Discovering our Differences

My kids received a charming book for Christmas this year: The Sandwich Swap. It's a story about a kid who discovered she was different than her friend...and that was okay. Well, the cute little gal in the story eventually became the Queen of Jordan.


Reading the story made me think about my first memories of discovering the differences around me. One defining moment happened when I was in the 2nd grade.

Actually, it was a mortifying moment.

My class was going to perform a square dance during an all-school assembly. It all sounded fine and good to me until (horror of horrors), my dance partner was assigned to me.

Let me back up a bit.

There was this kid in my class. No one liked him. No one ever really played with him. And I always saw people teasing him. That really bothered my 2nd grade mind. I couldn't figure out what was so different about him.

One random day during class we were supposed to find a partner to work on our assignment. Of course, this kid was off by himself. No one obviously running over to be HIS partner. So, I went. How bad/weird/strange could he really be, I thought? I wanted to figure this whole situation out. I don't have a ton of memories of that assignment, or if I found out why everyone thought he was bad/weird/strange. Where my memories pick up is that the teacher noticed that I didn't seem to mind this bad/weird/strange kid, so she moved our desks together AND assigned me as his square dance partner. Who would have guessed that one gesture of kindness would lead to so much horror?

The days leading up to our performance were agonizing. Each day I had to walk into the gym for practice and HOLD HANDS with the bad/weird/strange kid. I could only imagine what would happen during the performance. I imagined the gasps and whispers as EVERY ONE in the school saw me HOLD HANDS with this bad/weird/strange kid. It really was more than a 2nd grader could handle.

I'm on the right. I was always jealous of my sisters dress. It looked more like Mary's.

Performance day. My mom dressed me in my cutest 1980's dress that mimicked Laura in Little House on the Prairie. My hair was braided. I was all clean and smelling good. My partner was not. But, the show went on. I marched out as proudly as I could. Did my dance. And sat down crossed legged on the gym floor. Do you know what happened after that?

NOTHING!

No one looked at me funny.

No one whispered when I walked by.

It was just so strange.

And you know what else happened?

I didn't mind being that kids friend. He wasn't too bad/weird/strange. He was different than me. But that made my 2nd grade year interesting.

I confess. I have tried to Google this kid to see what he is up to today. I have done Facebook searches. But alas, he evades my online stalking. I imagine he is a brilliant, wealthy scientist or investment banker or doctor who is looking for me {his true friend in the 2nd grade} because he wants to give me some of his wealth.

I'll let you know how much he gives me when he finds me.

So, 2nd Grade Lesson Learned: Being different is not so weird. It is just different. And it adds a little spice to life. And a little fear. And that is good.

{And it may make you rich later if you are nice to the right people.}

Or you may become the Queen of a neat-o country. Just maybe. Or not.