Mondo Monday
This week’s #MondayMotivation
I was never “cool” growing up. I was pretty much an outcast at school. I was socially awkward, an introvert, and since we moved several times, I was often the “new kid.” At lunch I often sat at the “rejects” table, with other kids I didn’t really have anything in common with other than not being part of other social circles, or did my homework on my own. I also did well academically, so I was seen as a nerd or a “goody-two-shoes” (who apparently overuses quotation marks!).
And that expression brings up my subject for this post. I still am not cool. I don’t know what the kids nowadays say for goody-two-shoes (brown nose? I think that’s out of date, too). But because I’m in my 40s, and I am comfortable enough with myself where I can embrace my social awkwardness, so I can just poke fun at myself now if I say an expression that’s wrong or from days of yore. I never said “mondo,” but my wife jokingly (I think?) saying it recently reminded me about me not being up with what expressions like that.
Online, a lot of people know me thanks to being an active part of the TYT community, and getting my comments (including some jokes!) read online. So people kind of know me or know about me, which is still kind of weird. But because people consider me part of TYT Fam, and many of them know I’m getting up there in years — I tell people I’m older than Ana but younger than Cenk — I just claim I’m doing a “dad joke” or trying to be silly if I don’t know what someone who hasn’t lived under a rock for 40 years might say.
In person, I’m sort of in-between age-wise with my family and my coworkers. I’m younger than the older members of my wife and my families (our parents), but also older than my siblings, and almost all of my cousins, and brothers- and sisters-in law. So in a way I think I can get away with using unusual words with both groups because I’m not “old” (so older people either sympathize with not knowing what the younguns say, or maybe think I’m speaking like a whipper-snapper) but not “young” (so younger people probably think I’m speaking like someone who’s getting old).
And now that I’m more outgoing than I used to be, my family and the few friends and coworkers I see in person these days, often laugh at my jokes irl now — and I think it’s partly because they’re not expecting it from that weird, shy guy who used to sort of hide in the corner. I’d like to think I’ve also honed my humor some too, although my wife would probably disagree, lol.
So my Monday Motivation is taking a minute (or about 30 since starting this post!) to remember just how much I was able to successfully overcome my shyness and became an active participant online, in real life, and I’ve never thought of it this way before, but I’m more of an active participant in my own life, too.
If I can go from how I was and felt in high school to where I am now — still not perfect, still dealing with depression and anxiety sometimes — then I know I can and will accomplish more going forward for myself, my family, and my volunteer work.
