Strangest_Person_Ever

The Strangest Person Ever It seems we have all had the delight of knowing someone who appeared slightly out of place. They are the ones who draw the eyes of passersby, the ones “normal folk” appear to shun in an effort to fit in or follow the crowd. These people are usually described as odd or eccentric, weird or strange. Sometimes they are the people we try to avoid at all costs; sometimes we seek them out just to give us something to talk about, something to laugh about, and something to take the serious edge off of a very serious routine. Either way, they are usually the people who enrich our lives in one way or another. Their “offbeat” approach to life is interesting, to say the least. I have had the pleasure of knowing one of these rare people and her name is Tracy. Tracy seems strange to most because she does not attempt to “get in where she fits in” by changing her demeanor or dress, she will never allow a personal possession should ever be discarded (even if it has ceased to be useful), and her larger than life persona could come off to most as a little alarming. Picture this: a woman is walking down the sidewalk in what appears to be pajamas; an oversized, well-worn T-shirt that hangs from her deceptively small frame, baggy sweat pants that drag the ground, and a run of the mill pair of tennis shoes that scream for a little soap and water. Her unkempt, blazing red hair falls across her eyes, not quite hiding the bright green orbs that overpower the rest of her facial features. An incoherent stream of mumbled phrases that barely make it to even the most sensitive ears seems to tumble from her lips. She looks a little lost, slightly confused. Proper decorum demands that we approach her and offer some kind of assistance but it could be risky. Would we help' Probably not. Tracy is the kind of woman everyone seems to shy away from and that is perfectly understandable. She IS a little strange; does not even seem to care one way or the other about what anyone thinks. This reckless attitude towards “proper appearance” bleeds over into every aspect of her personality. I am sure everyone has either seem or heard about the infamous hoarders. They are usually the type of people that either quietly fade into the background of life or stick out like a sore thumb. Due to the smashing success of the T.V. show, we are probably all aware that there is something fundamentally wrong with the people who feel the need to keep and store every item they have ever owned now, right' Overflowing with emotional issues, walking accidents waiting to happen, dynamite primed to explode. This description fits Tracy to a T. Walking into her house is an adventure all its’ own. Try comparing it to walking into an obstacle course. There is lots of stepping over, jumping around, and dodging falling objects if there happens to be an unfortunate incident of bumping into something. For someone like me with a slight case of OCD, walking into her house is almost unbearable; somewhere akin to my own, personal version of Hell. This resembles the way I feel when attempting to have a normal conversation with her. Sometimes even the simplest discussion can turn into an all-out war of wits and critical thinking. At some point, the person opposite of her should just know when to cry uncle. “Choose your battles wisely” is definitely a concept used often by those who deal with her on a regular basis. She makes it blatantly obvious to everyone around her that there are right ways and wrong ways to live life and, in her eyes, your way is wrong no matter what the situation. For example, I recently tried to explain to her why I have to go to school in order to get into the Army. Her reply, said with such gusto and emphasis that I was rocked in my chair, was this: “That is a bunch of crap. Those people (I believe she was referring to the Army) don’t know what they’re doing anymore. Why do you even want to go into something like that' You SHOULD have told them exactly where to shove it and walked out. That’s what I would’ve done.” Now, I cannot begin to explain why there was no response I could have given that would have been acceptable. So I nodded and agreed and attempted to change the subject. There are simply some things she is so sure of that there is nothing I could say to make her see the common sense in the situation. The law of cause and effect apparently does not apply to her the way it does with everyone else. We each have a way of doing things that is usually a little different from the next person, but not glaringly so. Everyone learns by trial and error according to experiences in our lives but there is always a “normal” way of doing it, for the most part. If we were to deviate from this standard, we are usually deemed odd. If we deal with something that happens in an unusual manner, it is a small detail we usually keep to ourselves. No one would ever be the wiser. This is not the category Tracy falls into but she is special in her own way. Now, I may not use her as a reference on a job application or even attempt to take her along to a social function but she is still fun to be around once you take the time to get to know her. Her personal appearance, the way she presents herself to the outside world, is not as important as the shallow and judgmental seem to believe. She would still give the mangy shirt of her back to someone in need, still attempt to help the wayward (even if her advice is useless), and still try to keep anyone from becoming buried under her mountains of possessions. What I am trying to say is although we may find someone odd or off the wall, a little different and unusual, there is no reason why we all should not stop and give them the time of day. In the end, we could gain a loyal and caring friend; even if they are the strangest person you have ever met.