Thread by @imaracingmom

Threads seems to be my new "thing".

Today's thread is about threading the normal needle.

Throughout my life, I've worked really hard to try to be what I think people feel is normal.

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I've been called many things during my life.

Some are very positive. Kind, funny, smart, empathetic, enthusiastic, compassionate, eloquent, inquisitive, and giving.

Some were hurtful. Fat, quirky, weird, odd, stupid, ugly, impulsive, rude, stubborn, addict, and strange.

I'm a hardcore people watcher. I just never realized how much I observe others to learn how I should act, react, be, talk, move, interact, and fit in. I didn't realize that people watching is a way to teach myself how to be less quirky (more "normal").

Some of the beatings I got as a kid was my Dad's way of getting me to be less quirky. To fit in, to be less embarrassing. As I reflect on all of this, it strikes me how many of us beat ourselves everyday. How much we criticize our selves and tune into the criticism of others.

I'm known for my love of the dancing robots videos. They are entertaining and are a technological marvel. But in the end, they are programmed. They can only do what others tell them to do. There is a limit to their uniqueness.

When we try to eliminate our quirks to conform to someone else's definition of normal, we are removing our human side and letting ourselves be programmed by others, just like those robots are programmed.

As a society we should criticize others less and compliment them more. Find a strength in someone and talk about that. It is our individualism, our uniqueness, and our amazing quirks that make each of us standout and contribute to the variety that makes life interesting.

Go ahead talk, sing, dance, build, run, paint, stim, laugh loudly, crack jokes, cry, smile, bake, create, write, twirl, read, think deeply, dive right in, stick to your guns, find your roots, enjoy others, spend time alone... just do you. I love you just the way you are.