I Spill the Tea about Middle School

When I was in middle school, kids called me “Rhonda Red Face.” 

I had acne and my face would get *bright* red whenever I got embarrassed, or hot, or in any way uncomfortable. Which was often. 

Coming from a sheltered Catholic school into public middle school was not easy, friends.

It was like the wild, wild west.

And it didn’t help that I was n-e-r-d-y.  And quirky. And I didn’t quite fit in.

Years later, all this helped me excel as a writer and entrepreneur...but we’ll come back to all that in a second.

Back in middle school, I was gawky and bookish. I had about 10,000 interests. I had a penchant for ideas, overachieving, writing, reading, and organizing things. Most of my jeans were from the flea market. 

I hated gym class *a lot* and I would try to hide out in the band room as often as possible.

Speaking of gym, being on the softball team was one of the worst experiences of my life. I would stand in the outfield literally ---praying--- that the ball wouldn’t come to me.  

FOR. THE. ENTIRE. GAME. 

I was skinny and my jeans were too big and once they slid down when I was up to bat. 

Sweet.



I had PERMED BANGS, YA'LL. 

I wore cardigan sweaters all the time.

*

Once, in middle school, I wrote a book report on the VC Andrews series Flowers in the Attic. Which sounds innocent enough...unless you’ve read it. 

Bahhaha. 

My English teacher could not deny it was an excellent book report. 

But she was also alarmed. 

Though I do appreciate her desire not to seem overtly concerned.

In tight, neat cursive, she wrote, “Boy, Rhonda, there is sure a lot going on in these books. ”

Years later, I came across that paper and howled with laughter.

But I digress...

*

I look back now and it makes me grateful that I didn’t try all that hard to fit in back then.

Because it all served me well and has helped me be a better writer, entrepreneur...and person, I’d say. 

I learned to follow my own way. To not worry too much about what other people thought about me. I learned to follow my bliss. 

I’m still quirky. And a little awkward in conversation. 

I'm a deep thinker and sometimes I have to give things some thought and follow up.

I still have wide and varied interests. I love ideas. And writing. And wellness. And learning all the time. 

I still read constantly.  I literally have about 12 books, 1 planner and 2 journals on my nightstand...all of them (eek) in progress. I'm pretty sure Interlibrary loan has my phone number memorized and sometimes they cut me off because I have too many books checked out. 

I’ll meet every deadline but at the same time,  I don’t like a daily schedule that is super constricting. Sometimes I like to read in bed until 10am, sometimes I’m up at 3am writing, sometimes I’m doing yoga or taking a nap or working in the garden at 2pm. Because for me, I’m going to live by the cycles that feel right.   

I’m super productive...but on my terms now.  

Because I still have about 10,000 passions and all of them require nurturing, at different times.❤ And I know that nurturing them will make my work better. 

It feels like intentional living at its best.

I get to write and write and write. And work with people who are also on their own trajectory in life.

People who don’t care I’m a little nerdy. People who also care deeply about wellness and nature....and changing people's lives. People who are doing things differently and making the world a better place in the process. 

People who don’t care that my nails are dirty from the garden, or that I’m going to the flea market on a weekday morning to buy jeans.

Because they know that their copy is going to be amazing...and the flea market and garden are part of the creative process.  

People who don’t care that I show up to work authentically...sometimes in a messy bun and a cardigan. 

Maybe the same cardigan from middle school.  ;)