Celebrating the Quirky

We were watching an old episode of The Big Bang Theory the other night, when one of the characters said he preferred to think of Sheldon as "quirky."

Salvador Dali, another quirkster, attribution below

In this context, it meant he was trying to put a positive spin on someone whom most of us would thing was just weird. He could as easily have said Sheldon was unique. An odd duck. Or that he marched to the beat of a different drummer. Any one of these descriptions would have been just as accurate.

As for me, I've kind of taken to the word "quirky." It gives me license to engage in "unconventional" rituals. 

Yes, I say a Hail Mary before I get behind the wheel of the car, even though I'm no longer a practicing Catholic. (I perfected, then abandoned the religion of my youth some time ago.) 

I thank my car for starting up in the morning, and I thank it again for getting me home safely with words you would direct toward a pet. ("Who's a good car?")

I count the steps up and down every time I ascend or descend. There are 13 steps going upstairs (plus one extra at the top on the right) and 12 steps down to the basement. As I've gotten older, I've discovered this is actually practical because I can move about in the dark and not lose my footing.

Then there's this thing I have about socks. They're my favorite part of my wardrobe. This hasn't always been the case, it's definitely been since I started working from home. I have preferred socks as well, but I'm admittedly fickle. Currently, my footwear of choice are the Bombas. They're soft and comfy and they make my feet feel happy.

Some of my quirks are rooted firmly in the past. When I was growing up, my Mom would sometimes indulge us at the end of the week by making peanut butter and chocolate chip sandwiches for our lunch. It's something I still enjoy, although admittedly, not always on Fridays.

Also, I put ketchup on egg sandwiches. Please don't judge.

And yes, I have a subscription to the local newspaper, but I only read the weather, obits, and comics. I also partake of the advice columns, which are on the comics page. And I do a couple of the puzzles. But not all of them.

Now, I'm sure I have plenty of other quirks which are simply not coming to mind at the moment, but I think that's enough for today.

Feel free to chime in with any "unique" rituals you may have!

Photo attribution: Roger Higgins, World Telegram staff photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons