Appearances reveal a lot. Some people you look at and they radiate intelligence. Some people you look at and their stature is screaming athlete. But then there are those you look at and you just know they don’t have a clue.

I realize that through my columns, a lot of people would probably form the latter impression of me. Some people might say that I walk to the beat of a different drummer.

I have done a few things in my day to earn such a description. The fact that I have spent more money in parking tickets then gas this year would qualify me. And I suppose that running out of gas on Highway 30 doesn’t help my cause any, but these are isolated events.

Though I would be the first to admit that I do things a little differently, I am not dense and I am not in a fog. I just look at things in a different way; I see the world in a different light.

There are others out there with me, and I guarantee you could pick them out. She’s the girl you curse at because she walks so slow but somehow always ends up in front of you. He’s the guy who really doesn’t know what’s going on in Iraq. She’s the one who asks you directions to the Memorial Union. He’s the one whose meal of choice is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and a glass of Nestles Quick chocolate milk.

It’s a unique kind of person. And if you get through our sometimes-dopey exterior, you will realize what a rich lifestyle we live. A few instances:

Though this person has lived in Ames a while now, he still finds it hard to make his way around town. And because of this, he has been lost a numerous amount of times, in fairly weird places. Does he get all worked up that he’s wasting gas or is going to be late? No. He enjoys this new path. He observes all that’s around him.

And every so often there will come a time when he will stumble upon something beautiful, almost magical. Maybe it’s a forest, or perhaps a trickling stream. Though others have been there, it feels as if he discovered it. And this person has enough sense to stop, take time out, and enjoy the moment. A moment that would never have happened had he taken the right way. Of course, the moment is over when he realizes he ended up at Brookside Park when he was headed for the rec.

And yes, some of the stuff this kind of person does is just plain stupid. How on earth did she run out of gas? Especially in a car wash? How does she continually bounce checks? How can she seem to find the same patch of ice to slip on everyday?

But it’s often this clumsy person who puts a smile on your face when no one else could. Seeing her fall could lift that cloud that’s been hanging over your head all morning. Witnessing one of her mishaps might give you a chuckle that you haven’t had in awhile. Though it may seem cruel to delight in other’s misfortunes, I guarantee she won’t mind. She’s just happy to make you laugh.

And you might occasionally get upset at this type of person. Most likely it’s because he made you late to class because he walks so slow. You find it hard to get around him because every time you make a move to the right, he wanders right. Every time you make a move left, he trips to the left.

It is not intentional, my friends. He knows where he’s going; sometimes, he just doesn’t see the point in rushing. Chances are he’s going to be late anyway, so why hurry?

And it wasn’t out of spite that he cut you off as you tried to get around him. I bet he doesn’t even know you were there. You see, these types of people like to think as they walk, which creates a problem because they have a hard time doing two things at once. Hence the trip.

But this is exactly what I mean when I say rich lifestyle. It is in these times when I am walking, oblivious to the outside world, that I am at the most peace with myself. It is a feeling hard to describe. It can only happen if you’re willing to take time out of your busy, rigid schedule and be clueless for a moment. I guess it’s just enjoying life.

So no worries. I’m walking with the same drummer, I’m just a little behind.

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Jackson Lashier is a freshman in journalism and mass communication from Marshalltown.