Today, November 14, is my Life Day.
It's bigger than my birthday. Because today is the day that my family and I were told that, after three years, the cancer was gone and the chemo done.
Of course it was a good thing. But it definitely changed my life after that point. For three years I hadn't been a "normal" kid. Well, my friends and family would argue that I was never a "normal" kid. (can any little gay boy fit the mold?)
Sure I probably would still have done the artsy stuff like sing in the children's choir and play violin.
But being told, at age 7, that you might not live forces you to grow up. Really fast.
It doesn't help that in a matter of months I went from looking like this
to this
When I was thrown back into the world of regular 5th grade, I couldn't make it work. I didn't think I was better than the other kids. I definitely wasn't any smarter than them. But I didn't like the same things they liked and they didn't get my humor.
At all.
Not until my freshman year did my classmates (especially the girls) start to appreciate the full benefits of having a witty gay friend. (they knew it. I didn't.)
But to this day, one of the few things I regret is that I didn't get to be a kid when I was a kid. I can't blame the cancer. It was more my choice. I didn't want to act like the other kids.
Strange how things work. Growing up, all I wanted to do was hang out with adults. And now I spend my days with kids.
Again, my choice. But this time, it's a good choice.
I get to share my biggest passion every day with kids and hopefully show some of those gay little kids that it's OK to be a kid AND appreciate things like Mozart.
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