OMG! Did he have a nose ring?!?!

"I met a guy at Hot Topic". Normally that phrase would have my husband looking at me funny, but luckily, I have a very trusting husband. All I got was an "Oh? Really?" in that special tone of voice. I quickly rolled my eyes (he couldn't see through the cell phone) and went on to explain the conversation to him. This guy was the guy most people would typically cross the street from or just give weird looks. He had a large u shaped ring through the middle part of his nose, multiple face piercings, and I didn't stop to count the tattoos. Actually the kind of guy that makes most parents terrified their daughter will bring home. Yes, I dated a few of them. No, it doesn't bother me in the least.

Why? No, it's not because I'm a freak of nature who doesn't make snap judgments based on appearance. We all do that. It's not right, but we do. I had a friend 10 years ago who was goth before goth was cool. Most people would take one look and scream "Devil Worshiper!!!" in their heads, when in reality, he was a devout Christian. So devout that he wouldn't have sex until marriage.

Back to the guy I met yesterday. I was the only person in the store, and I explained to him that I figured of all places in our tiny town, this might be the one that carried something related to bento. They didn't, but it got us talking. He started telling me about the blogs that he has seen where the moms make sushi look like Pikachu. I sadly explained that I wasn't that creative, but I tried. I told him it was the best way to get my daughter to eat and not complain about her lunches and the conversation took off from there. We talked for a few minutes about school reunions, peoples judgmental attitudes about anything different, and about how grown up children seem to be compared to us. Before I left he smiled at me and told me that I was doing the right thing for my daughter, and that made me a great mom. Then he went back to work, and I went on my way.

That simple conversation made my day better. From the least looking "normal" person. I think normal is overrated. Why not be different? Stand out from the crowd? In my experience, it's the normal people who bring me down, and those who don't care who say the smallest thing to build me up.