Quirky is the New Normal

I just love learning new things, and I so enjoyed reading this article about the first person to receive an autism diagnosis, and how his life is actually rather enviable. Which makes me smile. I thought it was pretty neat that the folks this man hangs out with on a daily basis care about and accept him, quirks and all. It really got me thinking about what makes us like people. Maybe good "social skills" isn't the only thing involved in making friends. Maybe there's a bit of quirkiness that lets others know we're being real, being ourselves. And that inspires friendship.

In middle school one summer, I got really into reading biographies. My grandma liked reading them, too, and so I borrowed several from her collection. I read such hits as the biographies of Vanna White, Katharine Hepburn, & Princess Diana. You might think these could be boring, but I actually really enjoyed them! I loved learning that Katharine Hepburn swam in a cold river each day for exercise even as a little old lady, and that because her father was a urologist, she always recommended that everyone empty their bladder immediately when they visited her house. Those little quirks are so endearing.

I'm currently reading the biography of Flannery O'Conner. Talk about quirky! As a child, she used to spend her free time sewing little outfits for her pet chickens. And as a high schooler in a home ec class, she didn't want to make an outfit for herself, so she made a tiny chicken outfit, and she got an A on the project! I also really love reading that she wasn't a very good student and was a terrible speller in school...yet her calling was to write.

I think there's something about learning the subtleties and quirks of other peoples' lives that makes us feel more connected to the world. On those days when my hair is feeling frizzy and I'm sort of awkward in a conversation with someone, it's comforting to remember that Vanna White once got locked out of her house while she was sunbathing nude (you know, to avoid tan lines), and had to wait for someone to come home and rescue her from her back yard. Sorta makes my awkward moments in conversation or frizzy hair days seem trivial. The thing is, it's those quirky moments that make me enjoy these characters. If their biographies had been all about their perfect lives and amazing accomplishments, I probably wouldn't have made it through the whole books. Their characters wouldn't have been all that interesting to me. Which makes me remember that it's ok for me to make mistakes, too, and to be goofy and strange sometimes. It might even be a little endearing!

So now I'm off to revel in my quirkiness. Or really, just to sleep. But maybe tomorrow I'll revel a bit.



What quirks do you think your friends love about you?

Let Yourself Be Yourself

I have recently realized that I'm kind of strange. I'm not your average 31 year old.

For instance, I love to watch Mystery Diagnosis. It's my favorite show. That's just weird.

And I love country music and Christian pop. This really embarrasses my husband, who only listens to bands that no one else has yet discovered.

Also, when I'm at a party, I gravitate to the kiddie table. I'm just more comfortable with kids than with adults. Kids are more fun and more honest, and really, less work than making small talk.

But I somehow don't think that's normal.

And I'm okay with that. It makes me happy to just be myself. Not to worry about who thinks my favorite TV shows are strange, or that my Christian pop CDs are cheesy, or that it's odd I'd rather hang out with preschoolers than grown ups. When I turned 30, one of my friends told me, "Thirty means not having to explain yourself."

I like that. These days I'm just letting myself be myself.



By the way, I had my new speech kiddos at my new school create self-portraits, and I thought this would be a good post for showing them off. I just love how each one sort of shows a bit of each child's personality. (And just so you know, the scary Spock looking kiddo is actually a very non scary sweetheart...too funny!)














What have you embraced about your strange self lately?

Embarrassing but True

I’m trying to keep my happiness commandment to “Be Authentic,” and it’s tougher than I had first thought.

Turns out if I’m honest with myself, I’m not half as cool as I’d like to be. The real me is kinda dorky.

For instance,

I love to walk around Target and just look at things, as, like, a pastime. Who, besides me, does that for fun? I wish I loved jogging or kickboxing or knitting. You know, real hobbies. But I like to look at stuff. It reminds me of when I was young and would buy Vogue magazine just to flip through it for hours on end. I like to see the newest stuff people are selling. Strange, I know.

I love poppy country music. (You know, Taylor Swift, the Chicken Fried guy, that one about how “It won’t be like this for long”). I have even been brought to tears by songs like, “You’re Gonna Miss This”. Yes, I’m old now and have gotten sentimental. I even like Christian music. I've tried really hard to be modern and really get into the instrumental math rock bands my hubby listens to, but, alas, I am just not that cool.

I love reading books about disorders and their treatment in my spare time. I’m especially interested in autism, OCD, and attachment disorders. I also like to read child development books and books in Spanish. And sometimes child development books in Spanish. For fun. Sigh.

I don't like to be negative. I'd much rather say something nice about someone than gossip. This has really limited the number of people who want to be my friend, because a lot of people seem to bond over sharing the same contempt for someone or something. You know, those girls who just want to go out and complain about their husbands all night? or those coworkers who just want to hang out and bad-talk the boss all evening? At one job, I actually had a coworker tell me (in a half-joking way) that she just couldn't talk to me because I'd never complain about anything. I hate to be seen as a Pollyanna, but I guess if I'm honest with myself, maybe I am.

When no one else is home, I love to watch Mystery Diagnosis. Soooo interesting! I recently forced Robi to watch it with me, and he pretended to enjoy it, which I really appreciated! I wish I liked normal shows that I could talk about at work the next day, like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars or, um, that big football game that's on right now. But I just don't. And if I try to bring up Mystery Diagnosis with coworkers, it really doesn't boost my street cred.

Yup. Embarrassing.

But true.

But I think it's progress to be figuring out what I'm really like, and what it means to be authentically me. I may not like what the rest of the world likes, but, hey, that's just me.

You know, the nerdy redhead walking aimlessly through Target with a buggy full of Taylor Swift CDs.



When did you realize that you might never actually be cool?