C is for Crazy

I had dinner with two wonderful guys on Monday night and the conversation turned to our many mutual friends.  One of my dinner companions said he and his partner decided that if you plotted our group of friends on a bell curve of crazy, we'd all be in the tail.  As a side note, I completely suck at probability and statistics and for a minute thought - great! - that means we're normal!  Then I realized that what he was talking about was a big fat standard deviation from normal.

Trying to define what is crazy vs. what is normal is completely subjective, but as the conversation progressed I started to think that being in the tail was a pretty good place to be.  To be clear, we weren't talking about crazy in any clinical, destructive or negative sense.   Instead, we were kicking around words like unique, spontaneous, quirky, opinionated and silly.  Perhaps crazy isn't even the right word, but it's a fun way to describe the qualities and the freedom that come with being older, wiser and finally, blessedly, comfortable in our own skin.

If you talk to my family and close friends, apparently I have a really long list of quirks.  I like to think they are endearing although I suspect others might disagree.  I can't sleep without white noise, am freakishly fast at doing the daily Jumble, and I'm a food snob who can't cook.  I love a good plan, have been known to overindulge on sauvignon blanc and yell obscenities at the TV when I am watching sports.  My laugh is loud and often obnoxious, and I love to sing but actually can't carry a tune. Embracing my quirks was one of the hardest lessons I've ever had to learn, but I'm proud of the woman I am and the traits and habits that make me uniquely me.   So call me crazy - I'm just fine with being in the tail.