I’ve always had a personality and likes that were slightly off center. Growing up, being different wasn’t the trait I relished today. Fitting in often means changing who you are and what you love to suit the trend or shunning or hiding the things that secretly bring you joy. I’ve never really fit into any particular mold, and quite embrace my uniqueness. In fact, if someone tells me I can’t do something, it’s typically more incentive for me to do it. As a female, I’m supposed to love chick flicks, recoil at the sight of spiders, and listen to my biological clock (this is still according to society at large). Instead, I make sure my spiders are well taken care of and I prefer superhero movies and dark comedies. And, I love children, they are awesome and hilarious, but I’d rather spoil my niece, my friends’ children, and my dogs than have kids of my own.
The other day, some friends and I were talking about possums because of a story we’d seen recently from National Association of Advancement for Opossums (yep, it’s a real organization). I was remarking about how I love them. They’re beautiful in their uniqueness, and they are remarkably beneficial for the environment. It got me thinking about other ‘non-conventional’ likes I’ve shared with others who have turned their noses up incredulously that I thought I’d share and see if you wanted to share your odd likes.
Without further ado, here are some things I actually like that others tend to abhor. If I could bottle them up and save them for posterity, I would.
- Possums. Their cute, beneficial and misunderstood. They are scavengers that clean up where we left off.
- Skunk smell. I don’t think it stinks, it’s just a strong odor. If I drive through an area that was just skunked, I may take a sniff. Also scavengers.
- Puppy breath. A lot of people think it reeks, but I love the newness of a brand new puppy’s breath.
- Spiders. Again, they are so beneficial, and magical to me. Spider silk is five times stronger than steel of the same diameter. In fact, aside from fleas and ticks, bugs don’t bother me. If they find their way inside, I typically relocate them to a more suitable home.
- Bats. A lot of people think they’re ugly, but they’re pretty cute to me. Plus, they control the mosquito population as well as damaging agricultural pests.
- Dirt. An odd one for me since I’m a clean freak, but I like dirt. I like to garden and get dirt under my nails. I love the smell of earth, and getting my knees dirty while planting and pruning.
- Bituminous. It may seem weird, but one of my first jobs out of college was working for a roofing company as an office manager. At the time, the smell of coal tar was awful to me. The guys would come in after a long day on a roof and reek of it. But it was a great time in my life, and now the smell roofing tar is nostalgic.
- Guys with tattoos. A lot of my girl friends are turned off by guys with ink. Not me. Something about the taboo of tats is appealing.
- Vacuuming. While I am not a fan of laundry, I find vacuuming to be calming.
- The sound of a dishwasher or dryer running. I think it reminds of Sunday afternoons at home when everything was done, and everyone was settled in together.
- Bow ties. Not sure when this started or why. You’re welcome, Tucker Carlson.
- Random car rides. Sometimes I’ll hear a good song on the radio, or find that my mind is very calm, so I’ll drive several miles out of the way before heading home.
- Talking to strangers. I’m fascinated by peoples’ stories.
- Cheese and pickles. I like to wrap a baby gerkin in a slice of cheese.
- Peanut butter and grapes. 1 spoon, 1 jar, 1 bunch
- Solitude. I love my friends and family, but there’s peace in finding happiness in your own company.
There are a ton of things I like, but these are the ones that seem out of the ordinary. What weird things do you like?
Namaste.
– Your Charmed Yogi
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- The wisdom of children’s stories
(Photo: J-walk blog)
A Charmed Yogi 
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