My FAVORITE pic of me and friend, Sara, running the Disney World Marathon (who, btw, I never would have met without my weird;)

This January will make my FIFTH Disney World Marathon Weekend. It’s actually kind of difficult for me to wrap my brain around and I have to be honest, I’m not exactly sure how it happened.

Well, that’s not true. I DO know how it happened. I fell in with some bad company and they enabled me and continue to do so. But the truth is, I lead a very normal, conservative life accept for this one, odd eccentricity that makes people do the puppy head tilt thing when they look at me.

Yesterday, at bible study, a woman said “are you really at Disney as much as it seems or are you just reposting old photos?” I wanted to tell her what would make me seem more normal – that I was reposting old photos, but that wouldn’t be true. Because Disney, and in particular Run Disney, is my “weird”.

I think you have a “weird”, too. Maybe it’s your odd affinity for 1980’s music and your thousands of vinyls. Maybe it’s your obsession with old cars, or maybe, like my late and very cool Aunt Mary Jane, you love old dolls (yes, it was a little creepy but I admired her dedication to her passion and always found her to be very herself).

Maybe you really love birds, or cycling, or your Harley or golf or cooking or gardening, not just as a “sometimes” event but on an enthusasitc level that is just one step shy of crazy town.

And I love that about you. And I love it about me. Because this is a tough world to navigate and if my Disney obsession makes me happy*, I think it’s OK. I really do. It makes us interesting and gives us a place to spend some time when we really need to pour ourselves into something that’s not our work or our kids or our real lives. And if we can find the time and the space to indulge some of these things that help us remember the kid inside us who had nothing but time, I think it’s honoring to our true selves as well. And for me, it brings me joy, and unexpected friendships, and a heart of gratitude for a beautiful world with a lot of great creativity and love in it (and yes, a little pixie dust).

So to all the dreamers, and the enthusiasts, and the “weirdos” – I like us. Let’s keep having fun and loving well and being grateful. And developing great friendships with people that we never would have met without our “weird”.

Happy Running. Disney and otherwise.

Jen

*Disclaimer: if your weirdo thing is a significant problem for your spouse, your finances, or your relationships you definitley need to re-consider and think about taking a half step back from the cliff. If you’re not sure if you’ve fallen into this category go ask your husband or your wife or your best friend or your pastor. I’m sure they’d love to help.