TRENDS...Just Not When They Are Trending

You might have heard the term "what's trending now." Apparently, I miss out on most of these things.

I will admit I am not the biggest trend setter or follower. I just tend to get things a little later than others. For instance, I remember my high school graduation song was that Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) song by Green Day (as I'm sure was the case for many graduating classes). At the time, I thought 'Green Day...ugh. Aren't all their songs lame?' A few years later, I received my first DVD player as a birthday present and it came with a dvd that had music on it. One of the songs was Macy's Day Parade by, of course, Green Day. I loved it. I listened to it over and over. I remember telling my friend Danae about the song and she said, "Yeah, Deanna, they were cool like 8 years ago!" Oops.

I didn't wear make-up until I was 20 and was told if I wanted to represent the Dairy Industry (I once held the Utah County Dairy Princess title - wink, smile, wave), I had to look presentable. Not that I wear a ton of makeup now, but I look back at photos from before that and wonder why I hadn't used a little beauty product earlier. 

A coworker of mine at IKEA, named Amanda, always raved about wearing heels. I also remember doing the stair stepper machine at the gym one night and the guy who worked there told me if I wore heels I wouldn't have to do stairs as much. My thought to both of them was I couldn't possibly walk in heels. I thought I'd fall and break my ankle. I bought my first pair a few years later. In fact, I wore heels today and have worn them every day for the last 8 days. Heels and I are best friends now.

Today, I went to the library and checked out some Justin Timberlake CD's. If you haven't heard of him yet....oh wait...everyone has heard of him. What is my problem?! My friends Brandon, Jessica, and Dane all are a bit obsessed with his tunes. I knew that, but how did I miss his music until now?! Some of his lyrics are just fabulous.

This last one isn't about trends, but I have had family and friends tell me my best friend Brandon was in love with me and I should jump on that marriage train with him. No way...I wasn't ready, but he stuck with me. Four years later (and hopefully not too late), I finally realize that is exactly what I want. Hello Deanna...open your eyes!

So why do some things take so long for me to grab onto? Maybe I need to be more hip on my pop culture? My mother has always told me I "march to my own drum." That is close to Henry David Thoreau's quote from Walden, "If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away." I believe he meant that one should do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and expectations OR as Willie Nelson said, "He ain't wrong, he's just different."  I'm thankful to all who bear with me and all my possible quirkiness...however far behind or off course I am.