“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it [Friendship].”
Okay. I know that you know that I know. (Friends: s5e14) The great Dr. Seuss did not call it friendship. He called the mutual weirdness love, but wait a minute. Think about it! Every word could be equally as true for friendship. So, let’s have fun with it!!!
Friendship is weird, y’all! Friendship is a relationship of choice. There is no legal agreement to remain friends. There is no genetic bond. No one gave birth to the other. Friends become friends and remain friends because of one thing. They enjoy their mutual weirdness.
I came to this conclusion not long ago while talking with a friend of mine who is a licensed counselor. I asked, “Why do people become friends?” and “What makes them bond?” She said, “Weirdness!” She went on to explain that when two people have weirdnesses in common the friendship begins.
This friend refers to me as a unicorn… (because I’m unique…another word for weird) Haha. I love it! We have a few unique, rare things in common. We both married older men and became step-mothers at a young age. We both love psychology, theology, and writing. We met in a race relations/reconciliation group. We aren’t just weird. We are intense. However, she laughs at my weird stories! Soooo, what more can I ask for? I always keep the friends I can crack-up with.
Sure, we all like to think that we are the coolest or the best or better than the rest, but the truth is, we are all weird to someone. When we find the people who are weird like us we hang on for dear life! We share songs or shoes or books or business tips or a Netflix account (shhh!). We share recipes and coupons and sacred words from our shared sacred books. Finding our people, our tribe is a phenomenal gift. There is nothing like being who we are and doing what we do, then looking up and realizing ah, here is another…like me! As the late, great Lewis put it…
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What? You too? Thought I was the only one.’” ~C.S. Lewis
Friendship is priceless. Each friend is irreplaceable. I want to hear about YOUR friends! How did you find your mutually weird friend? Why did you pick this friend over the others hanging around? What did you bond over? Every story is different. I want to hear yours!
Tell me anything about any of your besties in the comments and you just might be the one who wins a pair of Red Shoes!
Well, I’ll share how we became bonded… I dared to share that I was in no way shape or form cut out to homeschool in the first 45 seconds after we exchanged names in a very pro-homeschool setting I might add… Been friends ever since! XO, Liz
LikeLike
We are definitely bonded over that! We can admire those who do, and celebrate that we don’t…together! ❤ U!
LikeLiked by 1 person
OH MY GOSH you included StoryPeople. ❤
LikeLike
StoryPeople is a new discovery for me. Emily(a.k.a. Dr. Dance), my BFF, just clued me in. I love it!
LikeLike
Hey! You were able to comment! I’ve had many say that it hasn’t been working. Maybe it’s just not working for those without a wordpress account???
LikeLike
Good buddy of mine and I had been close friends for years. Just kind of happened. Then one day I confessed to him a weird habit I have. I told him that I like to pick my beard hairs out and play with them. He told me he literally does the exact same thing.
That’s when I knew why we were friends. Because we’re both weird
Love this post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is the BEST story!!! And I’m so glad you like the post. Feel free to share. 🙂
LikeLike
Well she didn’t start out to be my friend. Couldn’t stand her for 20 or so years of my life, then I moved out and she grew up. My sister happens to be my bestie. She is my best friend. I have always felt weird, but hid it well in public. We are bonded not just by blood, but by our mutual weirdness- the ability to quote “”The Goonies” and “The Neverending Story” pretty much line for line. Laughing at private jokes and getting each other so tickled at family dinners that our parents get annoyed, and not to mention the traditional normal picture and “ugly” picture we do each Christmas. Drives daddy nuts!! We love horror movies, wine, and each other’s children. There is no other woman I’d rather tell my troubles to. She has always been my sister, but eventually became my friend. Love this blog!
LikeLike
Over the years, I have had several friends. Sharing lots of mutual weirdness! As I examine each of those friendships, one in particular stands out. I am going to try to make this short and sweet. It wasn’t always a friendship. We had our ups and downs. I guess, all that was to be expected. It wasn’t until my early 20’s, that I knew she was the one. Even though she had to be there, it was also a choice. She has never let me down, and I hope she feels the same way. Always allowing me to let my weirdness shine, and not to be ashamed . She has taught me the love of music (especially from the 70’s) , the love of family , many other great things, and most of all the love of Christ. If you haven’t figured it out by now, my best friend, the one I share mutual weirdness with, is my mother!
LikeLike
Jamie, this is so so beautiful! You are very blessed! Thank you for sharing!
LikeLike
Come to think of it I loved all my friends because I thought they were weird like me lol! I love to find something special and unique in a person. My best friend I met a few years ago at work and I thought we had nothing in common but we enjoyed each other’s company. The moment we had a chance to be one on one together we found out we couldn’t stop talking because we actually had so much in common! My best friend and I love talking about weird dreams we have and what they may mean, or go to the gas station late at night and buy the most horrible snacks ever that no should buy and vegging out like we don’t care. My best friend is my husband 🙂 We tell each other this often and we often tell each other that we are weird :p
LikeLike
Jenny, I love that your story is about your hubby!! I’ll be writing about how to be our spouses’ BFF in the near future. I would love to interview you!
LikeLike
😀 That would be great!
LikeLike
We met through a friend who oddly, isn’t in our lives anymore. We were 21 and 22, getting dressed for a girls night out. We realized early on that we were kindred spirits, something just felt right. Ages 24, 25, we both had settled down and married and looking for forward to building our families. Flash forward 13 years and she’s the friend that I’ve grown up with, in life and in faith. We have shared fears, failures and triumphs in relationships, work and parenting. Supported each other through hard decisions and 2 college degrees(and counting), as we continue to grow into our best selves I love knowing that she is my person.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Story People. Talk about brutal honesty. That is some brutally honest artwork. It is a good thing! Very good thing.
LikeLike