164: Left Out: Write about a time when you’ve felt left out or you’ve noticed someone else feeling as if they didn’t belong.
For one of my book clubs, we read Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas, a memoir of an an Iranian growing up in California in the time frame that I too was growing up. One story was particularly salient with me about when she went to summer camp but took a giant sleeping bag instead of a bag similar to other campers just because her father wanted to buy the least expensive option as possible. She felt out of place walking onto the bus with her giant sleeping bag, noting that no one would make eye contact nor talk with her because she was deemed different. At my own girl scout camp, I remember seeing girls in this situation and on one hand I felt bad for them and wanted to befriend them but on the other hand I was so wrapped up in my own insecurities and paranoia that I didn’t have the bandwidth to reach out. I wish I had the courage, fortitude, and fuck-all attitude to do what was right rather than being caught up in girl cliques.
