Growing up, I always heard the expression black sheep of the family. I came to understand that it meant those who didn’t conform. Conforming is so ingrained in our culture that anyone who doesn’t “fit” soon finds out they’re not a member of the club.

Personally, I think black sheep are beautiful., both literally and figuratively. They’re uncommon enough that people post pictures of them on social media saying “look what I found!” And they’re common enough that we seem to find each other on a regular basis.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a black sheep. We’re funny, repositories of useless information ( Usually blackmail material on our families) and always looking for new things to do. If there’s trouble to be had, we’ll find it.

Embrace your inner black sheep. You know you have one. Bring it out and see who else finds it beautiful. I think you’d be surprised at how many people you though were pure as the driven snow and yet have that funny dark streak down their backs. Closet black sheep are especially fun, because they don’t see the humor in their situation.

Love your quirks, tics and oddities. They are what makes you, well, you. The world would be very boring indeed if all we had were plain white sheep.