Nerd : Redefined

Nerd: an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a non-social hobby or pursuit.
I love books. They’re my best friends. In fact, once upon a time, the only boyfriends I had were Harry Potter and Edward Cullen, if you know what I mean.
I have to say that I am perfectly content with how my life id but I’d be lying if I said that the little dreamer deep within me didn’t yearn for some TLC. I’d be lying if I said I never dreamt of Prince Charming sweeping me off my feet. I’d also be lying if I said I liked being alone.
Growing up as an introvert is not the greatest thing. I rarely ventured outside my comfort zone and preferred the companionship of books to people. But yes, reading does have disadvantages.
My first day of secondary school was awkward. Stepping onto unfamiliar territory is not my forte. Too bad the back door of the classroom was locked or I would have sneaked in from behind. No such luck.
So I entered from the front with as much bravura as I could muster which wasn’t much considering how I shuffled along the walls and tried not to be noticed.
I touched down safely at the very end of the classroom and tried to look busy, ignoring the stares my new classmates were giving me. A guy at the same table didn’t stare but the look in his eyes showed that he understood how horrible being in my shoes was.
I cannot remember the first words we exchanged but I was glad we did because we became close friends in our remaining two years of school. Then we went our separate ways and I thought I’d never find a companion like him again.
However, I met a stranger whom I never knew would become my best friend. She astounded me because we are so alike. We became joined at the hips, like sisters.
Then it dawned to me that friendship is like a kite. You have to let it soar high up in the air. If you hold the thread too tightly, it will crash to the ground. Although your kite seems small and distant from afar, you know it’s there in the sky because you’re connected to it by that thread. And you’re comforted because wherever the kite goes, it will return to you.
I appreciate people who make someone smile, who take the time to know someone, who accept someone without judging him or her. They are no Oprah Winfrey or Mother Teresa, but in their own way, they help make the world a better place by bringing hope to those who are alone.
And to those who are discouraged, and feel useless and ever so small, I wish to say this: “You are someone. Just believe and you will be.”
Nerd: just another noun that fails to take into account the person as a whole.

(490 words)
(Adapted from Carolyn Low Chai Foong @Heart & Soul Star2 25 September 2011)