“Weird, but in a good way.”
I think it was my friend Jill who first coined this phrase to describe me. It was the first year in which we met while going to school in Saskatoon. That was over ten years ago. I’ve since tried to live up to that. No wait! I just typed that sentence and realized it is a total lie. I’ve never tried to live up to that, I’ve just continued to be me. Do I live up to it? That’s for someone else to decide. It’s simply another person’s observation of me. But I think I know what it describes, deducting from what I’ve been told by friends who say it.
I like things. I like ideas. But moreover, I like new. And I like different. So if it’s a new and different thing or idea, I like it. And different sometime equates to weird. Sometimes these things are something I might wear. Sometimes these ideas are the way I might think. Things I own, things I do, things I say, might be weird to someone else. OK, I can understand that.
Onto the second half of the sentence, why is it in a good way? Again, it’s subjective (do I use a lot of apostrophes or what? that’s just weird :-). But from what I am told, it’s because it can be appreciated or at least understood. People look at the “weird” and can easily understand why I like it, or even like it themselves. They say “That’s so you.” I guess they can see where I’m coming from, what I’m thinking. And I’ve created a sort of communication with them. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m the king of cool, this isn’t me blowing my own horn. A lot of people just call me “freak” and shake their heads (my black kilt being a perfect example).
But most people get it. I show them some weird new thing I’ve made, bought or discovered and they say, “I can see why you like that.” Some even like the same things I do, which is fun. Or even better is when they give me a gift that reminded them of me and my “weird”. That is of the highest honor that a friend could bestow upon me. The most memorable being when my Mother gave me a Gumby and said “I bought this for you cause it’s bent and twisted like you.” I guess the leaf doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Smile.
