I believe we’re all outsiders, and that fitting in is overrated. In one way or another, we belong to a group that sets us apart, or we’ve had a singular experience/s that does the job of pushing us to the peripheries of “normalized society”.
We’ve each had a peek of what it was like looking out and looking in, but the world wants to put us in tribes, closed boxes, and remind us of how we are different. To be fair, it’s what the brain does, binary, black and white thinking, but it’s our job as higher beings to find the connecting threats, to feel the pulse, and find freedom in the fringes. Humanity depends on it—and it’s also good fun.
I'm interested in what we share, what brings us together, like a good “the time I accidentally shit in my pants” story. Mortifying in the moment, but hilarious in retrospect. Storytelling does an amazing job of opening minds and building bridges, which is why I find the craft endlessly fascinating, and love to read.
"We make ourselves whole through stories" - Dan McAdams
My name’s Lani, and I’m a first-generation American writing about Gen X and working class childhoods, living abroad, and the experiences that define us.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, Lani. I'm first-gen Asian American and Gen-X too.
I've been feeling like an outsider since I was a teenager. It feels good to hear that we are all outsiders one way or another.
Gen X!! I knew we were twins 😂