we're all in the dance.

Okay, so I’ll be up-front here and be the first person to say that you’re not at all alone when you find yourself weirded out, wigged or otherwise occasionally troubled by the behavior of certain individuals. It might be the guy who walks a little too slowly past your cubicle throughout the day, or the guy who sits by themselves alone in the breakroom when you’re trying to enjoy your epic tuna melt and stares enough to make you lose your appetite, or the girl that laughs a little too often (and just loud enough to be overheard), tempting you in your bitterness to the point where you almost turn around and ask her just what’s SO funny. Let’s just say I’d be lying if I told you that these instances are completely fictional and not autobiographical whatsoever. The real truth of the matter, however, is that I’ve had a revelation - today, in fact, as I sit here contemplating what the real reason is behind me being so bothered by the behavior of these people, and WHY does it bother me so much?

And then I realized that there are plenty of things about me that would probably wind up on someone else’s nitpick list. Like the fact that I chew at least ten pieces of gum a day (while writing this article, I just popped piece no. five into my mouth). Or the part where I prefer to take the long walk down to the better, slightly more private and much bigger ladies’ restroom across the building, so I grace all the other departments with my long-legged and slightly awkward stride, reminiscent of a giraffe back and forth, over and over - and bear in mind, this walk happens twice as often when I’ve made it a two-cups-of-coffee day (as I’m sure you ladies can attest). I can almost hear everything they must be thinking in their heads as I get up to make the trek for the millionth time today: “Okay, she’s going to the bathroom AGAIN? Seriously, just how small IS her bladder? Oh, look, she’s chewing more gum too.”

It’s this revelation, combined with the realization that I really can’t come up with any valid reason why I get so annoyed, that brings me to my real point: we all have our quirks. We all possess those unique qualities that are not only inherent to who we are, but often what others use to define us. We might be the girl with the long legs, or the face full of freckles, or the loud laugh (or, like me, the penchant for chewing gum and peeing often), but that’s all the more reason to embrace our individuality. Not two people are made alike, and rather than nitpick and scrutinize others for what we deem as faults, we should celebrate uniqueness on a day-to-day basis.

So the next time I hear that lady’s laugh from over my cubicle, I’m going to smile to myself, and when that guy lingers near my desk a little too long, I’ll remember to say hi, and when that man in the lunchroom stares at me while I’m eating - okay, maybe I won’t go so far as to share my food. I do have my limits.

And that tuna melt is bangin’.