Weird is Wonderful

Conformity is the enemy of individuality.

We know this, right? We don’t set out to be conformists. And yet… the best is the best. And we want this, don’t we?

The best abs class, the best organic chicken, the best topsoil, the best teachers, the best dog sitter. Triple when it comes to our children. Mediocre? Uh, no. Passable? Um, please.

And yet who the hell knows what kind of chicken fajita is being cooked at the Mexican restaurant we love. And the UNRATED gym class sub ends up being better than the regular. And wouldn’t you rather have a dog lover than a dog sitter?

Everything is rated. We read product reviews, customer comments, check with friends, FB, user groups, really anything we can get our hands on. We hunt and gather, dig and dig, hem and haw and after great effort, attempt to arrive at the best.

But, is the best really the best?

Why are we so obsessed with this as a culture?

Why am I? As a family we let our freak flags fly high. We are not embarrassed about being lovers of poetry, creative writing addicts, musical instrument-driven, spirit-communicating, nature pilgrims.

Yet, I have spent over twenty grueling hours constructing various summer camp program scenarios, continually unsure if I have arrived at the best scenario. Are we getting the most for our money? Will the counselors care or just get through it?

Will the boys feel inspired but relaxed, be learning a lot but not stressed out, developing serious skills but in a light-hearted kind of way– you know happily challenged? Am I coming up with THE BEST possible scenario.

It’s not your typical, measurable, conformist best. More of an idiosyncratic, hand-picked best. But still.

I turn myself over like some crazy lucky eight ball looking for answers.

What do I get? Please try again later or Answer unclear.

So, I split into a five-headed parental Hindu goddess and re-evaluate according to Quality, Value, Happiness, Balance and Experience.

I am a Gemini, but seriously.

It has gotten out of hand.

Just to be clear, I STILL haven’t decided but I’m getting dangerously close. Exhaustion, irritation and fear of everything booking are good incentives.

The only reason my best, the best and our best matters at all, is because there are deeply valuable souls attached to our decisions. The outcome counts. The experience is important. We have the opportunity to create magical summers.

We have the righteous responsibility of instilling integrity in their individuality, confidence in their instinctual inclinations, and independence based on inner resilience. These qualities are born one small decision at a time.

And yet, they can be dismissed in a single comment.

Our son Finn is one of the strongest, most resilient and original boys I have ever known but a kid told him on the playground the other day that he was weird.

It stuck.

He hung his head and dejectedly asked me if this was true. Leo, who was sitting next to him, chimed in. It means you are not one of the boring normal people trying to be like everyone else. He put his arm around Finn and then me.

We are all weird, he said. Weird is wonderful.