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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016
You owe it to the world to pursue your weirdness
less volatile, better coiffed
Ned
and more enjoyable kind of
Hickson weirdness that helps us keep
a fresh perspective on daily
life.
Albert Einstein, Edgar Alan
Poe, Leonardo da Vinci,
Lucille Ball — all were
geniuses in their own way
who reminded us to see the
world with wonderment by
unapologetically pursuing
their weirdness.
I’m no genius. I’m remind-
ed of this every time I spend
5 minutes getting frustrated
with the TV remote, then
realize it’s the garage door
opener — usually after the
As an Oregonian who spent
several years living in
Portlandia, I feel the city’s
unofficial mantra “Keep
Portland Weird” is a noble
pursuit.
The world needs weird.
Not the current presidential
candidates kind-of-weird,
which is like a Stephen-King-
horror-novel-with-a-rabid-
dog-and-terrifying-clown-
kind-of-weird.
No, I’m talking about a
neighbor calls to tell me our
Labrador is repeatedly being
knocked unconscious.
Though I’m no genius, I do
consider myself weird. And
so do others. Particularly my
teenagers, who avoid eye
contact whenever we’re in
public because they’re afraid
I’ll do something weird that
will embarrass them.
Or as they jokingly say,
“DESTROY OUR LIVES!”
Ha! Ha!
Ok, maybe they’re not jok-
ing.
The truth is, though they
may feel being in the car with
Dad while he orders from the
drive-thru in an Arnold
Schwarzenegger voice could
have a lasting impact on their
reputations — or at the very
least completely screw up our
dinner order — I believe the
example of infusing random
acts of weirdness into daily
life is an important one.
That’s because being weird
requires looking at a common
situation in an uncommon
way. As a parent, there are
few skills I want my children
to develop that are more
important than the ability to
think unconventionally. It’s
that type of thinking that
leads to technological break-
throughs, builds self-confi-
dence and develops problem-
solving skills.
Not counting me and my
TV remote, of course.
Being able to wield weird-
ness is like having Thor’s
mighty hammer to smash
negativity and the mundane.
Although if you think you’re
going to look as cool doing it,
you’re kidding yourself.
Regardless, it’s an effective
way of turning a bad situation
into a better situation; an
unfortunate circumstance into
a laughable moment; Kanye
West into... another laughable
moment.
You get the idea.
The world is getting more
plugged in and, coincidental-
ly, more stressed out.
Weirdness is a necessary
coping mechanism that bene-
fits everyone. So please do
the responsible thing by
embracing your weirdness. Or
even someone else’s.
But if they’re part of the
Portland Naked Bike Ride,
I’d have them put pants on
first.
Ned is a syndicated columnist
with News Media Corporation.
His book, “Humor at the Speed of
Life,” is now available. Write to
him at nedhickson@icloud.com
Free monthly discussions on legal issues for seniors
Kelly Ford, an Oregon attor-
ney new to the Florence area,
has agreed to hold casual,
monthly discussions on legal
issues important to seniors at
the Florence Senior Center.
Beginning at 1 p.m. on April
6, and continuing on the first
Wednesday of each month,
Ford will be available for drop-
in talks. Themes can include
estate planning, wills and
trusts and other tools and tech-
niques used by estate planners.
Ford will open with a specif-
ic topic, but the dialogues can
change depending on the needs
and questions of those attend-
ing.
Discussion topics will
include:
April 6: Common Estate
planning mistakes and how to
avoid them
May 4: Estate settlement
tools (Or: not everything goes
through probate)
June 1: The declining need
for revocable trusts in Oregon
estate planning
July 6: When are guardian-
ship and conservatorship nec-
essary?
Aug. 3: Planning for
Medicaid to pay for long-term
care in Oregon
B-I-N-G-O ! !
ADA GRANGE #570
SATURDAY, MARCH 19
5:00 p.m. Kitchen Opens, Regular Bingo Menu
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Questions? Call Nancy 541-997-2380 • 10 Miles out Canary Road
Ford has been practicing in
the Beaverton area for about
30 years and offered similar
discussions at the senior center
there.
“We are excited to be able
to offer this kind of informa-
tion to Florence-area seniors,”
said Christine May, senior cen-
ter board president. “Although
the topics are geared to sen-
iors, anyone interested is invit-
ed to attend.”
The legal discussions are
free, but participants are asked
to contribute $1 per session to
help defray operating costs for
the Senior Center.
Confused About Health
Insurance? We Can Help!
April 4th & 5th, 9:30am - 5pm
DHS Office at
3180 US-Hwy 101
Get FREE one-on-one
assistance with new, renewal,
or urgent Oregon Health
Plan applications.
For more information,
call 541-543-5484
HIT THAT
LIKE
BUTTON!
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