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Oh, what a weirdo: Hated word becomes welcomed description

The older I get, the less it bothers me to be called a weirdo, because, well, I am a weirdo.

Weirdo was an insult that cut me to the quick in my youth. Like so many other young people, I longed to fit in and be an integral part of things, be it a circle of friends or in a classroom setting. But somehow, I didn’t fit in.

Weirdo: That word seemed to haunt me for years.

Don’t get me wrong: there have always been wonderful friends in my life. My family has been a rock of support. Yet, something made me feel like an outsider to the conventional circles of “belonging” to the “popular” crowd.

Maybe that on-the-outside-looking-in feeling was self-induced on some level, but there have been enough people who were mean or cruel or condescending whose words stuck with me as life has progressed.

Why is it easier to believe the naysayer over the person who offers praise? Fifty people can tell you you’re all right, but it’s that one who says you’re terrible whose voice resonates in your mind.

“What a weirdo” was an insult I hoped to avoid in my younger years.

Now, it’s awesome to be branded as unique or even better, not to be branded at all. There’s freedom in not caring what others think and not reacting when someone tries to bring you down.

If you want to call me a weirdo now, fine by me. Maybe my tastes aren’t conventional and my interests are unusual. Perhaps my preferences don’t match the mainstream.

Whatever. The scornful opinions of others are theirs to consider, not mine.

So let me, in this space, claim just a couple of things that I do that people have told me is “weird”: my idea of a wonderful evening is listening to live music while sipping on an ice cold glass of water.

Never in my life have I watched an episode of “The Walking Dead” or “House of Cards” or “Dexter.” They probably are fabulous television shows but of no interest to me. My ideal viewing evening would be a Green Bay Packers game followed by a Detroit Red Wings game with a few episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress” as follow-up.

Any movie with an animal as a main character in it will be avoided. My anxiety level soars when a movie puts an animal in jeopardy. And honestly, movies filled with death and destruction aren’t on my “must see” list any longer. Give me something that will make me laugh.

But in real life, I don’t want to be “entertained” at the expense of others. Pranks make me cringe. Sure, I laugh at myself all the time. Heaven knows goofiness is one of my major qualities. But I don’t need others to be belittled or frightened to find something to chuckle about.

If that makes me a weirdo, that’s more than OK by me. Just wish I had learned to be comfortable in my own skin at a younger age as I wasted too much of my life trying to fit in rather than just being true to myself.

Weirdos of the world, be yourselves!

Renee Prusi can be contacted at 906-228-2500, ext. 240.

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