I fell in love with praying mantises the first time I saw them. The eyes! Those glowing, impossible eyes. And the way they move! They’re every bad Sciffy movie you’ve ever seen.

I can’t say a thing for their domestic arrangements. But they are great gardeners. They will take care of your garden like no one else. Each year I would put in Mantis eggs. I rarely saw them. They would hatch 2 inch bright green baby mantises. My roses grew happy, with praying mantises guarding them like big eyed pit bulls.

That’s not the only reason though. My body has always felt so odd, so different and so scary. Add to it the insults that came daily from classmates and it won’t’ be a surprise that I felt like was from outer space. So when I saw my first praying mantis, beautiful and weird I knew I’d met a kindred soul.

I’ve learned several things from mantises.

Celebrate your weird. It’s yours! It will give you notions, dreams and destinations all your own.

Celebrate your beauty, even if it’s unlike anyone elses. If they can’t see it, it’s like not looking at blue skies or the rainbows in puddles. Their loss.

Dance whenever you can.