With my retirement from coaching now being firmly official, but retaining a desire to continue to post on my blog, I started exploring other topics about which I could write. Don't get me wrong, I will continue to post about sport, coaching and certain society related issues to those two but I also want to branch out and write about other subjects. I might want to explore writing some fictions essays or short stories but I also might like to share my thoughts about funnier side of life and attempt to instill a little humor into my writing.
Earlier this week, I post two articles related to high school life, cliques and friendships. So, it got me thinking about a few tongue in cheek posts I might want to put together. As you read today, keep a sense of humor about you, don't take it too seriously, and mostly, accept when I write that this is not some attention / sympathy seeking piece with the intention of sharing my deepest insecurities and thoughts. They say that in every joke there is a little truth, so I would assume that in every post while humorous they will always be a little of my truth. However at the core, I am hoping for my writing to be entertaining, maybe a little informative but mostly an outlet for expanding my creative side. SO here goes...... Every group of friends is diverse and its members each hold a unique role. While every clique is different, there are common roles in which members tend to fall into, e.g. the funny one, the eccentric one, the introverted one, the superficial one, the list goes on. Perhaps the most underrated (but what I believe to be the best) role you can have in a group, or in life for that matter, is the low-key nerd. What is the low-key nerd? Well, I'm glad you asked. The low-key nerd is the person who embodies all the best qualities of a nerd, without being like one of the cast members in "The Big Bang Theory." This person is equal parts smart and sass. Low-key nerds aren’t geeks or dorks, they genuinely have their sh*t together, and are by most definitions “cool,” but they probably have the highest IQ's in the group. The low-key nerd can vary. If your group of friends are not the brightest bulbs, then the low-key nerd might not be very smart at all, but in comparison to everyone else they’ll take the cake. If you are friends with very smart people, then the low-key nerd might be like, Bill Gates…who knows. The point is there is always that one person in the group who’s cool enough to keep it real (only nerds can say that without being serious/embarrassing) but also can add up all the change in your purse, very fast. Some of the most common traits of the low key nerd are as follows. Anyone who might exhibit a combination of these may just be a low-key nerd: Your friends are always wondering how you know that random fact that you decided to blurt out, and you simply do not know. Your brain is like a sponge and you somehow remember all those random things that you learned throughout school. I mean who doesn’t know the first piano was the harpsichord? Low key nerds have the ability to withdraw from irrelevant, petty and bullshit riddles discussions by withdrawing into their own brain. While everyone else is talking about how so and so was a real dick this week or how their boss doesn't know the first thing about running the department, you can just sit there, pretend to listen, and ponder things like the next dinner recipe you might want to try. You enjoy a good time and are comfortable holding court in front of a group, seeking to make everyone laugh with stories, even willing to share some self-deprecating facts about yourself, but for the most part, deep down you’re on a more serious level. You can hold serious conversations about a range of subjects and you are just as comfortable sitting at home reading a good book on your own. In school, you bridged the gap between the popular and unpopular kids. You definitely were the low-key nerd if you found yourself somewhere in-between being cool and not cool. You were friends with the geeky kids, but also friends with the popular kids… which made for a really awkward social life. You were seen as the good friend or confident by the great looking classmates but never really had the chance to date them. The good part was, if you worked it right, you could kind of be like a translator for both, and bridge the awful high school hierarchy for some of the un-cool kids. You like to consider yourself like Clark Kent / Superman personality. Just like these superheroes, you consider yourself to have a bit of an alter ego. While everyone thinks you’re the class clown, well spoken in a group and comfortable to be a leader, you know deep down that the nerd resides in you… and you're both perfectly fine and proud with that. You probably have an eclectic taste in music, because you are constantly seeking new and interesting things to excite your brain, you probably have a wide array of music you're into. You might collect comics or sports cards just as you might like to stay on top of all the new technical gadgets. When someone you think is cool or attractive makes an obvious error, you know better than to correct him or her This is one of the prime factors that separates total nerds from low-key ones. A really nerdy nerd is going to miss the social queues and despite wanting that person to like them, will belittle and demean the person by correcting them. Guys like smart girls, girls like smart guys but no one likes to feel stupid. The low key nerd is comfortable enough now when they are smart without holding it over anyone. You can watch some slapstick comedy and laugh uncontrollably and still enjoy some artsy film covering one of society's thought provoking issues. You might also be the type who comes out of a film pointing out all the illogical flaws or describing possible alternative endings or what would happen next if there was a sequel. When you get together with friends, especially order friends ( like maybe high school ), many of your peers can remember some funny story about something you did. They will tell a story which might take on proportions and give you attributes that you don't even see in yourself. You actually know what you’re talking about and you don’t have to flaunt it. The greatest of all the low-key nerd traits! Real nerds will constantly make it known that they are intelligent, and wannabe intellectuals will embarrassingly attempt to make themselves look smart despite the fact that they paid more attention to who is dating who or where the best parties than any class in school. You on the other hand, can quietly relish in your intelligence without throwing it in everyone’s face. You know your strengths and weaknesses, you adapt quite easily to situations that present themselves in front of you. You thrive being in charge but don't need to be recognized for your efforts. So there you have, a new social category, the sub group known as low key nerds. Apparently, I am one of these... and I embrace it.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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