Keeping It Weird

I never lived in Austin, TX. Nor have I ever visited there. But almost every day, I drink out of this mug with "Keep Austin Weird" written on it.

It was left here by an old roommate who did live in Austin, TX for a time when she was going to school. It was the mug that she drank her morning coffee out of almost every day. When she moved out of the country, this mug, along with many other possession got left here. I decided to keep it and begin to use it myself.

This has become my favorite mug for the last 8 years. It's partly because it's a great size and I like the way it feels in my hand, it's weight, and the way it warms up with the coffee in it.

It's also that it reminds me of my dear friend, who was a creature of habit more than anyone else I know, a trait that I find endearing and have always aspired to. She taught me to be the habit-keeper I am today. A little older, she had a better handle of what it takes to keep a place tidy, when and how to grocery shop, and why simple objects can become so beloved.

We all need a roommate that's a little older to teach us all how to be adults. Bless those who lived with the younger versions of me.

I'll admit that the message to "Keep Austin Weird" is one that always brightens up my day. I’ll admit that I mentally replace "Austin" with "Nyssa," as a way of reminding myself to just be myself today. It also reminds me of one of my best friends from middle and high school, named Austin, who told me a few years ago that when we met in 7th grade he felt like, "Finally, here’s someone as weird as I am." We bonded over our shared weird-ness, something that every middle schooler needs.

Today, let yourself be the weird one, even if it means writing a blog about your favorite coffee cup while watching the sun come up. Or maybe it means wearing two different colored socks, or not going to the party like everyone else because you’d rather stay home and doodle.

May you find those people that are weird in the ways you're weird too, those that encourage you to stay that way. Even if you weren’t roommates or friends in middle school, it’s not too late.

Embrace your weird and the friends will flock to you.