Everything has a shape. This rubber band is round. But If I take this rubber band and I stretch it out of shape, what’s going to happen?
[Stretch out the rubber band]

It’s going to snap back into shape. [snap band]

Ladies & Gentlemen, Contest master, You and I are just like this rubber band. We have a shape and sometimes that shape is also round. [rub stomach].

But when I say shape, I really mean the shape of who we are as a person. The shape of our personality.

But in life, sometimes we try to change who we are and how we act. If we do that, watch out!

Our lives will snap back into shape [snap] just like the rubber band.

I learned this the hard way. You see, I am a messy person…. Wait, that’s not true. I mean a really messy person. Messiness is part of my natural shape.

But if you visited my house as a child, you would think I was really neat and organized. That’s because I was raised in the kingdom of neatness and organization! Ruled over by the Queen my mother. Our house was perfect! Not one napkin in the wrong place. Not one dirty dish in the sink. Not one white sock in the dark sock drawer. Total order.

If you went into my room, you would be very impressed! My bed was made perfectly. Like in the army! But it wasn’t me! My mother made my bed! She made it in the morning during breakfast, she made it in the afternoon if I took a nap, and sometimes she made it in the middle of the night. I would wake up. Too much water – gotta take a pee! Quietly down the hall and into the bathroom… [don’t watch!] Back to my room and what did I find? Someone had made my bed! My mother had sensed disorder in the house in her sleep and had to fix it!

Now I tried to be myself. I tried to be messy. Sometimes I would [pause to look around carfully] drop a dirty sock, but before it reached the ground it would VANISH. Only to reappear down the hall in the laundry bucket. My mother’s powers were amazing!

But people, this was NO LIFE for a messy person! I was stretched and twisted [stretch band] into the shape of a soldier in the army of neatness!
And that was my life, until… college! (the rubber band shoots into the distance)

College meant my own one room apartment. My rules! Now when I moved in I tried to live like a normal human being. I cleaned the floor, I put my clothes away in the closet. I even made my bed! First time! I went grocery shopping – orange juice in the fridge, a 5 pound bag of potatoes in the drawer in case I want to cook……

But very soon I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was my messy self, sensing he was finally free and it was time to party. He said “Dude, step aside, I’ve got this.” The snap back to messiness had begun, and To help you understand what my life looked like, come with me to back in time to my college life.

I’m walking on the street and run into my friend.
“hey man, what you doing today?
Yo man, I’m going biking! Biking?
I love biking. Lets go biking together. Wait right here, I will go up to my room and get my bike!”
So I run up the stairs (act out), through my door and ……….…. Where’s my bike? …………....

Ladies and Gentlemen, Do you know how messy a one room apartment needs to be in order to lose a bike in the room?

The unchained messy me had totally taken over. But I thought I was smart. Like at the end of the school year – time to pack. Hey – all my clothes are kept in one convenient pile on the floor! (act out) Packed all my clothes! 5 seconds! I’m a genius!

Now let’s pack the kitchen! [open same drawer] waaaaah… oh… my… goodness. did you know? That a 5 pound bag of potatoes can turn into the most AMAZING liquid! And create a smell that makes the stinkiest tofu seem like a lovely perfume!

My life had come a total environmental disaster! And I lived in that for four years of college.

Growing up in my mother’s perfect house had snapped back into total chaos!

And so, I would like to leave you today with a warning.

We all want to grow and change. We all want to be the best person we can be. But be aware of who you are. Accept and love who you are. Because if you stretch yourself out of shape and try to be someone you are not, you need to beware of the snap back!

Contest master.