My daughter was asked the other day what her favorite color was. Her response? “My favorite color is rainbow.” She said it just how anyone might say blue or purple or pink. Without a thought, without hesitation, and without any special inflection. It, of course, took the person asking quite by surprise. She, of course, took note and tried to correct herself. We made sure she knew she didn’t need correction. It is absolutely ok to be delightfully different, and your favorite color can certainly be rainbow!
My son will tell you about his raptor DNA while running about the apartment with arms drawn in towards his body, you know, like a raptor. He will fill you in on more details than you could imagine regarding sharks, Minecraft, and, well, raptors. And he will repeatedly exclaim “train” the entire time we see one passing by. We live in a city that would not exist were it not for the Pacific Railroad. It happens often. I soak in the moments of his pure excitement, I encourage him to love what he loves, and know that we love him because he is delightfully different!
My husband completely lacks a filter. He says outrageous things hoping to invoke a laugh. Many people don’t get it. I’m so lucky that I do. Filters aren’t really my thing, either. It takes a lot to be out in public and behave appropriately. It requires a lot of silence and missed opportunity in conversations, because I cannot speak as quickly as my mind comes up with things, it does not typically go well if I do. Unless, of course, I am in the company of others who are also delightfully different.
My online friend, who I have grown close to over the past year or so, became very upset when I told him that my children, my family, and I don’t fit into society’s “box.” I tried to explain to him, as I am trying to say here, that although that creates a challenge for us, it no longer upsets me. I don’t see this as a bad thing. We are beautifully unique, and the world in which we live simply needs to catch up.
Obey the laws and rules of society, keep your head held high and keep striving, but please never stop being delightfully different.
The Happy Typist 