Awkward.

Many think of this word as something much less than a compliment, but Sarah Oso’s article “Five Ways of Looking at Awkward” in the most recent October issue of Teen Ink says otherwise. After reading her account on five meanings of the term “awkward”, I began to see the 7-letter word as something more than just a casual description. Sarah shows that even the clumsiest and “graceless” of adjectives have hidden connotations right beneath the surface, and this one is (ironically) a shining example.

Although “awkward” is thought of something along the lines of an insult, Sarah tells the reader to embrace it, to “jeer at the labels.” I thought this was the most impacting line of the article, because it shows that being awkward is not as horrendous as it seems. By ignoring and overcoming the initial definition, she has bested the insult in the term. It is immensely inspiring to see that someone just like me, just like everyone else does not find offense in the word, and this has inspired me to ignore the labels and to simply smile at being awkward.