I was recently asked by a young man how I lived life as a "man from mars". That was a phrase the he had heard at work to describe me. (I take no offense at their characterization of me.) I have often said I look at life from a slightly off center view point and I make no apologies about it. He is a very interesting person and has a lot views on things that differ greatly from his age group, which at times has caused him problems. I told him it took me decades to come to terms with who I am. I told him how I struggled to be "normal" without even having any idea of what normal might be. I changed my personality to please whomever I might be around. Life was a constant struggle to get others to "like" me. Then I read a book titled "Slow Walk in a Sad Rain" by John P. MacAfee. The book is about a group of men serving in Vietnam and as a Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran it touched a chord with me. One thing that really stood out for me though was a description of a sign that the soldiers had posted that read "Normal ain't nothing but a cycle on a washing machine." It's true and I have held to that idea ever since. I explained to my young friend that normal is what makes him happy, that normal is who he is, not who others think he should be. I told him that if someone calls you weird, say "Thank you for noticing!". I told him to own his indivuality, that being one of a kind is a fantastic way to walk through life. Not cherishing indivuality is my biggest gripe with many religions. They don't accept people as they find them. Instead, the insist that we become "normal' by their standards if we want to be part of their religion. They don't understand that they lose many interesting, valuable people with those standards. Be yourself. It's the best way to be.
