The Daily Maybe #16: Embrace Your Goddamn Weird.
You may have noted the lack of witty subtitle in today’s post.
That’s because the title almost entirely speaks for itself, dear Reader.
…I’mma still write some stuff though.
Hello and welcome to The Daily Maybe! Now, I don’t know if you remember, but a recurring theme in this blog series is that of me not knowing what the hell my central theme is. I write on anything and everything; but is that too broad?
In short, yes. Though I’m not restricted by anything in terms of what to write, I often find it difficult to come up with a topic I actually give a damn about. Sometimes I slip into that bad urge of only wanting to write about the hottest trending topic, but then realise I have nothing new to add to the conversation (see: Kanye and slavery). Other times, I see something I really want to write about, but lack the drive to actually do so, because it would require some amount of research (see: Childish Gambino’s This Is America).
I understand that’s a bad reason for not writing. Life requires effort, and fate favours endeavours. I acknowledge that, and am working on it.
Still, I hate research. Especially if I have to do it every day.
I just want to express my opinions on stuff and get reads. Is that too much to ask?
All that said, I think I’ve figured out what’s A) fun to write about, and B) writable (that is a strange-looking word) with little to no research. It’s also really fitting with the nature of a daily blog, and fits with my writing roots of storytelling. Ready?
Welcome to The Daily Maybe, where I share the lessons I’ve learned, am learning, and will learn from my life as it goes on.
“oH wOw, YoU’rE wRiTiNg A sElF hElP bLoG! hOw OrIgInAl!” I hear some of you say.
To that, I have but one response:
I’m kidding, you’re not a cow for assuming this was suddenly a self-help blog. But still, you’re missing the point. I’m not writing with the explicit intention of teaching people how to live their best lives — I’m still figuring that out for myself.
No, I’m writing about my stories and the lessons I see in them for one purpose: to improve my writing. Writing about my life is the easiest thing in the world for me (ah, the benefits of mild vanity). The goal of The Daily Maybe is to get me more consistent, and thus better, with my writing. With a defined direction now, I feel I can actually do that.
Alright, that’s the big update on the blog. Now to the actual story.
“Embrace Your Goddamn Weird.” That sounds pretty generic, right? Everyone’s telling each other to be themselves nowadays, and we’re all living in a big flower party of love and acceptance of each others’ individual quirks and habits.
Or, we think we are. Truth be told, for every person preaching “live your best life queen,” there is an equal and opposite asshat judging people for existing as they wish. People just can’t let others act in their own, perfectly fine ways without calling each other out for being “weird” by somebody’s definition.
It kinda sucks.
This negativity can be overcome, however. I know because I myself have done so, dear Reader. I’ve actually done it more than once, but today I’m only going to focus on one example, to show you how easy it can be.
See, ever since I was a child in prep school, I’ve enjoyed talking to my teachers. Like, actually talking to them. I enjoyed their helpful insights into whatever work we were doing, the funny stories they had about their own lives, and the validation they bestowed upon me for getting things right.
Put simply, some of my teachers were also my friends. This didn’t sit well with my classmates, however. Even those I called “friend” judged me for being so chummy with my teachers. They accused me of sucking up, of being a loner, of being flat out weird.
“Weird.”
I hate that word.
All it really means is “different,” but with negative connotations to boot. I use it all the time for things that actually deserve such a label, but too often do I hear it used on people; to tear people down.
“He’s really weird.”
“She does that kinda weird.”
F*#! your “weird”.
Being a kid at the time, I took all these proclamations of my weirdness to heart. I was upset. I felt odd, wrong somehow. I thought that by being as friendly as I was, I was destined to forever be a mockery of what someone like me should be. I felt the need to change who I was.
That mindset is horrible. I wasn’t in the wrong for talking to and socialising with my elders, and I shouldn’t have been made to feel as if I was in the first place. I enjoyed talking to my teachers, and stand by that. Hell, I still enjoy talking to certain profs and TAs at university; they’re genuinely interesting people.
So, a few years later, when my social habits were again called into question — this time for befriending and becoming close with people in older and younger year groups at school — I ignored the noise. I ignored the name-calling, the mean jokes, the declarations of “you’re so weird.”
I carried on as I was. I learned to socialise with people of different ages, backgrounds, and interests. All the while, I was labeled the odd one out amongst my own year group. And you know what?
I’m better off for it.
Seriously. Now, I’m not going to list all the ways I’m a somewhat interesting person now; that’s not the point. The point is, I saw nothing wrong with how I was — who I was — from the start, yet got shamed into changing my ways. After trying to stick to my guns, however, I ended up growing so much as a person; I’m now someone confident enough to tell a personal story to a bunch of random people online.
And that’s my story.
The moral of it all? Once you understand what makes you you, don’t let anyone say that you’re wrong, dear Reader. People are always going to disagree with you, and maybe even shame you for being who you are. Do your best to not let them.
Understand yourself. Express yourself. Appreciate yourself.
Embrace your goddamn “weird.”
🍉 So I’ve been procrastinating lately.
I missed three days in a row again, and I apologise. Now that I have an actual theme to the blog, I’m hoping (and will make every effort to ensure) that this doesn’t happen again. I have faith in myself this time around, though.
See, today I started following my personal schedule for my “summer glo-up.” Generic, I know, but it’s about time I committed to some self-improvement; I look forward to bringing you along with me on this journey, dear Reader.
I hope you enjoyed the new direction. It actually comes at a really good time; not only was I considering a focus on storytelling from today on, but I also stumbled upon this earlier…
…which actually supports doing exactly what I’m trying to!
Oh, also, my second round of trial classes for the teaching job are tomorrow! I’m excited, and ready to (hopefully) get hired after this round.
Finally, I’m starting one more new thing.
No obligation, just an option for those who enjoy The Daily Maybe to show some extra appreciation; I’m not going to keep shoving this in your face like Wikipedia.
I’m off to cut the bloody grass (have I mentioned I hate gardening?).
Till next we meet,
Sarim
