The latest hipster word I love to fling into conversations is extra.

As in: I’m/You’re so extra.

What the hell does it mean?

If you’re extra, or if someone is so extra, it means that they/you are dramatic or over the top – as in way too much for polite society.

Extra.

Note to my friends who may feel they must hide their extra special shine under the proverbial bushel:

My entire life has been extra.

From the moment I made The German sick from within her womb, to this week, snapping my fangers in defiance of those who wish to quiet the extra in others.

I’m perfectly fine with how I move through this life; I am extra.

I’m satisfied with that; I offer that you should be, too.

What starts out as a dig, I turns into a compliment, yo.

People who judge, should be so lucky to be as extra as we.

Since I was but a wee child of extra, I’ve had people tell me to be less, to be smaller, to be, well, less extra.

All the nopes, baby.

Do you ever wish you didn’t feel pressured to dim your extra?  STOP IT!

Will a permission slip help?

To Whom it May Concern,

____________ is extra today.

Deal with it.

Patti

My life has featured a steady stream of uncomfortable folk telling me to accommodate those around me that fear my extra. You know, for their sake, not mine.

Uh-huh.

Even before all the nopes became a thang, it’s exactly what I did. With a hard eye-roll for emphasis.

I actually felt sorry for those who wished me less than I was, because it spoke more to their lack of self-acceptance than mine.

You can’t control how others believe the world should look or what is gonna bother them. If they no likey the extra in front of them, let ’em keep walking.

That’s what I do. Pretty simple.

I can’t imagine this world without all the extra souls. Not the mass of souls, as in a number – the extra souls.

My short list of amazing extras who’ve encouraged me to embrace me:

Jesus (The actual – LITERAL – son of God, who is…wait for it…ALSO God?! Dude, please, you so extra.)

Einstein (Wormhole what? Time travel what? Your hair matches your extra touch of crazy, son.)

The Wright brothers (NO! Men have feet for a reason! There are no extra wings for you. Oh, wait…)

Susan B. Anthony (Momma, you are one of the main reasons I vote ever’ danged time I can. Extra extra, vote all about it!)

Annie Oakley (She promoted the idea that women should learn to shoot as a means of self-protection, in an age where that kinda talk made you the extra special target of the civilized world.)

Margaret Thatcher (When iron wants to be extra tough, it adds Margaret Thatcher.)

Imagine, for a hot minute, if these ladies and gentlemen had listened to anyone who was made uncomfortable by their being over the top, with their extra-ordinary ideas and schemes of wonder.

We need a world where there are vast differences and a sea of voices that clash.

We need pastels and deep jewels tones.

We need rock and roll and mystical monk chants.

We need a yin to the yang.

We need to understand and accept that those who change the world, must have an extra-ordinary sense of the seemingly impossible, even, ESPECIALLY!, in the face of doubt and fear of others.

We need your unique and spellbinding extra!

As you are well aware, not everyone has the constitution to pull all that extra off, so the next time someone is annoyed by your extra special you-ness, take a hot minute and remember my list of wonderfully weird edge-pushers.

Let them give you the strength to be comfortable in your skin – no matter the naysayers of the world.

I’d love to know if you have an extra role-model.

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