Welcome back to Virtua-Beach, scrap-pal. Take a seat on the sand. Throw all that coronavirus stress behind, and watch the data-sea with me as the digital sunset melts the November cold off your bones.

Today I wanted to talk about weirdness. Weirdness is what I created this space for—a safe space where you and I can do and feel whatever the heck we want.

I was raised in a weird family and, although making Jim Carey impressions and pirate voices was encouraged in my household, it was much less so in high school… and let’s just say I don’t remember that time fondly. Nowadays my weirdness circuitry is still intact, thanks to my peeps and family, but maybe you aren’t as lucky. Perhaps you’ve reached your twenties, early thirties, and come to believe that weirdness is some kind of ugly brand that sticks on your foreheads and sets you apart as outcasts. Don’t you feel frustrated because of this? Like you’re missing out on something? Like there’s so much you could give but your hands are shackled by social taboos that don’t really exist? I’m glad, scrap-pal, because I’ve got some good news for you.

Weirdness, AKA the unfiltered essence of you, is a muscle. Even if you feel like you’re the most boring person in the world (which you are not), you can change that through exercise. And I actually have come up with a step-by-step guide that might help you unleash your inner weird.

1. Remember the wonky

Scan the databanks in your head for a positive weird memory, something that really made you have a great time. What about that moment when you reenacted Tommy Wiseau’s bottle-throwing scene with your friends? Or when you danced the Macarena in the bathtub? Write them down. You can also write the strange dreams you never had the guts to act upon. Dressing as a superhero and running across the city center is a personal guilty dream of mine… but that’s a secret between you and me.

2. Actions speak funkier than words

People are like pressure cookers filled with emotions. If the safety valve is always shut, sooner or later we’re going to explode, and believe me, that’s gonna make a nasty mess. Grab that movie, play that song and act. Dance, sing, get it out there. Especially move as much as you can, because movement is the best safety valve we have (along with crying, but that’s a story for another time).

3. Share the strange

When you’re comfortable with your weirdness, start sharing it with the people you’re most comfortable with. BFFs, significant others, parents, siblings, your dog, everyone you deem perfect for the task is perfect for the task. Find a common weird ground with your chosen ones, play along those lines, and with time they may follow your example. How cool would it be to have your own gang of weirdos?

4. Embrace the weird

Sooner or later, you’ll feel the rush of adrenaline in your veins. You’ll feel so big that the entire world could just be a ping pong ball in your hands. Or maybe you’ll feel as if a wall inside you just collapsed, and all your repressed energies will burst through you. That’s good. Enjoy that energy, save it for when it feels like everything around you is falling apart.

In the end, with time, you’ll learn to harness that energy of yours. It’ll weave into your own personality, like the ghost of what you’ve been and what you’ll always be. Make this energy shine. You’ll be more interesting, more confident. And even if people will cast you aside, they really aren’t worth your time. So go forth, and make yourselves proud.

P. S. Whenever you feel embarrassed, think of the legendary Emilia Fart. She’s the weirdest gal in the world, and she’s completely fine.