Two Kinds of Weird

If you were at the Mortified show May 4th or 5th, you heard me read the embarrassingly sanctimonius  letter I wrote (shown below) to break up with C.O.W. (the Conspicuous Order of Weirdos.)

What you didn't hear, was the C.O.W. retort, which follows.  When I came across this letter many years later, and gazed upon its charming illustrations I realized, that they weren't just weirdos, they were artists.

Dear “Les,”

     I will try to explain to you once more my reasons for quitting C.O.W.  The most important reason is that I felt like a fool. The summer after 8^th grade I seriously thought about my past year at Begg. I had lost all my friends, had a rotten reputation, and I wasn’t happy being with C.O.W. I felt like when I was with you that I was obligated to be an ass. Everybody knew me as “Donna Otter…Oh! that weird kid.” Leslie, friends are important to me, and (I’m sorry to say) so is my reputation. I believe that friends and a reputation matter a lot in life. 

There are two kinds of weird.  1. Everybody’s own little “thing.” Everyone is unique in their own way kind of weird.

2. C.O.W. type of weird. I’m sorry if I gave you the “brush-off” but I wanted to get away from you, nothing personal. Some of my friends saw you the time you came over to my house with tape on your mouths, and a lot of people know you as the “ones who go around mooing.”  

 The second reason I quit was the people in the club. these people were weeeeeerd!

I’m sorry it had to be this way, but I’m so much happier now.

"Thou mistaketh human nature for weirdness. Ah, my friend, it is not so! 

And never shall be!"

And now? I think the COWs were right. It takes courage, dedication and a lot of weird friends, to become a true weirdo, in other words, an artist.

A place where weirdness is encouraged: