I have a confession. Well, not sure if it is really a confession since most people that know me as an adult already know this about me, but I'm going to put it out there. Hoo, okay, here it goes. I am a NERD. Yes, you read that right, I am a Nerd.
I grew up on a farm in the country and went to a very small school. Now, like most kids in middle school, I tried my best to fit in. I didn't want to stick out or be unlike anyone else. I was afraid of being made fun of. I was afraid of what other people would think of me. High school proved to be more of the same. I was just scared to be different.
I remember some guys I went to school with and they were not afraid to be different. They were who they were and were proud of that. There was one guy who would occasionally wear a Star Trek uniform to school, even on a normal non-dress-up day. I remember hearing people make fun of him behind his back (I don't remember that I made fun of him. If I did, I blocked that out. For privacy reasons, I am not going to use his name, but if you are reading this, and I did make fun of you, please PLEASE please accept my biggest apologies...I was an idiot!). Why make fun of someone who was different? He was bold and courageous, but in reality, he was just being himself. I envied that.
Well now, let me fill you in on who I was in High School. I was an obsessively good student, I was an athlete, I was an Honor Student. I was involved in just about every club or activity I could be. I didn't party, I didn't drink, I didn't have sex. I enjoyed hanging out with my parents on Friday nights and watching Star Wars. Looking back, what does that make me? Yes, you guessed it, a nerd, different, diverse from most others; the one thing I did NOT want to be. I just didn't know how to accept that part of myself and own it.
It has taken me a long time to embrace my Inner-Nerd. You will notice that as an adult I consider myself a Nerd and not a nerd. I now know that being a Nerd is NOT a bad thing. It is someone that enjoys something with a passion that others might find odd. There are Star Wars Nerds (guilty), Star Trek Nerds (guilty), and Harry Potter Nerds (guilty). There are sports Nerds (guilty-football), craft Nerds (guilty-knitting), and book Nerds (guilty-all of them!).There are also education Nerds (SO NOT guilty!), but they have become most well known through shows like The Big Bang Theory Someone can be a Nerd about every single facet of life, no matter now little, big, mainstream, or obscure. And that is AWESOME! I really think if every single person on Earth were truly honest with themselves, they would admit that they are a Nerd about SOMETHING! Here is a link to a fantastic image of Wil Wheaton (for the non Star Trek Nerds, he played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation) talking about being a Nerd:
*I'm not sure where this originally came from. I went back as far from Pinterest as I could!
As an adult, well my Nerd-ness has grown and I am okay with that. I love Superhero movies. I get excited when any of the Jurassic Park movies are on. When I find a great new Paranormal Fiction author, I become giddy. I firmly believe that the original Star Wars are really the best and can not be improved upon, but that will not stop me one bit from going to see the new releases when they come out. I love to look up the little trivia facts that are at the bottom of IMDB to most movies and TV shows I watch. I PROUDLY tell people I am a Nerd and I embrace every second of it. And when my Nerd interests combine, like knitting while watching The Avengers, I almost combust!
Right about now, you might be asking yourself where in the world I am going with this blog post. I promise your Honor, I have a point, don't Sustain the Objection yet! I actually have 2 points!!
My first point is this: DO NOT JUDGE someone just because they may be different than you. And on the flip side of that, DO NOT BE AFRAID to be different just because someone may judge you. God made us all different. We all have different Stripes and Spots, and they are all beautiful. You are loved, you can be different and it is highly encouraged! Embrace your Nerd. Find him or her and love every single thing about that Nerd.
My second point? I am turning my kids into Nerds. I only hope and pray that I can teach them to be comfortable with themselves and love being a Nerd. It is an awesome thing and I absolutely adore that they are following Mommy's foot prints!
Today we played Star Wars in the back yard. We were complete with Pool Noodle Light Sabers and Water Gun Blasters. It was the most fun I have had in a LONG time. We laughed and laughed. That is a memory that I will carry for the rest of my life, and I hope my 2 littlest ones do too!
Blessings,
Theresa
Please no one be offended by the Title or this Video by Weird Al, it was just too funny to not post! Nerds come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and economic class! No Nerd discrimination here!
No comments:
Post a Comment