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| Sometimes the world is a lonely place. © Lloyd Lemons |
Thinking back to our school days (and this could include junior high through college), we enjoyed fun times, fretted through stressful days, and survived episodes we’d like to forget. Students earned reputations as the cool kids, the groupies, the brainiacs, the stoners, the loners, and others.
Did you have a label? In school, I didn’t fit in. Anywhere. I was quiet but friendly. I was often accused of not smiling enough. Today, we would call that the "Resting Bitch Face." Other students seemed to like me, but I never had a best friend or a steady girlfriend. And, I was athletic but never played on the school team -- much to the chagrin of the coaches. Did that make me weird? I don't think so. I never felt that vibe, but then, I was mostly unconcerned about things such as popularity.
Did you have a label? In school, I didn’t fit in. Anywhere. I was quiet but friendly. I was often accused of not smiling enough. Today, we would call that the "Resting Bitch Face." Other students seemed to like me, but I never had a best friend or a steady girlfriend. And, I was athletic but never played on the school team -- much to the chagrin of the coaches. Did that make me weird? I don't think so. I never felt that vibe, but then, I was mostly unconcerned about things such as popularity.
Here's something to think about. As a student body member, how did you mesh with your peers? Did you blend in? We're you an outlier? Or, were you a square peg trying to fit into a round hole?
And how did that influence your life today?
I think it's important to teach our young people that square pegs turn out to be some of the happiest, smartest, nicest people around. Superficial popularity is overrated.
Today, I am what I am. I’ve been married for 47 years to my best friend, Diane. We have a great family, real friends and I’m happy with that.