Every time I write that word, I have to look at it a few times. I try to recall the rule that my Elementary English teacher gave me about “i” and “e” and then I am quickly distracted by how much I loathed my English teachers. Then, I remember all the altercations that ended up with me in the Principal’s office and my mom on the phone. That makes me think of Mrs. Edwards: the first English teacher I liked. Why did I like her? Because she, too was weird (or is it wierd? anyhoo…)
Mrs. Edwards stood out. She was the first English teacher that tried to understand me and she was the first one that admitted she liked Math. That was just the connection I needed to give this lady a chance. She knew me too well and could see through the fact that I never read the assigned books. I just tried to find the movie, Cliff’s Notes or talk to the dorky chick in the corner that obviously read the whole thing cover to cover. So, for her, I read my first book all the way. I hate to admit it was Ethan Frome: a 195-page book about nothing. But, I read it for her and for me and I think I even passed the test and book report. That year helped me realize that I wasn’t just that guy that loved Math, Science and fart jokes. I found out I also really loved photography, art and architecture. I even painted a piece of wood with a fish for Mrs. Edwards as a gift for making me enjoy being weird (she loved fishing). Now, I even love reading long fiction books. They just have to be about spies, ninjas or conspiracy.
When I started my Co-Op job at Scientific Atlanta, I wondered how I would fit in. What would a 19-year-old have in common with a bunch of old, coffee drinking geeks? Thankfully, a lot. I found out that there was much more to them than Star Trek and vi. A few of us started a racquetball tournament ladder. Others wanted to get in early on Thursdays for Bible study. I got on the company softball team and played in the intramural volleyball. These personal connections made me love to come to work. Even though I was weird, I found out that there were more weird people out there.
One of my good friends is a campus minister. He always makes fun of me saying that I’m one of the only computer nerds he knows that has a personality. I take that as a compliment and a challenge. The challenge is to see people for who they are and try to find common ground. Embrace what makes you weird and see if your weird gives you a connection with someone else’s weird. Even if they represent the dark side of the force (like English teachers), they might just make you a better person.
So, what does this have to do with Fred Squared? Everything. Life is about people. We want to connect with people that want to make a difference. Sure, we want to pay our bills, but more than anything, we want to see the human spirit achieve great things. What makes you weird? What do you dream about?
Tags: English, Randy Arrowood, Weird
