Throughout my life I have been seen as the “weird kid”. As a child, when I attempted to fit in with various groups of kids, I remember being called weird, and I usually responded with thank you. I can actually remember thanking one of the kids in fourth grade that said it to me, and they were surprised.

The truth was that I really didn’t care that I was different. I always expressed myself and behaved according to my own beliefs. As a popular saying goes, “I marched to the beat of my own drum”. Sure, I might’ve always been socially awkward and not as stylish as the next kid, but I always knew that I was Katie.

Around my friends I always tried to get them to smile, laugh, and feel happy when they were around me. I always knew that life couldn’t be taken too seriously and I tried to live up to that. I did, admittedly, become quieter and more intense in my day to day life as I grew older, but I always tried to loosen up around my family and friends. Then, when I felt comfortable enough, I would act the same way around my classmates. This behavior is exactly what would get someone to call me weird, and it was at that point that I knew I was starting to be more comfortable in my own skin.

As I came out of my shell and continued to grow as a person I continued to express my weirdness and tried to encourage it among others. I think it is fair to say that most of my friends are weird as well, and everyone has the potential to be.

So if you’re reading this and you’ve been having a tough time or feel like there is a ton of stress weighing you down just get up and get weird. Whatever that may mean to you, since it varies from person to person, just try to be your purest self like when you were a kid.