This is another follow-up to the previous articles by Eric Osborne, Jen Wilson and Lauren Emerson, who all wrote "On Being Strange."

I like to think of strange, peculiar, odd,and weird as being compliments. Not that I stick out in a crowd but I don't go out of my way to fit in either. If I happen to blend in, I do. If I don't, I don't care. It's their problem if they don't like what they see. I'm not going to waste my time trying to please someone else by their standards. If I'm going to waste my time, then I'll waste it on myself to please myself.

I used to hang around with a bunch of kids who always got the stares and funny looks. They're no different than anyone else. They're just as good as friends can be. They have feelings and they're people, too. Personally, when someone doesn't like something on me or about me, I like it all the more.

People are people and you can't change that. We're like snowflakes, no two alike. If there are no two alike, then why shun those who are different if we're supposed to be different?

One of my favorite sayings comes from Volleyball Monthly: "If you're not yourself, you're nobody."n