“I tried to be normal once. Worst two minutes of my life.”
“Weird is a side-effect of awesome.”
The year was 1960-something. I was in first grade, and my teacher (who, by the way, had taught my aunts, uncles, and even my grand-father) taught by “old school” philosophies.
The assignment was to draw a face. While most students drew something resembling a normal human face, I remember I drew a huge head that took up the entire paper. It didn’t look like anyone else’s. It was a big, goofy balloon face. I loved my drawing! The teacher walked around, inspecting everyone’s work. When she arrived at my desk, she took one look at my balloon face, and do you know, she slapped me up the side of the head for not following directions.
Fortunately, times (and laws) have changed. And, fortunately, I had a family that supported my color-outside-the-lines way of looking at the world. I tell you this story because I want you to remember something: no one is going to slap you. Be yourself. Draw the big head. You be you.