A GOOD FRIEND ENTERTAINS YOU. A GREAT FRIEND MAKES YOU A BETTER PERSON. A BEST FRIEND DOES BOTH OF THESE THINGS – WHICH OFTEN MEANS GETTING A LITTLE BIT WEIRD.
Here are four signs that your friend is just the kind of wonderful oddball we all need in our lives:
1. THEY REFUSE TO EDIT THEMSELVES TO FIT INTO THE CROWD.
Have you ever see a toddler at the grocery store dressed in a tutu, a superhero cape, and a pirate hat? It made you smile, didn’t it? Your friend never lost that childlike sense of magic. Knowing who you are, and embracing your truest self, often looks silly. However, it actually takes confidence, wisdom, and insight. Maybe your friend lets his niece paint his nails because he treasures the bond they share. Maybe she listens to music that nobody else is into – and dances to it in public. It makes her happy. So what if others think it’s strange? She doesn’t need their validation when she has her own.
2. YOU DISAGREE OFTEN – BUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP ALWAYS SURVIVES.
A friend who is confident and secure in themselves does not feel the need to change their opinions to match yours. They won’t hide them, either. Instead, they will openly disagree with you, and sometimes heatedly so. Weirdos, however, are no strangers to conflict. If they value your friendship, they will find a way to make things right. It won’t be as if nothing ever happened. It will be even better. Now you know one another on a deeper level. Your friendship will grow stronger with each argument, as long as you maintain respect for one another’s beliefs.
3. THEY KNOW HOW TO ACCESS YOUR INNER WEIRDO.
These are the people who get the shy girl to dance and the jock to share his artwork. Because they do not adhere to stereotypes, they give other people the freedom to break out as well. Their non-judgemental nature fosters an environment of openness. We all feel free to be the strangest and most authentic versions of ourselves around these people. They can match our awkwardness.
They can exceed it. They can root around in our most hidden reserves of weirdness and draw out long forgotten oddities that we had totally forgotten we had. Then, they expand on them. You may end up taking a juggling class together, or dressing up as the Spice Girls for Halloween. Whatever you do, it is sure to be a blast.
4. THEY FOLLOW THEIR HEART.
Because they are not dependent on validation from others, a true weirdo often feels empowered to do the right thing – even when nobody else does. This might mean standing up for a kid who’s being picked on. It could mean skipping a school dance to be with their mom on her birthday, or donating money to charity rather than buying a new jacket. Their priorities are not necessarily the same ones their peers live by – and that’s okay. Weirdos are deep thinkers. They won’t do what everyone else is doing by default. They possess a sense of confidence and individuality not often found in our society.
“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness — and call it love — true love,” wrote Robert Fulghum. If you have a weirdo in your life, treasure them deeply. A truly great weirdo is harder to come by than you think.
Source: Unified Soul Theory