life with a 7-year-old is full of lots of lessons, sure, but i don't think i ever really realized that walking through the school process with him would be tantamount to my own school years. the difference now is, i get to do it as a parent. not so ironically, however, i find myself faced with the same sense of separatism and an odd sort of isolation from what's considered the "norm" in motherhood.
today, for example, i donned a short-sleeved shirt, and not just any short-sleeved shirt--one that actually is cut low in the back. cute? sure. revealing? only in the sense that a large amount of artwork is visible. i suddenly found myself in an inadvertent social experiment and subjected to a bevy of uncomfortable glances, trepidatious hellos, and i suddenly had flashbacks to being that "weird" kid in grade school. curious, when even the teachers won't look you in the eye and then stare as you walk away. thing is, it is only obvious because i typically am NOT exposed. and why is that anyway? i mean, is it necessary to cover who you are in order NOT to make people feel uncomfortable? and honestly, why the hell does this make them uncomfortable in the first place?
truth is, i don't drive a mini-van, my son is not playing soccer (that was a one-shot deal that went horribly wrong), my hair is wild, albeit black as night, and i'm an artist. sure, i'm "different" from the mass array of what's considered the social norm; and by george, i will never be caught dead wearing a fanny pack, but that doesn't mean folks have to give me a wide berth when i walk by. i don't bite. at least not during the week.
1 comment:
what do you have against fanny packs, anyway? they're cute.
xoxo
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