Why you should embrace your inner eccentric
The English idiom “mad as a March hare” is said to derive from observing the antics of the hares in early spring – excitable, unpredictable and wild. This month, as the days get longer and brighter, I’m inviting you to celebrate this by embracing your wild side, your individuality and everything which makes you beautifully and uniquely you.
Do you sometimes feel embarrassed or reluctant to explore something you’ve always wanted to try because it seems a bit, well, “crazy”? Be inspired by other eccentrics: London is home to many. These marvellous non-conformists are curious, inventive, joyful and courageous, and live unafraid to stand out. Many inventions, great works of art, discoveries and fun are down to them. If you are yearning to join them and try something different –just go for it!
You need not be alone. Whatever your curiosities are, you will find a tribe – the internet will provide. These experiences make life rich; firing neurons, keeping our brains and bodies active and growing, allowing us to experience the world as a wonderland. It is liberating to try something you’ve always wanted to. Every time we dare to push against our boundaries, we increase our confidence.
One Saturday I decided to do just that, and joined a group of people sat in a Stone Age round-house listening to a druid telling stories around a fire to welcome the spring and say hello to the “little people”. The man sitting next to me smiled and said, “We’re all mad here, aren’t we?”
I replied, quoting Lewis Carroll from Alice in Wonderland: “Yes, I suppose so. All the best people are…”