in the middle of the herd.

What makes you different from others isn't a flaw — it can be the special thing that makes you stand out and matter in your own way.