A touch of teal in an auburn-filled potpourri bowl

My doorbell rang and there was the delivery man with two boxes. How odd a sight. In New York, they just left my boxes on my doorstep. I twitched my nose wondering why the deliveryman rings the doorbell here out on California. I prefer to be left alone and not have to answer the doorbell.  One of the boxes was super tiny. What had I ordered? Oh yes, I randomly ordered a potpourri bag from Amazon that reminded me of my childhood.

As children, we have a strong need to fit in.  We want the same shoes as others; the same toys. I remember that in second grade I had a backpack with wheels and no one else had that. I was laughed at for days.  I had thought it would be cool thing to showcase but it was just fodder. Sadly, it was just another way that I was seen as weird. What was even more troubling for all was that my backpack was filled with library books. Boy, I was a big nerd.

Then you grow up and you want to stand apart from others. You want to be unique, different, and distinct. Think about how many movies describe their leading lady character as quirky and idiosyncratic.  Look at that show New Girl which is a grand celebration of an unusual young woman; the epitome of nerd chic.

We want to be the same, we want to stand out in a crowd. We want to be it all but just a little bit of both. We want to be a touch of teal in an auburn-filled potpourri bowl.  From day one of life we start a process of individuation while clinging to a mother’s bosom, we are seeking to leave our own footprints in the world.