Cool or Odd?

Last weekend was Conference weekend and one of my nieces came down from Vancouver to visit and attend a couple of sessions of Conference. My sister has joked many times that her daughter should have been mine because we are similar in so many ways. Sierra even admits that she is more like a mother to her own mother. Boy can I relate to that. I was always telling on her mother when we were growing up. Sierra also has a very positive way of looking at people...she sees the best in them. I remember having that. Let me give you an example. As I drove her downtown we saw a man running with a flag:

She thought, "that's really cool. He must be on a military exercise."

I thought,"that's odd. What's that guy doing running with a flag downtown? I hope he doesn't have any guns on him."

I really don't know whether he was some uber patriotic military guy making a statement or in training, a guy who lost a bet and as a result had to run the block with a flag or a poor soul who ran out of his anti-psychotic medication.

Of course I don't think anyone would mistake ME for being cool or odd. I know I USED to be odd with my retainer and bad perms and horribly out of date clothing. Perhaps that's why I now stick to the ordinary simplicity of Old Navy and Eddie Bauer t-shirts and jeans. I can just fade into the background and NOT be noticed. My lack of color coordination in my teenage years could be a thing of the past. Theoretically. I was involved in school plays - not cool. I was in the library club - definitely odd... in fact REALLY ODD. I preferred reading to watching t.v. and playing video games - odd. One of my friends doesn't believe me that I wasn't cool in high school. Of course she is like my niece Sierra in her view of people and doesn't want to believe the worst of me.

Thanks to the DMV this week I can be reminded for the next few years what it is like to have a permanent reminder of a really bad hair day like my bad hair years as a teenager. For some reason the guy after me rated a re-take of his picture but I didn't. He must have been hot (I don't know I wasn't looking) whereas a mother of 5 kids has lost her fire. All I heard was the guy say to the man after me, "let's do that one again... this time put your chin down a little." Really? He gets a retake? I got my picture back and my jaw dropped. Even though I had fixed my hair in the morning I forgot about the 100 mile an hour winds on the way in (yes I exaggerate - but it was really windy). He couldn't politely ask me if I want to freshen up my hair? Okay maybe not...maybe he's been punched too many times for well-meaning comments to ladies whose hair was SUPPOSED to have the "wind-blown" look. -sigh-

I won't ever be cool. I have accepted this. I think I am just doing my best to no longer be odd. I hope my plan is working.