Posted on January 2, 2022

"My sister said, ‘I don’t think you realize just how weird you are—but,’ she added hastily, ‘in a good way'."

—Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

I often think about this and I believe that phrase summarizes it quite nicely, with such a casual, but at the same time affective, manner. I usually feel like the odd one out—the one that doesn’t get a hot chocolate at a Christmas market because I know it won’t give me as much joy as my mom’s; the one that can easily stay quiet for hours at a gathering because I rather talk about ideas, about concepts, than about people—; however, that’s been something I’ve learned to embrace rather than run away from.

With time, I have realized that just because something seems to be the status quo, the modus operandi for the majority of people, it doesn’t mean that has to be right for me, and that’s okay. I’ve learned that I can decide to follow my desires, those things that, even if they are not usual, are the ones that will make me happy and will help me grow. Nonetheless, there is a constant trade-off between choosing what’s best for you, and going against the flow of the people around you that you care the most. I’ve been really lucky that I am surrounded by people that have learned to understand my odd behaviors and choices, even to the point of appreciating my sincerity with its touch of awkwardness.

I believe we are all different. We all are these accumulation of thoughts, ideas, likes, dislikes, and preferences. The thing is that not everyone is comfortable with the process of introspection necessary to realize what one really wants. It’s easier to not fight the current and let yourself go in the river of general preferences dictated by one’s own herd. It’s in stepping out of that comfort zone, however, that I’ve found real peace of mind and the happiness it entails. We all are different, and those differences are what other people describe as weird—but in a good way.