Any aspect of your being can make you unique if it’s unusual. Have a name like Renesmee and you’d be pretty unique even if you didn’t have vampires for parents. If you did something in an unconventional way, you’d stand out, too.
I think we’re all pretty unique without making the effort. We’re alike in that we belong to the same species, but numerous factors, including our creation (fingerprints, iris patterns, ear shapes, etc.), dictate that we all be distinct from each other.
When I was younger, I craved uniqueness. I shuddered at the idea of being just like other teens, which is a Catch-22 of sorts. The very fact that I wanted to be different made me just like many other teenagers. Still, I was all about individuality, something that my Dad said was opposite of what the Bible taught.
He said that I should strive to be as Christ-like as possible (to live is Christ, right?), that when people looked at me, they should see Christ instead of Ivy. That didn’t really go down well with the rebel that was my young self. It only took decades for me to finally agree.
These days, I no longer worry about being unique. I know I am, and not only in the way that we’re all predisposed to be. I happen to accept that my choices have gone against the grain, that I’m considered to be kind of an oddball, and that there was nothing else to do but be a happy freak. š
The comfort, actually, in being any brand of “weirdo” is that you’re sure to have company. There’s probably a Facebook group for whatever quirk you have or atypical situation you’re in. It’s just a matter of finding your people, the other members of the race that knows Joseph. (And, for that matter, I’ve been throwing out that line there ad nauseam, and I have yet to hook an Anne of Green Gables fan. Where are my kindred at?)
Honestly, I think it’s more important to get to know yourself and make peace with who you are. From this place of acceptance and appreciation, you can set out to live an authentic (why do I cringe with the use of this word now?) life, putting your own twist on things so that every day is more special and delightful for you.
Let me share how I’ve been doing things with my own flair to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
- I’m stuck doing ’90s makeup and fashion, and I’m okay with it. We used to giggle at my old piano teacher, who used to do her makeup like it was still the ’70s (it was the ’90s), and we still liked her. She was a character for sure, but she was clearly happy with her choices.
- I habitually pray for my family members, of course, but I also instinctively pray for whoever may be involved when I encounter an ambulance or a fire engine. I pray for animals that need help (I come across a lot of related posts, thanks to my Facebook groups and Instagram algorithm). I pray for the families of other special needs parents, who are venting about the incredibly difficult challenges they are facing.
- When facing an enormous task, I play one of my hype playlists to motivate and invigorate myself. I started with a BTS hype playlist, but have added new ones since.
- I consciously give thanks for the seemingly mundane things that please me, but I tend to take for granted. A colorful sky at sunset, caterpillars chomping away in my garden, the presence of a bee, my kids being rowdy, my plants budding or fruiting, etc.
- I talk to everything – even inanimate objects. I especially like carrying on conversations with my cats, and I make sure to compliment my plants every day. It has always been my inclination to talk to things. For instance, if I stumble on a rock, I’m inclined to say something like, “Trip me, why don’t you?” Or if something is freshened up with a cleaning or a coat of paint, I’d probably say, “Aren’t we looking spiffy?”
- I DIY like crazy. If something isn’t accessible to me, I can just try to fashion something similar on my own. If something is intriguing, I’ll come up with a makeshift version just to sate my curiosity. If something is too expensive, I’m the obnoxious person going, “Pshaw! I can make that myself for much cheaper!”
- I provide background music for myself. I think of what I’m doing or the vibe I’m caught in and try to match it with a fitting song. Actually, I do this for pretty much anything that catches my attention as something that deserves its background music. For instance, when my toms were neutered, I kept on singing, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” to them. They weren’t amused. Last night, I was marveling at how grown my children were getting, which made me feel old, of course. So, I searched “Landslide” on Spotify.
- The grown-ups in my family speak a vernacular derived from my children’s cute toddler-speak. We tend to say, “This is gusting!” instead of “Disgusting!” because my eldest child thought that’s how it was said. Same for “delivery.” We call it just “livery” because she thought we were saying “the livery.”
- I pretend to be the sleuth of a cozy mystery. My days are peppered with Nancy Drew-like titles. Yesterday, my mom and I couldn’t figure out what kind of mango tree grew at my husband’s garage. I, of course, announced it as “The Case of the Unidentifiable Mango Breed.” I also frequently find hairballs in my home, so it’s a perpetual case of “The Mysterious Unclaimed Hairball” since none of our clowder will own up to the grossness.
These are just some of the ways I like putting my own twist on my days. Do you also add your own spin on things? I’d love to hear about it.
This Small Life 