Me and my tiara.

My sister, Joy, sent me an e-mail recently asking me to describe her in one word. I said she was "adventurous." In turn, I was supposed to send the e-mail to a list of my friends and ask them to describe me in one word. But since I can count my friends on one elbow, I didn't bother. Doesn't matter anyway because I know exactly which word people would use to describe me: eccentric (a kind way of saying "nuts"). I like being eccentric. An eccentric person can get away with being slightly bizarre, and everyone thinks that's OK. He or she isn't hauled off to the insane asylum (though frankly I sometimes feel the peace and quiet there would do me good). In fact, eccentric people are fun people precisely because they never worry about what other people will think about them. An eccentric person is the one who will go out for ice cream in the dead of winter. They wear what they please or what's comfortable and not become overly concerned about what's "in." They play games instead of watching other people play them.

I haven't perfected being eccentric yet, but I'm working on it. Sometimes, to practice, I'll wear my tiara--the one I needed for an editorial photo some years back. I put on the tiara and go about my daily routine: doing the dishes, feeding the dogs, working at my computer, fetching the mail, rotating the laundry, etc.

I might be so stressed that steam is spouting from my ears, but whenever I catch sight of my reflection I have to laugh. Because, come on, I have a tiara on my head. If the UPS guy stopped by right now, he'd probably address me as "Your Grace." I'd respond by saying, "What? This old thing? Why aren't you wearing yours?"

Some of my eccentricities come naturally, like letting my German shepherd--who is approximately the size of Cleveland--sleep at the foot of my bed. Some I cultivate on purpose, like the tiara. Why? Because I've discovered that being silly now and then keeps my heart happy. A happy heart is a strong heart, one that can hold its own when the pressure starts to build and everyone around is falling to pieces. It's not the tiara. It's the attitude, the happy-go-lucky-and-bound-and-determined-to-find-the-good-in-this-situation attitude that makes someone eccentric.

The Bible says, "A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired" (Proverbs 17:22, (Message). There are days of gloom and doom that come to all of us from time to time. We can't help that. But if we meet them with a smile on the face, a prayer in the heart, and a tiara on the head, those days will be a lot more bearable.

Celeste Perrino-Walker (known to her friends by the expression: "Why does she do that?") lives in Rutland, Vermont.