Aren't We All Dorks?

Today I went to Grandparent's day at my niece's school.  Yes, I did just say that.  This is not the first time; a couple of years ago when my mother was sick I filled in then as well.  Now that she has passed it happened that I was available to attend so I did.  Now my nieces are in middle school and it is a little odd that they want me to come in for Grandparent's day, but they are pretty confident and family has always been important to all of us.  I was sitting in the older one's English class and she said she needed a pen and so I reached in my purse (bag) and pulled out this:

My Pencil Case

Her immediate response, "You're a dork."  I smiled from ear to ear because I think I kind of like being a dork. To me I see the term 'dork' applied to people who are passionate about something or perhaps have a slightly obsessive interest in something.  I also hear it applied to people who find joy in small things that don't make sense to others.  I think I fall under both of those categories with my pencil case.  

A little history on the pencil case.  I am currently pursuing a degree in secondary education mathematics.  I want to be a high school math teacher and eventually college level.  I am also a math tutor and find that my purse is often cluttered with pencils, pens, and erasers. I am always digging one out as I walk into each persons home, so logic tells me I need a pencil case.  I went searching and all of them looked to be of poor quality and to put it in slang..janky.  I found this in the office supply store and it looked perfect for my needs.  I don't leave home without it. 

I love to do math, so I need pencils.  I want to be prepared, so I have a few and keep them with me always.  I want to be organized so I keep them in a pencil case.  All of these add up to my niece calling me a dork.  I am not ashamed.  I am proud!  Proud to stand up and say, "Yes I am a dork!"  I am passionate about what I do and I want to do it well; there is nothing wrong with that.  Next time someone calls you a dork, I hope you take it as a compliment because it probably is.