WWJD? (What would Joe Do?)

Back at home, there's this man in our town who lives in a beautiful brick house with blue shutters and probably the most well maintained yard in his neighborhood. He's in his early thirties or late twenties, owns a well-kept car and everyone in town knows his name. For privacy purposes, we'll call him Joe. But despite all this, no one considers this guy a "regular old Joe." Although he owns an expensive car, you'll see Joe driving back and forth on a single road on his moped for hours at a time. Sometimes when it rains he will sit outside of a building with an outdoor outlet and blow dry himself. He also owns a pair of pink pants that seem to be his favorite, or so I've noticed when I see him sitting on the corner dancing with headphones in his ears and eating subway. If one never knew all these things and had a random conversation with Joe, they would NEVER even think any of this of him. But for the people who know his routine, they either claim he is without a doubt insane, or say he fakes it for money. My opinion? Nothing is wrong with Joe at all. He’s a regular guy whose up and discarded society's rules of normalcy. The things he does are out of the ordinary and sometimes downright weird, but that's what makes him happy and that's what separates him from every other person.

     I think there’s a lot to learn from observing Joe. In our small town, everyone knows everyone, and the slightest mistake out of what people expect of you will haunt you forever. But if you are out and proud from the get go about exactly who you are, what your flaws are, and what you believe in, there will never be a time where you feel like you've been outed or embarrassed. There are so many people who would rather conform to society’s rules of normal, so that they won’t end up looking foolish or different when in actuality all they're doing is depriving themselves of the most extreme happiness that they could have. Happiness includes being proud of who you are and never apologizing for it.

When i say this I don't mean, being a "hipster" or even "anti hipster". I think there's this new thing where being odd and different is meant to be cool and by being odd or different you suddenly are cool; while if you're not quirky and crazy you are not cool. Well, now the normal girl or boy who doesn't like funky cat knit sweaters or prefers coca cola over tea is on the outs. They aren’t cool because they aren’t cooky enough. But in the end, how are you being crazy or different when everyone else is doing it too?

    Today's post may not apply to many people but it's just been going through my mind. For a while, I was the type of person who over analyzed myself and always wanted other people to accept me. Something as simple as staring in the mirror too long would make me change my clothes or hair. It nearly happened today this morning actually. I decided that today I wanted to wear a pair of leggings and my combat boots, a tank top and this loose see through turquoise thingy(idk what to call it.) I LOVED the outfit but after a moment   I remembered reading something on the internet that went like, "If you don't have a big butt, you shouldn't be wearing leggings." It's very funny now that I think about it. Like I can't stop a smile from cracking a smile on my face, but for moment I was like, "Uh oh." I really don't have a very dominant back end and I was afraid when people saw me they'd think, "what is she wearing?!"

     But that wasn't just it. What if they thought I looked fast or loose for wearing leggings with boots?! Did my leggings look too tight? Did I look, dare I say it, whorish? And my top? Was it granny-ish? Did it add weight while making me look flat chested? After a moment of panicking my aunt told me I had another minute to be ready to leave or I would be left. For some odd reason I made the split decision that I didn't care and I scolded myself for second guessing. My brain immediately linked the word dont and care to Joe and suddenly it popped in my head! WWJD?

      So I've taken an unspoken, unwritten pledge to myself that along with What would Jesus do in morally trying situations, I'd consider what would Joe do, in situations when I feel like I'm trying to please others. I've always been a fan of taking the road less traveled and now, even when I catch myself slipping I'll always try to consider what this odd man from my town would do and then make my decision. Because what everyone else is doing, how they are dressing, or how they act, may be satisfying, but taking the nontraditional route will always be more fun, make the best stories and in the end, there will be no doubts or second thoughts.

This has been another Sunday Post in which Leah drones on about the random sometimes sentimental thoughts going through her mind. Comment below and give me your thoughts! I shall consume them with milk and cyber cookies.