Kat from Seattle always wears a slim skeleton key around her neck on a piece of twine, and one of my best friends Jeremy has a lead cross dangling from his throat. So adorably evil. Skull and crossbones work for my cousin Danny, as they do for me. Not that it matters to you, of course, but to them it's just one of the ways they express themselves.
We all want to be noticed, somehow, we all want to branch out and be different. I could point out the obvious like what we wear, whom we hang out with, our view on society; even our music and movie tastes define who we are.
I now, struggle to find ways to set myself apart from my family and peers around me. It's not a conscious decision, but it's something I can't stand to be like everyone else. I think I speak for a lot of people.
When I was younger, I used to dream of all the things I would do when I grew up. The places I would go, the experiences I would have. The memories and learning I would gain, that hopefully I could pass on to others. As a little child, I couldn't even fathom the thought of working at Target or serving drinks in a pub. I wanted to be something that would make me stand out. Really make a difference in peoples lives. I didn't want to swim in the sea of normality. I still don't, but it???'s become increasingly harder to stand up for what you believe in and be who you want to be. To push yourself up and apart from everyone around you. To be different.
This article will ramble, I assure, because I do not have the energy or inspiration to focus my mind on a respectable topic, so I will float in and out of many. We go on.
I don't have to point out that being unlike others in your school is easy. We all must know the feeling of being alone and unwanted in our school's society, and it???'s not a great feeling at all. So why do we strive for it so? Why do we all want to make a distance between us and the trends, to us and everybody else if its almost frowned upon and receives sniggers from fellow classmates and teachers alike? From some friends. I used to think it was because we didn't want to leave this world not being remembered for something. We didn't want to leave thinking that we hadn't made an imprint somehow, even the smallest trace at all.
So we start small. We wear unusual clothes, we style our hair differently, we stand up for things that we know are right, stand up for things knowing full well that you don't care what anyone else thinks about it. Then we grow up to be musicians, doctors, lawyers, businessmen and women. We make a difference in our community, therefore making a difference in our world. Merging out and doing what you believe is the right thing to do. All starting from a unusual skeleton key on a thread bare piece of twine shining on our necks.
I'm content to say that people all over the world our age express themselves every day. Standing up for gay rights, forcing your opinion about important matters to others. Heck, wearing ballet flats with a very large bow and not being afraid of showing them off. You know who I'm talking about, you can relate, somehow.
I remember awhile back seeing a lyric written on the subway wall in a silver Pilot pen. It struck me as odd, because this lyric came from a pretty much extinct Cleveland hardcore band who my brother happened to like, and I was pondering 'What are the odds?'. This person was unique, I could tell. I wondered what this anonymous person would grow up to be, listening to such distinct music, picking such an odd lyric. Could standing out, could being different start with something like that?
Over dinner at a lovely joint downtown a few days ago, I was running this idea for the article by my friends. They were smirking at such a small and different topic, and I told them that was exactly what we were aiming for. Inspired we took turns telling the most odd stories we remembered of the four of us, and I realized how different we were from each other and yet we were still best of friends. Maybe I should rethink the line of standing out with your peers being hard, because, on rare occasions, being different is exactly what you need to feel a sense of sameness and bond with another person. Funny how that works out, huh?
So this article, like the days and nights, like all of our lives, must come to an end. Even after you click off, after you've turned off your computer and clamor upstairs to your rooms, I hope you will be wondering this topic, however vague it may be, like I will. I suppose the idea of expressing yourself in unique ways flits across our minds once and awhile, and maybe one of those times, we'll act on it.
Glitsygrl
Author's Note: On a more realistic note, not related to the article above, I'm planning on doing a submission to the Times about our citizens City Records, and adding a few of the City Records in the articles as well. I would love to save time from looking up everyone I see in chat, and if you could drop a line and suggest some of your friends or yourselves that have interesting City Recs, I would appreciate it.
