By Kristin Otts, special to Mountain Valley News
Different.
That is such a loaded word, isn’t it? “Different” is the word that someone uses when they’re chewing over a food that they’ve never tasted before. We deem a hideous dress “different” so that our friend won’t be upset. And most often, we use the word “different” to describe people.
When I was younger, I was definitely classified as “different.” Mostly by my mother, who felt it was more neutral than “weird” or “quirky.” I was obsessed with the science of stars and birds and fairies; I talked to myself more than I spoke with kids my own age; and I firmly believed that I could communicate with animals up until I was about fourteen. My friends were mostly fictional and my reality resided in the books I read.
Yeah. Different.
As I got older I learned about the real world, and I found that it was just as interesting as the fictional realms I visited. I learned a little about Socializing and Making Friends and Hanging Out With My Family Because They’re Kind of Important. I learned about this stigma called “different,” and I decided to try for “normal.”
Guess what?
It didn’t work.
Because no matter how much I socialized, I could still perfectly mimic the call of the western meadowlark. I still loved bookstores more than high school parties. And I will always, always prefer Disney movies to the latest chick flick that’s blowing up the box office.
In short, I am still not normal.
But the beautiful truth of the matter is this: neither are you.
We are all different. I can whistle like a meadowlark, but maybe you can recite the Declaration of Independence in Japanese; or perhaps you excel at building model airplanes. Somewhere in your soul, there is something just a little bit....quirky.
Normality isn’t just overrated; it doesn’t exist. We’re all weirdoes and freaks and nerds. We’re all different.
