The coolest nerd I know
I just discovered this gem of a comic and had to share!
It is with affection that one of my friend’s states (on a semi-regular basis): “Stef, you are the coolest nerd I know”. I ALWAYS take this as a compliment. Largely because I am hyper conscious of how ‘not-cool’ I am in real life and how easy it is for me to spontaneously let my nerd flag fly (blame it on the books #librarylife). But, mostly because, every time she says it, it warms my heart to know she’s happy to maintain our BFF status despite my nerdyness.
Do I resonate with being called a nerd? Yeah totally. Would I be ok with the title geek? Possibly. Or dork? Hmm I think so. But is it the definition of these labels or the words themselves that strikes a cord?
I am reminded of a post about what happens when you define life by what you are. In particular, the weight we put on labels and the notion that words like hobby, job, career and vocation may be interconnected but are NOT interchangeable. I sense the same could be said for nerd, geek and dork.
Chuck & Beans do a great job of highlighting the interconnectedness of the words nerd, geek and dork, whilst defining each with accuracy and jocoseness. What I love most about the comic above is how confident Chuck is about what he is and what he is not! And here’s my lightbulb moment: what does it matter the word as long as we are comfortable with the definition?
“… all too often we think of ourselves in one dimension, and that as much as we can enjoy one thing, and it can be all consuming, we are more than the sum of our parts…” - The Lady Edison
Parts of me resonate with each of Chuck & Beans’ definitions. When it comes to all things library and education related, I am a nerd. If you want to discuss the perfect Nutella dessert or how to best brew matcha green tea, I am a geek. And just the fact I experienced joy at the thought of writing this piece after stumbling on a little Chuck & Beans inspiration makes me a full fledged dork.
But, at the end of the day, I’m cool flying all the flags!
