Make it weird.

“There’s a stranger out there who remembers you because you made it weird.”

Weird often is associated with being off, being awkward, nerdy, and abnormal. Out of all the compliments you could pay a person, “weird,” typically, does not spin to the top of the list.

But what if we change our view of “weird?”

Weird can equal good. How?

You made it weird (good) because you amused them.

The healing power of laughter.

It’s not uncommon for cancer patients to watch comedies as part of the healing regimen. I did in my experience of the dreadful disease. Laughter supports the immune system, aids in depression, and overall, wellbeing.

“A merry heart does good, like medicine...”
Proverbs. 17:22

Yep.

And, with the Navajo community, it’s widely regarded that a baby’s first laugh is sacred. The person who brings about that first laugh, therefore, has the honor of preparing a whole feast and celebration for the child. A baby’s first laugh appears to be synonymous with joining the family, the Navajo community, at large.

It’s a big deal.

Laughter is huge.

And there is also a connection between laughter and learning. It’s easier to learn, seemingly, anything, via laughter. The humor, the amusement appears to make the new information of a lesson “stick.” People can be more likely to retain new information if it’s associated with something humorous.

We relax when we laugh. Pain lessens. We drop our guard.

We have the natural, knee-jerk response of laughter, because of the unexpected. We think something will go one way, and then it veers off into another direction. It can be “inappropriate,” contrary, defiant, risqué, or ridiculous.

It just does not fit with our expectations.

And so, laughter.

Joy. Levity. Medicinal laughter.

So, if, by our “weirdness,” we help to not just amuse someone, but heal and teach them as well, how significant is that?

You made it weird (good) because you educated them.

Yes, we can use “weirdness” as a teaching opportunity.

“Weird” can be intriguing; it can pique curiosity.

And human beings are curious creatures.

New, incoming information.

For instance, did you know that a cat’s eyes dilate when they hiccup?

Yeah. New information there.

However, many of us have negative associations with new information.

How many of us hated certain subjects in school because they were “boring?”

(I’m still recovering from Algebra).

But what if popular culture, sci-fi, and strange trivia were integrated into the lessons taught in those classrooms?

Taylor Swift, Beyonce, TikTok, and Netflix could all be referenced, just to help the kids learn lessons better and quicker. We retain what we deem to be important, interesting, and helpful. It’s part of the reason, back as my teenaged self, I learned that a slip-on pencil eraser, in a pinch, could secure my earring when I lost its backing. That lesson saved many accessories. (It still didn’t help with Algebra, but a teenage girl and her accessories were not to be messed with).

Beyond the classrooms, we are lifelong learners… if we choose to be.

Something strange, something gross, even, can work to teach and cement new information about anything and everything.

I encountered this firsthand. My cancer diagnosis and treatment of it had my body experiencing weird, a-typical reactions, including a strange dark dot showing up on my chin during my course of radiation. I shared my fears about turning into Mike Tysons face tattoo with my radiation nurse. She assured me it can be a response to stress, and that, “in time, it will fade.”

And it did. No unwanted face tattoos for me ever since then.

My cancer experiences, involving surgery, radiation, and recovery have given me plenty of “new normal” body changes.

By sharing information with others who have gone through like situations such as mine, comparing notes, we can quickly learn, and benefit from, how the “weird” is not the worst-case scenario. It’s more often the strange form of a new normal. And that helps to lessen our fears and anxiety levels, as well as arming us with newer tools, effective in dealing with the changes we’re going through.

Part of doing that may include us embarking on the TMI, the oversharing of weird and uncomfortable stuff.

Indeed, if you and I look, sound, act, and present ourselves as “weird,” what impact can we make? It has far-reaching results.

It sticks in our minds. It changes our viewpoint.

It’s not to be underestimated.

You made it weird (good) because you challenged them.

Anti- status quo.

Change often comes after a challenge arrives. A challenge to a belief system, a way of doing things, a way of showing up in life.

Challenge does that. And “weird” is often the vehicle.

For instance, “weird” can show up as the utilization of the word, “no.”

“No” is challenging. It can feel awkward and antisocial. It can throw people off, because perhaps, they are not expecting that from us. Maybe they are not familiar with our “no.” So, now, when it comes flying out of our mouths, they can only perceive it as “weird.”

“No” is a complete sentence. It’s valid. It’s not asking to be challenged or talked out of.

And the very fact that some people may only see it as “weird” may, indeed, be a teachable moment.

Now, it’s not on us to be everyone else’s teacher, especially if they are dysfunctional. However, someone learning a lesson may be a byproduct of “weird.” It’s not our responsibility to make someone learn anything.

But if they do…

We left an impression with the challenge opportunity.

There is such value in that.

“Weird” is what we make it.

Tap into it. Tap into our unique, “inner-weird.”

And then let it manifest itself.

It is often the unusual that is remembered, that stands out.

“There’s a stranger out there who remembers you and I because we made it weird.”

Perhaps, the most important “someone” who remembers our weirdness is us.

Were we true to ourselves?

Cliché, but universal. Timeless. Empowering. Healing.

“Weird” does that. Let’s live weird, then.

Copyright © 2024 by Sheryle Cruse