Hip to Be Square

I am taking my cue for today’s blog from my dear friend, Queen of Cool. Queen has reminded me time and time again that it is indeed “hip to be square”. (Thanks Huey Lewis.) She can say stuff like that because she is soooo cool.

Most of my life I have kinda felt as if I was something of an oddball. I am assured by those that profess to love me that I am just unique, but I think that’s code for weird.

Let me explain. Have you ever been sitting at a table surrounded by let’s say, local citizens and even friends and been midway through what you think it a fascinating story about your most recent mishap and suddenly realized that they are staring at you as if you are talking in tongues? Ever mention just hearing a nostalgic song on the radio and no one has any idea what you are talking about?

If you haven’t had any of these experiences, imagine being completely foreign to most of the people in your life. Pretend that you were adopted by an aboriginal family that has nothing in common with you and trying to explain the Internet to them by using a stick to draw in the dirt. That’s my life on a daily basis.

Maybe that’s what drew me to blogging, it improved my odds for finding someone that actually “got me” or remotely knew what I was talking about or at least had an appreciation for it.

I think what frustrates me is that I don’t necessarily expect people to shake their heads in concurrence, but I do think it’s important to have a healthy appreciation for the fact that people are different. And you know what, that makes life cool and interesting.

For instance, one person I know can’t even contain her disdain for something outside of her little box. I will be relating a story, or a piece of knowledge, or just a joke and she will crinkle her nose in distaste, not because it’s vulgar or even alarming. She just can’t grasp that someone doesn’t look, feel, live or even walk the way she thinks is acceptable. I sometimes catch myself trying to get her to do “the crinkle.” Any time I see a movie that isn’t “mainstream”, she does the crinkle in disgust. It’s not like I saw a porno flick, lady, it was “Sideways”. Get past your Vin Diesel flick fetish. If you really want to get her to crinkle, mention watching a television show that features a gay character. Oh, grow up.

OK, I am getting away from my point here. What can you do to help someone see outside their little world. No one said she has to see the movie, watch the television show or even understand where you are coming from, she just has to appreciate that you aren’t her, and therefore you see things in a different light.

I find myself continually fascinated by someone unlike me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great feeling to find someone that’s into the same things you are, it’s somehow validating. I just love people not like me. I don’t wanna hang out with my clone. I want to be around people that make me stretch my boundaries and introduce me to something outside of what I already know.

Quit crinkling.