I was in 5th grade, my dads job took us everywhere around the United States, I never really had a place to call home until we moved to Florida later down in life. We had just moved to Irmo, South Carolina and I had met neighbor friends who were around me and my brother Paul ’s age. The invited us to go skating at “skaters choice” a local roller skate rink where frequent all night skates were exercised. My parents allowed my brother and I to attend one of these such events, so on a Friday night we left home, with enough money to rent skates, but not enough for speed skates.
It is amazing how that our perception of fashion and self-worth seem to adapt to how others view us over time. We slowly evolve into the words and actions of others pushed upon us in our young lives. We are like a statue, slowly being built by family and peers, the concrete; words. The chissle; our self worth. But I marched to my own drummer in Irmo that night.
Skating to the beasty boys “you’ve got to fight for your right…” I felt that I had not yet in my life fought for the right to party, and I was going to start that night. I didn’t know where the party was, and even if I did I probably wouldn’t have been invited. There I was skating in my brown rental skates in a never ending circle. Tan short pants that made a cheerleading skirt look like a Quaker norm. My shirt was a royal blue button down with 2 parrots on the back which I named that night, but currently don’t remember. My hair was that of a marine right out of boot camp, and probably the brunt of several jokes that night from un-adoring peers, but as for me, I was “fighting for the right”. At that point in my life I had been home schooled for some years, and the concept of “IN” or “OUT”; the word trend and cool had no bearing in my life. I soon learned.
Why do we spend so much of our lives caring about what other people that we may never see again, think? But we do, And such is life.
I recently was discussing with a fellow peer in the music industry why he no longer performs on stage like he used to. He said that for ever 1 person that loved his antics on stage there were 2 that did not. Well @#&@ those 2 other people. We should not be out to win the approval from anyone but ourselves. Some may make fun of the way I dance on stage, and well, now you know how I dance when I’m by myself in my room listening to the Smiths. If those 2 out of three of you don’t like it, don’t come see my show. I can only be myself, and not what you want to be. If I could find another parrot shirt, I would name the two parrots on the back, wear really short tan pants, hit “skaters choice”, and fight for my right.
It is amazing how that our perception of fashion and self-worth seem to adapt to how others view us over time. We slowly evolve into the words and actions of others pushed upon us in our young lives. We are like a statue, slowly being built by family and peers, the concrete; words. The chissle; our self worth. But I marched to my own drummer in Irmo that night.
Skating to the beasty boys “you’ve got to fight for your right…” I felt that I had not yet in my life fought for the right to party, and I was going to start that night. I didn’t know where the party was, and even if I did I probably wouldn’t have been invited. There I was skating in my brown rental skates in a never ending circle. Tan short pants that made a cheerleading skirt look like a Quaker norm. My shirt was a royal blue button down with 2 parrots on the back which I named that night, but currently don’t remember. My hair was that of a marine right out of boot camp, and probably the brunt of several jokes that night from un-adoring peers, but as for me, I was “fighting for the right”. At that point in my life I had been home schooled for some years, and the concept of “IN” or “OUT”; the word trend and cool had no bearing in my life. I soon learned.
Why do we spend so much of our lives caring about what other people that we may never see again, think? But we do, And such is life.
I recently was discussing with a fellow peer in the music industry why he no longer performs on stage like he used to. He said that for ever 1 person that loved his antics on stage there were 2 that did not. Well @#&@ those 2 other people. We should not be out to win the approval from anyone but ourselves. Some may make fun of the way I dance on stage, and well, now you know how I dance when I’m by myself in my room listening to the Smiths. If those 2 out of three of you don’t like it, don’t come see my show. I can only be myself, and not what you want to be. If I could find another parrot shirt, I would name the two parrots on the back, wear really short tan pants, hit “skaters choice”, and fight for my right.
Comments
hillarious.
i agree with everything.