I believe in soggy cereal, matching outfits and the power of laughter. I believe that my eccentricities make me who I am.
Every single person has something, or more than one thing about them that is unique. If all people were the same, life would be dull. The individual quirks of each person are what make this world a dynamic place to live in. I have a strong faith in the power of the self. I would never want to be like anybody else. The special things about my character have shaped who I am as a person and the different relationships I have. If I do not ask the volume to be set on a multiple of five or if I ever actually sit through a story involving a gruesome injury without squirming, my friends would worry. My silly idiosyncrasies are part of what they like about me.
I believe in compulsively deleting emails and talking really fast when nervous. I am a country music junkie and service work is my life. I believe in procrastinating until the last possible minute and that a good hug can make any day better. The best part of uniqueness comes when you embrace it. If a person cannot accept their innate qualities, they can never be fully comfortable with themselves. I have come to terms with mine. What others see as weird, I am completely content with. My oddities are as much a part of me as my limbs are. Without them, I would not feel whole.
When I was younger, I went through an awkward phase-braces, glasses, and freckles. To me, this equaled disaster and as a result, I was very self-conscious. I did not want anyone knowing that I could make a very realistic, pigeon sounding noise, that I could read books on mythology for hours or that I affectionately call my mother “Muzzy”. At that point, I believed I had to change my self to fit into people’s perceptions. I spent quite awhile feeling lost and disconnected. I knew I was not being true to myself. Once I learned that I could be myself and people would still like me, I experienced an emotional about face. I was finally happy with myself and my relationships. All it took was some honesty, and eating a bowl of oatmeal with sprinkles on top in front of my friends. If they could handle watching me consume that combination, then they could handle me.