Awkwardness Through the Years

Everyone has a little trouble adjusting during middle school. Some of us… look like the above picture all three years. A friend of mine thought these pictures were “cute” and decided to share them on Facebook a year or so ago. I’m going to be totally honest, my immediate reaction was to reach for my phone so I could call her and tell her she was a terrible person. How dare she remind me and all our common acquaintances that I had zero fashion sense and looked like I didn’t own a brush?? Before I dialed, I looked at the picture again, and for some bizarre reason, I started to laugh. The more I looked at it, the funnier it became; and the more ridiculous I felt for wanting to confront my friend, especially because I knew her intention was not to mortify me. “Let them laugh,” I thought. There’s no pretending I never looked like this, and even if I did, so what? I challenge anyone to show me a middle school picture they are 100% happy with!

Fast forward a few years to my senior prom. Clearly, I am still not a well-adjusted human being… Pair that with a badly-timed picture, and we get this gem. By this point of my life, I had come to terms with the fact that I will never be a social butterfly, and that’s okay. But not being super social doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and enjoy yourself around those you’re comfortable with. Nothing is more fun than getting a little weird with people who embrace your unconventionality.

Though this is not a very recent picture, it sure shows off my lack of knowing what “acceptable social behavior” is. This picture was taken during my sophomore year of college, probably less than a year ago. I won’t lie and say that I am entirely comfortable with the fact that I have many awkward tendencies, but I do try to accept myself for what I am, as I think everyone should. It’s completely okay to have ridiculous pictures floating around. As embarrassing as these three pictures are, they come with reminders of exciting days, friends, and cherished times.